HDMI 2.1 eARC VS ARC Why You Need It!

[@TechSteve]

Tweak out your audio system spatialcd.com save 10% with code TECHSTEVE10

[@AdmiringBarnOwl-ox3my]

Nice review keep up the good work Tech Steve

[@DarkKnight-gw4gw]

It’s important to understand that although eARC is part of the HDMI 2.1 standard, eARC does not NEED the HDMI 2.1 chipset. There are lots of TVs, soundbars, and receivers where eARC has been enabled on their HDMI 2.0 chipsets, and it they have the full lossless (uncompressed) 5.1, 7.1, Atmos, and DTS:X (sometimes) format capabilities of eARC. eARC is the one HDMI 2.1 feature that works with the HDMI 2.0 and 18Gbps hardware and cables.

[@donb7574]

Yes eArc only needs an HDMI cable thats says "with ethernet" since it uses the wires that were originally planned for a separate ethernet connection that was never used. The newer ultra high speed cables all have that but there are 18gpbs high speed cables that have it too.

[@halferhu]

@@DarkKnight-gw4gw thank you, this is the confirmation i was looking for, and was wondering why can i get Dolby TrueHD with an HDMI 2.0 cable!

[@onepurpose315]

On lg you should switch auto to pass through or you will get compressed audio

[@TechSteve]

Cool

[@케빈데브라이너-q8y]

@@onepurpose315 thank you

[@markh351]

Thanks Steve! I have several HDMI cables from over the years and wish they were better labeled so that I knew which supports 2.0 and 2.1. Though new cables (at least from Amazon) are affordable and I am still in the realm of 60Hz televisions!

[@TechSteve]

It’s terrible that they aren’t labeled, I buddy was using a HDMI 1.4 on his PS5 because he just used the cables from his old dvd player because it was convenient. 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@Ldastwpayh]

It amazing how the newest cables can make your TV and or gaming experience top notch

[@willybeezy2775]

I've always found your content to be very professional and informative. Keep up the amazing work as always. Take care and I hope you're doing well.

[@TechSteve]

I appreciate it

[@Squishmallows24]

Arc/earc for me personally is a huge pain. When it works it’s great but I hate how when I turn on my tv my receiver also turns on. No! I don’t always use my receiver when I just wanna watch regular tv. Only way to turn that off is to turn off Bravia sync on my tv but if I do that then I can’t turn off my tv/roku with the Roku controller. They need to come up with more options on how to control how a tv and receiver work together.

[@YurtleTheTurtle99]

Your receiver should have its own settings like “HDMI Control” or “Power(P.) Off Control that might help. I had to do this on my moms Roku because, since it never really turns off, it would keep sending a signal to the tv n everytime she would turn off the tv the Roku would turn it back on

[@michaelwyckoff7593]

Gotta have the right cable or else things won't work right. 😊

[@TechSteve]

True that

[@AjaxSkye]

I really love your channel. Can't believe I have never seen it before.

[@byron19800]

HDMI 1.4 also supports Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD and uncompressed PCM, it's not limited to lossy audio only

[@perrysmiles60]

Good day Steve, thank you for sharing this essential info on HDMI cables and settings. I have an older Sony model 2018 4K TV (X850F) which only has ARC and I do have a 2.1 HDMI connected here. I use an AVR to decode all (the Onkyo RZ50). Now, when you showed your settings in Audio Output on the Sony in this video and chose eArc mode, immediately afterwards you happened to skip over the 'Digital Audio Out' feature which you left on 'Auto 1'. This setting in Sony says ''Output compressed audio without change''. In my case, and under this setting, should I not choose ''Always output in PCM'' to achieve uncompressed audio instead?... and to be able to hear from my height channels Dolby Atmos and DTS-X formats when playing my movies..?? Please help me with this setting because there are 3 choices under 'Digital Audio Out' with Sony (Auto 1 and Auto 2 which speak about compressed audio, and the third choice is PCM).

[@raminator157]

Great video! I got a Vizio atmos soundbar hooked up to my x85j and sounds awesome

[@TechSteve]

Vizio soundbars are really good

[@raminator157]

@@TechSteve Coupdnt agree more. I got the Vizio M51a-H6 which is virtual atmos. But works great for me. I got it on sale at Sam’s club for 199! That was a mega deal comparing it to non atmos soundbars.

[@foxmulder2941]

Very informative video , thanks Steve.

[@TechSteve]

You're welcome

[@armandoalmirez9479]

Great video this is very helpful I wasn’t really sure about the difference between hdmi cords what supports a 4k tv.👍😃

[@Dan300]

Earc mode is missing in my tvl r646 google tv. How do i turn it on

[@440Morales]

Greetings,,I have a new Sony 90l tv(65in) and an onkyo receiver that is about 10 years old 7.1 have it connected wiht an optical cable put not all the channels work,which one is the correct HDMI for me and which input do I have to connect it to for the audio ,,Thank you 🙏🏻

[@TechSteve]

Just a HDMI 2.1 but a certified HDMI 2.0 will work fine since it doesn’t support Dolby Atmos I would assume

[@440Morales]

@@TechSteve thank you

[@jtopdawg6]

Great video my guy!

[@TechSteve]

You’re welcome my guy

[@thomasjones2071]

Very informative Tech Steve!!

[@TechSteve]

Thanks

[@raminator157]

Hey Steve, I am a little confused about a setting on my X85J. It has audio pass thru, when I have it set to auto, there seems to be a delay when it sends the audio to my soundbar. It takes a few seconds for the soundbar to hand shake the signal and let me hear the audio. When I have it off, the delay is much less. Is there any reason for me to have this setting on?

[@MrTunney3]

Awesome thanks 👍

[@kavachjoshi7684]

@techsteve I have a query; I upgraded to the LG 75QNED90 mini led TV which has a 2.1 hdmi support; I do have a ps5 that supports it; and I have all hdmi 2.1 cables however my AV receiver is a Yamaha RX V779 through which all of my devices are connected foe audio Video; and that receiver has hdmi 2.0; so my dns is will I still get the best out of my TV or will I potentially loose on quality because of the cdmi 2.0 ports in my receiver

[@TechSteve]

I would use the the TV as a switch and just run the eARC to the receiver

[@YoungDen]

Just got a 48' LG C3 and was looking for a surround sound that is LG that is budget friendly for a bedroom. Any help there

[@madcrabber1113]

I have both cheap 2.1 and more expensive 2.1 cables and I have had issues with both. Certified and non certified. Good luck all. I stopped even trying to use arc and earc.

[@adtv2849]

What do you use instead? Optical? I can’t connect my Soundbar with my TV with eARC (even though both have that port).

[@cucggie]

Will i have any difference on audio quality, if i use hdmi 2.1 to a soundbar that supports dolby atmos and dts x but with Arc?

[@KKKK-ep1pr]

May i know what camera make and model you used for this video please.

[@TechSteve]

Sony FX-3 amzn.to/3YqvDYa 20mm lens amzn.to/4dMiD3u atmos ninja recorder amzn.to/4f5P3qM

[@tyronemeadows4362]

Great Information Salute

[@jfunk79]

Does the hdmi cable matter if im just using it for audio on an earc 2.1 sound bar and no video? Tried doing research and most people say it doesnt matter, what do you think?

[@TechSteve]

It for TVs but let’s say you have a HD Blu Ray player you can get a better audio

[@ChrisCurran-p9r]

Hi mate was born confued am a bit slow lol will i get better pitcher quality wachimg contend on ma sky q box with a ultra high speed hdmi cable rather than a high speed?? Thanks

[@djteknovibe93]

Most soundbars don't sound very good only the very, very expensive ones sound good but I still wouldn't call them amazing. If you want the best sound quality and don't mind just a pair a front left/right speakers the best option is to connect a Van Damme digital optical cable from the back of the tv via it's optical output and then connect that to input on a DAC such as an RME ADI-2 DAC FS. Then connect a pair of Van Damme XLR cables from the DAC to a pair of active studio monitors such as the Dynaudio BM5 MKIII on metal speaker stands and put a foam monitor pads underneath. Then have some 50mm acoustic foam files on the walls to dampen room reflections. You can always wrap the foam in the same colour fabric as your walls so they're not as noticeable and unsightly. I used to be a professional sound engineer and that is the best option for a standard two speaker system connected to a tv. Unless you want surround then go for an AV amplifier with surround speakers. I've tried out so many soundbars in shops and not one not even the ones costing arounf £1,000 can match the sound quality I get from my two Alesis M1Active mkII studio monitors on good quality metal speaker stands with foam monitor pads underneath, the Cambridge Audio DAC Magic 100 DAC. I get excellent sound quality and using studio monitors and acoustic foam on the wlls to the sides to stop reflections I can hear actors lines in movies that weren't noticeable when using cheap speakers or soundbars.

[@blueeyedwhitedragon7445]

LG 50UQ7570 or samsung cu7000? Which one is better

[@HowYouMove]

So let me get this straight Steve I am not a gamer so is it ok to use strictly a HDMI 2.0 cable connected to the ARC with my dvd player?

[@TechSteve]

Correct

[@NbNb-qv8gw]

I connect my Sony soundbar via eARC. I listen/stream music via BT but when I switch the Sony HT-S2000 from TV to BT then my tv picture disappears and I’m left with a blank screen, no tv picture but the musics playing fine. When I switch back from BT to TV I lose my music but get my picture & sound back. I usually like to listen to my music all day plus watch tv (obviously it’s muted). Can anyone fix this so I can watch tv & stream my music too, can anyone help so I can fix this or is it unfixable?

[@sukhmansinghkundi]

Will HDMi 2.1 eARC cable work with ARC port on my subwoofer

[@TechSteve]

I doubt it, that’s a dedicated source for LTE

[@tonyrobles9070]

I'm new to this but a little confused. I have a Denon x8500h I'm going to be setting up in the next month. It has Dolby Atmos but will I be able to get uncompressed Dolby Atmos using a 4K cable? Or uncompressed? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your awesome videos and contributions to the community! 👍

[@TechSteve]

HDMI 2.0 can do compressed audio but you need eARC and HDMI 2.1 to do uncompressed Dolby Atmos and a complete system that can support the HDMI 2.1

[@tonyrobles9070]

​@@TechSteveThanks so much for the info! I really appreciate it and appreciate you! I forgot to mention I'm only using it for physical media i.e. 4K Discs. Will I be able to get uncompressed Dolby Atmos with a 2.0 cable/TV using eARC with the disc? Thanks again for your time Sir! 👍

[@TechSteve]

The video answers that question

[@tonyrobles9070]

@@TechSteve Got it! Thanks again for your time and help! Have a fantastic day Sir! 👍

[@barados2006]

Even if you just have arc on your TV you will still get lossless sound so long as you speaker is EARC and has HDMI imputs. Your TV will Just do video and soundbar sound.

[@babymaker13th]

How about hooking it up to a receiver ?

[@misterlexx2721]

Of course, you can.

[@10886dom]

bro that wood wall was screwing with my eyes the whole video hahahaha

[@TechSteve]

I changed my settings since then

[@10886dom]

@@TechSteve lol ya it was like looking at those old mind's eye books from the 90s

[@TechSteve]

Hahaha 😆

[@batsteve1942]

Great video as always and very informative! I’ve currently got my PS5 hooked up to a Sony Bravia KD-50X75WL which has an eARC HDMI port, but I’m guessing that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s 2.1? If it isn’t, is it worth upgrading the cable to 2.1 for better audio or stick with the 2.0?

[@TechSteve]

If it’s not 120Hz save your money

[@batsteve1942]

@@TechSteve thanks for the advice, Sony did confirm 2 ports on it are 2.1 but it’s 60hz like you said so I’ll save my money 👍

[@ShibinSivadas-n4q]

Which one is good for 5.1 ch dolby digital soundbar. 2.0 or 2.1 ?

[@TechSteve]

Doesn’t matter

[@ShibinSivadas-n4q]

@@TechSteve Thanks for the reply. HDMI 2.0 also suitable for it ?

[@misterlexx2721]

​@@ShibinSivadas-n4qyes.

[@trinikeston]

Great information

[@recess7]

Hey could you review the Samsung Q600C soundbar?

[@jamesmurray2876]

Great video

[@MrFat.]

Still coming through for me. Thanks! 🤜🤛

[@TechSteve]

Cool 👍🏽

[@Psyclonus7]

What HDMI 2.1 cable would you recommend?

[@TechSteve]

Any kind as long as there are certified

[@emmcee476]

So basically, if you're just watching simple content with a regular sound bar without gaming, you're just fine using conventional cables

[@TechSteve]

Yes, this is a different application

[@aminb6529]

Good tv gaming introduce ps4 ??? Please help me

[@alihosseinipour3597]

FYI you might wanna keep the camera still - cause your background is not good for moving the camera - gives you a headache watching your video-

[@GenX_US_Marine]

I don't use that eARC connection at all. I don't need to use it.

[@Common._man.8]

Dolby True HD Files No Sound But Video is Running Through BD Player and AVR I have a Pioneer Vsx 932 AVR 7.2 channels and Bluray Player Pioneer Bdp 180 I'm getting hdmi out through Tv Setup 5.1 system Speaker configuration (5.1.2) with subwoofer Speaker set in small 100hz crossover all I'm getting no sound while playing Dolby true hd content files through my Bluray player in .MKV format only video runs in it but .M2TS format plays good both video and audio While playing .MKV file no audio only video runs IN AVR DISPLAY It Shows PCM Rather than Dolby Symbol don't know why it is completely Dolby true hd files I've cross checked MLP type codec Note: I can Play Dolby true hd in Pcm But cannot in bitstream mode I want to play that file in bitstream mode I plugged my hdmi cable to tv in a non hdmi arc port the other hdmi out end to Avr Will that be an issue for not received Dolby true hd should I change my hdmi cable to hdmi arc port in my tv One thing I'm getting good output while I play DTS HD Master Audio But Only I Can't Play Dolby True HD Files I've Set My BD Player to Bitstream only both Hdmi audio output and Digital audio output Downmix to Lt/Rt Should i Change my Hdmi Arc cable to Hdmi 2.1 Earc

[@dobranavika4110]

Greeting. Please how do I connect samsung odyssey neo g8 playstation 5 and sonos beam gen 2? 🙏🙏

[@justeddm]

HDMI 2.1 is like the 16 pin PSU connector... unnecessary invention

[@-8_8-]

Except for gaming.