Optical Might Be Better Than HDMI ARC For You... Here's Why

[@bassinbillRC5300]

A Toslink cable is what I used on my older Pioneer VSX-D508 in our living room. It impressed my buddy while watching Mr. Brooks using DTS decoding from the DVD. Now I am using the same optical digital toslink cable from our Samsung UHDTV 50" flatscreen to our Vizio soundbar. Very good sound with NO hum nor RF interference of any kind. Never knew this format came out in 1985. Still a good idea to use today.

[@DavidMander-rs4uk]

I still use a Pioneer VSX-C301 and have all my devices hooked up via optical...Does me in my small flat with neighbours and very little space, HD and 5.2 (have extra sub, same Teac brand) Dolby Digital, DTS is all i need so high resolution would be wasted on me!

[@philippeterson9512]

In 1992 I bought a beast of an Onkyo receiver. I was using it for music in my garage/workshop for the past 15 years. Then, a couple years ago on Black Friday, I bought a 65 inch 4K TV. My old Onkyo did not have any digital inputs at all, so I subbed it out for a cheap older receiver I had which did contain HDMI. It sounded like crap. Then on Facebook marketplace I saw an old Denon receiver. I looked up the original reviews, and it was an incredible machine from the year 2000. It had an optical input, and cost $2000 when new. I got it for $75. It sounds fantastic! One of the other advantages of optical is you can buy old receivers that pre-HDMI that perform beautifully for pennies on the dollar.

[@Kamperization95]

I’ve bought the LG C3 along with top of the line Soundbar by LG the optical IMO allows for better surround sound quality over hdmi and it’s noticeably different on my setup not sure why but I love the optical output better

[@allisonclark6642]

Hi Josh, I have a Sony 2011 KDL46Ex520 television and for the past 2 days have been trying every troubleshooting idea to connect a Yamaha ATS-2090 sound bar. Thanks to your video I have used the optical cable and now everything works. Thank you so much 😊

[@archwaytech]

That's awesome that you could get it all working! Happy to help Allison 😊

[@deepblueskyK]

Like mentioned in the video's description: This is just a workaround for people who have problems with their HDMI-Arc connection. Anyway, there is still a severe downside when using an optical connection if you want to enjoy any of those modern 3d sound formats. Optical doesn't provide enough bandwith for Atmos, DTS:X or Auro. I just hope there will be a 'better' standard for HDMI-eArc in the future that makes connecting soundsystems and TVs/ streaming devices less of a pain to deal with.

[@caliginousmoira8565]

is it really a bandwidth issue... all the fiber being run to replace the 'old' trunk cables works better right...?

[@Arrozconchopsticks]

Another standard to where I would have to dump the earc 4k/8k receiver I haven't even bought yet. 🙄

[@zeroa69]

You can still transmit dtsx over optical if you are playing from a pc. The dts app decodes the signal before sending it out so that the receiver so the older reciver simpily sees it as dts and runs ot as such. Killer workound for those with htpc setups on older gear.my yamaha rx750 works perfectly and sounds way to good for me to upgrade just to get the newest version of native dolby atmos and dts. I have no intention of buying atmos speakers at this time when i already have a system worth around 3k that sounds magnificent as is. Even more so when i can just run presence speakers above my tv which was the precurser to atmos in the first place effectively doing the same thing without having to upfire.

[@Synthematix]

Use toslink optical, it was designed from the ground up for audio, it can work with 96KHz audio and is immune from electrical noise, as you are electrically decoupling the audio signal from the mains

[@josephmartinez7363]

In my experience, I have Pioneer receiver pioneer vsx rs320 5.1 it has normal hdmi, no hdmi ARC audio, year released 2009 only has optical audio input, so I decided to buy sony bdv-e2100 home teather 5.1 2018 year fabrication because it is HDMI ARC build in. My big surprise the pioneer vsx rs320 nine year older reproduce without lost of sound dolby digital plus and atmos format audio, transfering the back and heigth sound to the sorround sound speaker receiver, no sound is lost and reproducing via transference in the tv so reproduce the original audio format. Meanwhile the sony bdv e2100 almost a soundbar with separated 5.1speaker lost sound in sorround speaker dolby digtal plus and atmos, inspite to be HDMI ARC build in, also it is not wide dinamic audio range capable, the sound is flat and can reproduce it via PCM because via transference cannot reproduce sound. So I disided to stay with the pioneer vsx rs320 becausa even has better effects movies sound than the sony bdv-e2100, I thinks the optical audio is capable in audio only needs good hardware to reproduce sounds, I still didn´t test EARC so far, but I concider optial audio is better than hdmi ARC. At the time I bought the pioneer vsx rs320 all receivers had only optical and coaxial audio and analagus either 5.1 or 7.1 and stated to be dolby digital plus bulid in. This was my source sound test www.demolandia.net/cinema/dolby-demo-trailers-hd/page-9.html

[@bdk323]

I think I have the opposite of what most want. I don't want to turn my sound bar on every time I'm watching TV. The built in speakers are fine unless I want to watch a movie that's why I just use optical.

[@archwaytech]

And that’s a great reason to use optical.

[@001vidhu]

I prefer optical because i can use both tv spekaer and sound system at the same time if i do that. My tv speaker gives better width because of inbuilt dolby atmos, my home theatre gives me the surround & bass. So adding it gives me a better experience at low cost

[@christopherbrown8205]

Or, as in my case, the TV gives center and the speakers bass and better treble (I have a Sony TV from the days before soundbars became ubiquitous, so it has pretty good speakers 🙂 ).

[@igorstimac8993]

I think there's too much echo when using both the soundbar and the tv speakers

[@manigmaX]

I use Tewtross DAC Digital to Analog Audio Converter (SPDIF Optical to Aux) with an AUX splitter. So I am using my TV, Soundbar and 2.1 Speaker system all of them together. With bypass all are in sync and no delay. Wonderful experience. Maybe in future I will buy a good earc sound system to use with my C2.

[@misterlexx2721]

I have a Samsung 4ktv and Samsung 3 channel sound bar with sub woofer. I mainly use it for movies not regular tv . In movies , you want to hear the surround and bass but also very clear dialog.

[@rayharmacinski4934]

Nope. Optical is very limited

[@derceto125]

My issue with ARC that made me switch to optical was this: My (slightly older) receiver was able to handle DD5.1 over ARC but not DD+. It could handle any audio format up to TrueHD and DTS-HD MA, including DD+ on any HDMI input, but not on ARC because it was out of spec. Now, my TV sends both DD5.1 (which works fine) and DD+ (not working) over ARC, no matter how I configure, but always sends DD5.1 over optical, transcoding all audio format supported. Fortunately, the remote can be configured to send the volume up/down/mute signals for the receiver when audio output is set to optical, so there's no need to use the receiver's remote.

[@rioguttaful]

I don't know what kind of TV u have but mines had a list of receivers that were outdated mines was one them by 1 year 🙏🏽 the store clerk sold me without telling me compatibility wen I took it back I should of got the optical cord but I was scared it wouldn't work also u have to look up the model of your reciever and make sure it's compatible with the year Arc they don't tell u that lol

[@buildingscottbonnars4970]

Brilliant video mate, I have been a home theatre / AV installer for 24 years. I have generally preferred optical but you have clearly explained reasons why, especially eARC can be better. Thanks for your efforts.

[@andrewmieczkowski797]

The optical on your consumer devices, which is called S/PDIF or Toslink, has a max distance of 10m without degradation, if you are lucky.

[@craigarnold1212]

Very nice overall view of the issues. I often find optical the best work around even if I have to use an audio remote and a tv remote. I did this with a mid 90's Sony 5.1 receiver and 4 diffferent TV's from an NAD cathode to an LG C8. While it could handle mp3 it did not work at all with mp4 the C8 can send down it to the reciever even with optical. I kinda knew it probably did not have the codec but I got 25 years out of that system. I updated to a sound bar which allowed me to get more exotic with where the TV could be and had issues as it would only work if things were plugged in a certain way. Unfortunately the sound and speed of changing a tv channel or skipping things while watching recordings got clipping via HDMI where optical plays nice and quick. But no 7.2. But the C8 does not even have arc. So that will have to wait till I update to another tv. This one is basically used for sports, not movies, where I do a fair amount of time shifting to the live stream.

[@raven4k998]

sounds like optical just needs an upgrade since it can be upgraded to handle more then copper🤔

[@LeonXfilm]

I got a lot of electronic noise using ARC until I changed to optic

[@jonathanwiliams4993]

Very, very good informative video! Thank you. I have all my devices using HDMI to my TV but optical from my TV to my audio receiver. It was really just happenstance from the ages of my components, but it sounds like I have the best designed system, and I didn't even realize it! Sweet.

[@florianradu7750]

Same here, still rocking my Yamaha RXV659 from 2006 7.1 700W RMS and the sound over optical is really good, at least for my needs… this avr will last another 20 years 👌🏻

[@waltervanlille2263]

One hidden bonus of optical: When lightning destroys all your HDMI ports on your TV as well as your receiver, you can still fall back onto your optical connectors. Found this out the hard way.

[@FeedScrn]

If you don't need the optical cable, with AV Receivers... HDMI I found to be better - because the receiver uses HDMI for OSD display.

[@chaoswitch1974]

This is great to hear! I use digital optical because my ARC HDMI broke, and I honestly can't tell the difference in sound at all. Though, DOLBY ATMOS is supposed up be best, which you need ARC to function. It bothers me psychologically even though I don't notice the difference. Ugh! Stop my inanity lol

[@felipebaez3512]

😂 im the same way, if i know it can be better i wanna make it happen!

[@wendellwendellb339]

Maybe for a sound bar, but, for those who really have a good Home theater setup, they are going to use HDMI all day every day. Once I found out how to get sound through HDMI on sets I have in different rooms, I disconnected the Optical cable!

[@ryans413]

Yes I don’t understand this optical trend lately it’s so old school it can only do Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1 it can’t carry the HD audio. Ontop of that I see everyone going HDMI into there TVs then using the Optical out to get sound it’s so so wrong ugh it irritates me so much. Optical out from your tv is okay if your using the TVs built in apps like you tube and Netflix the audio there is not HD audio but for Blu Rays your loosing so much quality. The TV will downsample the audio to something the cable can handle.

[@xtrickster6556]

I'm not getting audio from my HDMI for some reason even with all the settings correct. I have no choice but to use optical cable

[@parkerwilkins5495]

@@ryans413 most people are just looking for a reliable experience and HDMI arc is notorious for being unreliable on some tv's. A lot of people are also using cheap soundbars, where they won't even be able to hear a difference.

[@darkdeath174]

I'm in the weird world of needing audio extractor for HDMI 2.1, as the series x has issues with digital audio. There aren't so many of them and they all have different price ranges and most don't even have stuff released in Canada.

[@fender7802]

I currently have the HDMI + optical setup mentioned at the end of the video. I'm using a 13 year old Denon AVR1612 with a 4k Samsung TV. The Denon has HDMI ARC, which is enabled, and ARC is enabled within the TV, but no matter what input I select on the Denon, audio from the TV will not pass through the HDMI cable via ARC. Interestingly though, I can use the TV remote to control the volume of the stereo, so the control side of ARC is working. That's where the optical cable comes in. For some reason, audio is still sent out of the TV via the optical jack even though the TV's audio output is set to "HDMI control" and not "optical". So with the Denon programmed to receive audio through the optical input, I'm able to get sound through the stereo but still control the volume via the TV. It almost seems like this shouldn't work but it's actually working out great. I'm getting true 5.1 surround sound via the optical cable and the sound quality is perfectly fine. I can definitely see how ARC can be problematic. I had to turn off ARC on every other device hooked up to the TV or things were turning on and off without me wanting them to. Luckily the Denon had a setting to have ARC on, but power control off. Another thing I ran across was when switching inputs on the TV, the stereo's input would also change, and it was changing to modes that didn't support surround sound. This was remedied by going into the settings for the Denon and actually "deleting" the other inputs, so it couldn't automatically change over to them. All in all seems like this can be a good setup for someone experiencing some issues with slightly older equipment.

[@d_techterminal]

I had the same problem and it turned out that the cable that I was using was the culprit

[@thomasjacques5286]

I’m still a 2 channel guy and I connect ALL my sources to my new 85” Samsung tv then just feeding the audio to my new Emotiva PT1 pre-amp that feeds their A2 power amp which feeds my BOSE 901s which I will never part with. It’s easy and sound fabulous.

[@Scott-sm9nm]

Nice job. Added a sound bar to a system that had a receiver and smart remote programmed for all options. I told Yamaha support that I just wanted it for sound/speakers but they wanted me to throw out the receiver saying the soundbar does it all. I'm going to use the Digital Optical Cable.

[@Alfred_Pennyworth]

If you want Atmos then you need eARC not Optical, otherwise there’s not much difference. Despite what people say very few can actually hear any difference anyway. Many say they can but blind testing proves otherwise.

[@arniesilverberg764]

Thank you so much for your SONOS critique and suggestions for improvement. My greatest hope is that the company will carefully and seriously review all the info you present. I would add ongoing, annoying and inexcusable connectivity issues. SONOS will inevitably loose current and future customers (read money) if they don’t quickly make the improvements to their systems that are sorely needed. That said, my two subs might be able to be transitioned into very effective binoculars after 14.12 and 14.14 “updates”.

[@archwaytech]

No worries Arnie 😊 It needed to be said. A lot of people are unhappy and have put many thousands into their systems for it to all be changed overnight without their input. Hopefully this video outlines peoples main concerns and something is done real quick! Hahaha!! 😂 They sure would make for good binoculars 😂 Cheers Arnie 😊

[@bFix]

@@xlneoMAXlx what Google casting abilities are you talking about? afaik Sonos only supports airplay 2 regarding those kind of protocols. did you buy the speaker directly from Sonos or from a vendor?

[@bFix]

@arniesilverberg764 what kind of connectivity issues? Atleast they got the subs right again with 14.19 afaik. (you need to reset trueplay once)

[@jcruz6453]

Sonos is the only system that hasn't given me problems. I have a tv that supports EArc and its great.

[@Wimmle]

I only just changed over to eArc and honestly optical is so much easier, eArc can be so finicky

[@manigmaX]

I use Tewtross DAC Digital to Analog Audio Converter (SPDIF Optical to Aux) with an AUX splitter. So I am using my TV, Soundbar and 2.1 Speaker system all of them together. With bypass all are in sync and no delay. Wonderful experience. Maybe in future I will buy a good earc sound system to use with my C2.

[@ChiquitaSpeaks]

I like optical because it’s like digital and analog at the same time

[@peterrobertbowers7639]

i use an optic fibre HDMI cable for a longer length. Works perfectly; no issues with this kind of cable, with my Sony Bravia TV. Monday am 15th May 2023. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Southampton England

[@sabbathAndy]

I also prefer optical for a single reason, HDMI BOARDS GO WRONG very often! It's my greatest fear for expensive av receivers!

[@chungus1149]

But nearly any receiver has both HDMI and optical inputs... So why not just prefer the far superior HDMI and then if the board burns out like you say (never experienced this) you can just fall back to optical ?

[@MaybeTiberius]

something that really helps with hdmi board going bad is additional cooling. you can open up the avr, buy some cooper heatsinks and put them onto the chips of the hdmi board, then additionally put some fans on top and your avr goes from hot cake to icecold

[@bobman929]

I lost a laptop because of a hdmi

[@MrDANGEROUSIDEAS]

You know, it's amazing how many people covering the subject forget to talk about what's important for quite a few people personally, I have a PlayStation and Xbox, a 3-D Blu-ray player. My Roku device all hooked up. Nothing was covered in that. Also you didn't say anything about transmission speed if I'm playing on my PlayStation, which is better for me to use because I noticed quite a bit of significant lag when I use an HDMI cable through my Panasonic elite system but if I use my headphones there's zero lag whatsoever so it's being lost through the eARC channel

[@cfldriven]

I use the optical out of the CD player straight into the Onkyo AVR, for the rest of the other devices it is HDMI arc.

[@amirsan278]

With optic cable the sound is much better and clear then hdmi in my av reciver , sony str dn1080 I think mixing of video and audio signals in the same cable cause electronic interference. With all due respect to all the formats that HDMI can transmit, They still haven't addressed the basic problem, Which is complete isolation of the cords between audio and video in an HDMI cable.

[@ks03xbf]

signal is digitall, there is no mixing, intrefering, etc, simply your reciver handle this signals differently if you hear difference

[@puglife6291]

My parent's Hisense tv and Yamaha sound bar failed the digital handshake via HDMI and ARC the dozen or so times i tried to connect them except one time the signal got through which was a one off. So I chose the HDMI directly to tv for video and the Optical for audio. Since my parents sound bar has no surround speakers so in effect no true surround set up, I opted to set the bluray player to down mix all audio to uncompressed PCM stereo. This way they are still getting DTS HD and Dolby True HD. This sounds richer and more full bodied than using the compressed Dolby Digital 5.1 surround option.

[@patd4u2]

my Bose 900 soundbar had the same problems with the handshake when turning the TV on, I got so tired of it happening so often I went to fiber optic and the problem went away completely, and the sound is just as good if not better

[@0619421034]

My issue was the other way, my samsung tv use to wake up at night when connected through optical cable but it stopped happening when I started using hdmi arc port. It was good to know the cause now.

[@44pakattack]

Bro. I don't have the opt plugged in and my klipsch soundbar still turns on. Maybe cause I have a newer tv or something and it registers it somehow

[@michaelbeckerman7532]

It's possible that your devices are responding to surges and spikes coming down the power line. Try connecting your devices all to a high-quality series-mode surge projector from a company like SurgeX, Zero Surge, Brickwall or Furman and see if that makes a difference.

[@DougZbikowski]

I’ve literally never seen nor heard of anyone having the problems mentioned with HDMI.

[@michaelbeckerman7532]

They happen ALL the times, especially when connecting sound bars to TVs. HDMI is FAR from perfect and has a LOT more unresolved issues today than what most realize.

[@philipsawyers719]

Hi great simple video. I'm having trouble with this, new Samsung TV new denon amp. Tv doesn't like, me using eARC, . The sound option on TV doesn't show amp. Hdmi option to auto works for a bit then next time sound only though TV. Optical cable might work?

[@peteowen3539]

My Sonos Playbar words superbly with the optical link. Years ago I bought a Van Den Hul cable.

[@travismayne8830]

Is it worth getting a optical to hdmi for a surround sound system as atm im using aux. Worth upgrading even if its just optical?

[@91tempus]

Sorry but this is kind of bs, HDMI is heavily shielded and virtually never has interference issues.

[@iamwangine8752]

Yea sure 😂😂😂 , I have Denon AVC-A1H followed by 16 independent amplifier channels for each speaker ( tru' crossover) , try to connect you PC tru HDMI and you will find the noise pain 😂😂😂 . SPDIF is the best after 40 years . Is true a sound bar at bread price will work just fine😂

[@tristanbackup2536]

It's light. How it can it be affected?

[@iamwangine8752]

@@tristanbackup2536 SPDIF is not , HDMI it is always affected less or more . Ground mode loop residual current is always a bit*h 😂

[@patd4u2]

Nothing but problems using my Bose, 900 sound bar with the HDMI arc. I would get no sound sometimes in the morning when I turned the TV on and would have to unplug the TV and sound bar to get it to work. Sometimes it would randomly switch back to the TV speakers. I switched to fiber optic, and all the problems went away.

[@skschandra]

You saved me spend Rs 50,000 (INR) which is 700$ approx to buy a new Denon receiver. I don't need to buy it now as my TV remote is control to control the audio reciever.

[@DaveTinNY]

Informative video. I was wondering about the old, reliable optical cables.... I recently upgraded from an old, 2004 Pioneer 7.1 non-HDMI receiver... a unit with all RCA connections. That old. With that receiver, I used an optical cable for years... The sound started dropping out so I recently bought a Pioneer DSX-935, 7.2 receiver, equipped with HDMI 4K and 8K capabilities (for my 8K TV) and of course, the eARC return. What a pleasure! I bi-amped the towers with the Surround Backs and run the system in 5.1. Sounds and looks superb.

[@Magicinstalls]

I don’t have a problem with optical, except some remote will not control volume unless you hook it up to HDMI arc

[@williammorris2305]

I found that using the optical cable over HDMI it sounds so much better HDMI would listen on 30 Optical 12 to 14 the same loudness the sound is so much better too on my 3.1 system

[@theremingtonjames]

Great video brother! Helped tremendously

[@biglew1161]

when i first got a Blu-ray player my receiver (pretty old at that time, no hdmi input) could not get the audio from a blue ray over the optical but the same player would send the audio from a dvd. not sure if this is still a problem today. i currently use arc over hdmi and have had zero issues.

[@KuroiMichaelis64]

which is best for latency? fir gaming for example? standard arc or optical?

[@discoHR]

I've been using optical since the 90s and lately I'm on HDMI eARC. Optical doesn't have enough bandwidth for modern audio codecs and that's more than enough to never use it again for home cinema. I don't want compressed version of DD 5.1, I want full blown full quality Dolby Atmos and the other modern codecs. On the other hand, optical is still perfectly good for stereo (HIFI systems and such).

[@EliasAnto]

You had mentioned in your video that Optical and HDMI ARC can send a “compressed” Dolby audio signal. Did you mean to say “lossy” signal, since Dolby TrueHD is also compressed but lossless?

[@jerryees]

I just purchased a Bose smartsoundbar 900. My Damsung tv has ARC hdmi connectors and optic connections too. I am wondering if optic would be better being that I only have ARC hdmi? What is your opinion on this?

[@BradOlsonBemidji]

Another thing to consider is the kind of movies you are watching. If you are watching mostly old movies that were made in mono or stereo, either straight optical or converting to analog is all you'll need.

[@michaelbeckerman7532]

Right, but modern receivers and soundbars can now simulate a surround sound presentation from a stereo input signal.

[@BradOlsonBemidji]

@@michaelbeckerman7532 Simulated stuff is usually not very good, and to find out how bad a simulated mix in any form can be, check out those rechanneled LPs from the 60s.

[@BradOlsonBemidji]

@@michaelbeckerman7532 Often times, simulated sound presentations are not all that good. If you want to find out an example of a poor simulated sound mix, check out those rechanneled LPs in the 60s.

[@BradOlsonBemidji]

@@michaelbeckerman7532 Sometimes simulated sound is not all it is cracked up to be. For an example of this, check out rechanneled stereo LPs from the 60s.

[@cmdaniels55]

When I run arc or Earc I eventually get audio lag on ALL streaming.(YAMAHA RECEIVER) I HAVE DONE EVERYTHING. WILL OPTICAL HELP THIS. CAN YOU HELP ME

[@TheSweetswed]

Good video. My old 4k tv worked fine with my receiver i plug my computer into my receiver and then the receiver into the TV but this new 4k TV i bought it says no signal. When i press menu it shows so im going to have to try optical because my comp works fine when plugged direct into the TV but not through the receiver

[@jeanp.5929]

I have noticed my sound bar turning on in the middle of the night. Although, my Sony tv has some software issues. So I'm not too sure I can blame it on the HDMI port.

[@Gajahelf123]

My 2018 tv only support Arc hdmi. If i could be patient enough buying in 2019, maybe i can get the eArc hdmi port for true Dolby Atmos now.

[@archwaytech]

I’m in the same boat as you… I’ve got a 2018 Samsung. You can get compressed Atmos through Dolby Digital Plus if your TV allows for it. Otherwise you can plug an Apple TV or Nvidia shield into your sound systems hdmi in and get true Atmos that way.

[@atf56]

@@archwaytech can I get Atmos on a Dolby digital Plus soundbar .really? If it is the case I don't mind the compression. I'm going to use it with pc with Dolby access app

[@archwaytech]

What TV and Soundbar do you have? Brand and Model

[@atf56]

@@archwaytech if you are asking to me, I'm looking for an affordable sound bar for my workstation pc with optical port

[@archwaytech]

If you’re wanting a Soundbar that does convincing Atmos then you’ll need to spend a bit of money and get one with rear speakers. If you’re wanting a cheap Soundbar that you can use as PC speakers then check out the JBL 2.0. It’s a great little soundbar and is reasonably priced. It won’t do Atmos but even if you got a soundbar that can do Atmos but doesn’t have rear speakers it won’t give you the full 3D effect.

[@AJJJ-co2vd]

I can use my tv speakers as channels if I connect an optical cable making my 5.0 soundbar 7 but I'm wondering if it's worth the loss of vertual Atmos?

[@tonyt.5771]

I've always used optical, never a problem.

[@bikeman7982]

If your TV is randomly turning on due to spurious commands, no need to switch to optical - just disable CEC in your receiver and TV.

[@ashokrajacs]

I have a question.It would be good if you explain it in detail.Why the sound output is always low when we connect a soundbar with an HDMI arc.Possible answer is the preout volt is low in tv.But need clear explanation as no one is talking about it till now.

[@PatrickDSimpson]

Does optical have any less delay than HDMI? Like if you're having AV sync issues with HDMI would using optical offer any benefits?

[@easterlingderek34]

To start with optical is light which has 0 delay, it is really the processing on the device end that adds the delay, which means using either or will not fix the delay, but the truth is it is not audio delay as audio is processed usually at just a few milliseconds it is actually the Video that is delayed because of the extra processing it has to go through. So sometimes if you have it doing too much to the image then just try turning things off and see if it fixes it and then it could sometimes be the content as well. That is why TV's should really have an audio delay built in so if the processor processing the Video signal can't keep up you can dial it in to exactly the amount you need so they can match again.

[@hollandrocksls]

Everytime I use HDMI it literally cuts the volume in half but is it worth it to hear a small leaf crackle in a scene ?

[@sudanaguntavenkatasubbarao]

Please note Optical transmit 480kbits per second with two compressed signals Hdmi arc trsmits up to 1mbps compressed 6 channels and uncompressed 2channaels Hdmi enhanced arc will transmits 4 to 27mbps and up to 6uncompressed channels

[@jorgem50]

I have been using optical since 2002. Next week I will receive my new receiver and I will finally switch over to hdmi audio. I'm curious to see if there is a small or big difference

[@jorgem50]

@@HTadd1ct Thank you. I am expecting better sound from HDMI. Can't wait to try it

[@jjjurgensen454]

Buy an hdmi fiber optical cable and get the best of both worlds

[@jorgem50]

@@jjjurgensen454 hooked up my new yamaha last night and the audio through hdmi is very nice. I do hear a difference over optical. Man I feel so dumb it took me so long to get a new receiver so I can use hdmi audio

[@jorgem50]

@@HTadd1ctyep, I am loving audio through hdmi. I can hear the difference. Loving my new yamaha receiver

[@igorstimac8993]

@@jorgem50 I prefer optical, the sound is much better on my hisense soundbar. Only downside is that I have to use 2 remotes

[@borg386]

Good video! Is there any adapter to change optical into 3.5 or 1/4" audio?

[@archwaytech]

Thanks! Yes there is... geni.us/2AS8fR

[@MrDaryboy]

It's all confusing. I just need to connect a tv and a projector to a soundbar that takes HDMI arc or optical. How do I connect both of these to the same soundbar? I'd be running a blueray player to both plus the TV is Roku and I can use a Roku stick via HDMI thru the projector. Please help. I'm missing something

[@archwaytech]

What Soundbar do you have?

[@simoncook6031]

I currently have a Panasonic SA-BTT490 cinema surround system connected to a Samsung QLED television. I also have a Sky Q box connected. When using sky the TV sound is echoing the cinema sound - any ideas appreciated. Connected with an HDMI ARC cable and optical

[@nyindallas1]

Question I have an outstanding Rotel RSX-1067. Ithas pre-amp in. So 5.1 from a blu ray is not an issue. For Streaming I can use Toslink to send a stero signal from the TV to the Rotel. I wish there was a way of getting even 5.1. You say there is. I have only been able to get 2 channel from the TV. any suggestions? Thanks

[@Noobmaster-mk9mg]

Thanks man you covered that very well and I learned from this video!

[@jblaze725]

I have an LG c2 television capable of earc as well as a vizio soundbar capable of earc. I have turned earc on but it only ever works as an arc connection. How so I fix this?

[@sj460162]

Please advise which gives better lipsync

[@rodden1953]

ive been using a cable for about 5 years and its started to do strange things to the TV from the laptop so ive ordered a fiber cable , i think the plugs might be a bit worn out

[@rodrigonitrini7144]

Hello ! I have the Onkyo HT-R390. When I try selecting the listening modes options, the display does now show me any DTS or Dolby D options. 1) Does that mean my source is not transmitting DTS or Dolby D? 2) I ask because Im using a optical audio cable, so maybe that would be the reason; 3) I can select Neo 6 DTS and that option lights up a red DTS logo on the display, but does that mean Im getting DTS 5.1 from my BDs or is it just upscalling stereo to 5.1 speakers?

[@loryssloryss7770]

Could I connect soundbar samsung 990c with cd player

[@diablo020590]

I had my Samsung 2012 smart tv and works perfect with my sonos bar with the optical I change last year Samsung criystal UHD 2021 and now I can’t figure out i don’t have sound come out from the tv idk what happen I’ll try everything and nothing. You thing you can suggest me something .??

[@TonyinFL]

Great video! I was hoping to get a quick clarification from you. I have a Onkyo TX-SR806, circa 2008. Back in the day this was somewhat high end and supports Dolby Digital+ and TrueHD along with DTS HD Master. I have a Google Chromecast connected to it via HDMI and then it connects to the TV via HDMI. I find that the HDMI connection does not always work but cycling the power on the TX-SR806 one or more times will fix it. When it fails to connect, if I plug the Chromecast directly into the TV (via HDMI) it seems to work. I suspect the HDMI related electronics in the quite old TX-SR806 may be the issue. Until I decide to upgrade to a new receiver, to eliminate this hassle, I suspect I can hook the Chromecast to the TV, then use an optical cable from the TV to the TX-SR806. I currently have a 5.1 surround sound speaker setup. From poking around on the internet, I am under the impression that the optical cable does not support Dolby Digital+ but does support Dolby Digital. Realistically, does this mean I might be giving up some sound fidelity when using a streaming service such as Netflix with my 5.1 surround sound speaker setup powered by the TX-SR806 if I should switch to using an optical cable as described above?

[@archwaytech]

Thanks Anthony. How do you find other devices that are connected directly to the Onkyo through HDMI? Do they have any problems too? If not, it might be worth trying another Chromecast or another streaming device that has casting ability instead. If you change over to plugging your Chromecast into the TV and running an Optical Cable to the Onkyo I don't think you'll notice that much because Optical can still do Dolby Digital 5.1 which will do just fine with your setup. I hope this helps.

[@TonyinFL]

@@archwaytech Hi. The Chromecast is really the only thing I use these days for content through my home theater / audio system. My have things changed in the past 20 years - LOL! Anyway, I appreciate the feedback!

[@mullapudimanyam2999]

My LG TV only has arc. My 5.1 sound bar has earc. Can you suggest adapters that can convert my TV arc to earc to hear better sound than before.

[@parkerwilkins5495]

if your tv only outputs arc then no adapter will be able to improve the sound quality.

[@tomcooke6670]

if i want to.use optical instead of arc to send tv audio to my processor do i need to turn arc off in the tv. thanks tom

[@3480antonio]

Hi ,i have buy a new Google tv 144 hz ,i have Connect it to my sonos soundbar Whith a eARC cable but its only showing on the tv ,60hz , What is the problem. ?!

[@EQUAL.RIGHTS.4ALL]

Hi brother. Can we make bluetooth speaker and hdmi work together?

[@elangovangovindan9526]

Hello Sir, why no one talks about the DTS audio in any of their discussion.

[@anthonynigro3471]

My Epson projector has 2 reg hdmi ports and my Bose 900 has only hdmi arc or optic. Will using the optic on the 900 and converting it to hdmi on one of the hdmi ports and fire stick in the other hdmi port on the projector. Will this work? Please help thanks

[@robertgelder3493]

Is it possible to control the Sonos volume (amp via optical) with the LG Magic Remote?

[@mikepowers7829]

Can I use my Sonos Playbar with a Roku ultra for sound on the Roku Thanks Mike Powers

[@GedeAdin_Nugroho18]

The cable that I didn't know exist. I started using it today as output from my HDMI extractor

[@slowsmooth3440]

Is there a device that I can use to connect my record player to my USB or optical soundbar input?

[@Fleety420]

I have a Vizio and I finally got a Vizio sound bar. As luck would have it I'm lost hooking it up. The biggest question is, are the HDMI and HDMI arc the same or are they 2 different types of HDMI cables? Also, if I want to connect my Xbox how do I do it the simplest way. Sound bar is Vizio-V Series 2.1 Model V21d-J8 Tv is Vizio E390-B1E I have the optical connection on tv.

[@frederiklikaj]

Thank you for your video. My tv Samsung Q90R only ARC capable, Soundbar Samsung HW90 with eARC HDMI port and 2 other HDMI ports. Panasonic blu ray player with HDMI audio out and HDMI video out. Samsung TV with one box connection har 3 HDMI and an ARC HDMI. How do I have to connect those to get lossless audio from my Panasonic playing 4K disc to my soundbar? Thank You very much in advance.

[@magnusproenca]

Hi. Congratulations for the your channel!! It's very good!! I have a Yamaha RX V683 receiver, and a LG CX 55 conected in ARC mode. When i try to define DSP setup in other modes that STRAIGHT, the AV receiver show "Not avaliable" and not change for the other sound modes. How i can have a solution for this case? Thank you.

[@gabs180-w3j]

earc can also do 7.1 and passthrought if your sound system has a hdmi in and out

[@Squishmallows24]

Optical has never given me problems. Arc/earc always give me problems. I try to avoid both lol

[@ToddParker]

I have a LG TV I believe has ARC, but i have a Bose Solo 5 Sound bar that I connect to the tv using optical because it does not have HDMI. I am searching for a solve because my PS5 has good sound quality through sound bar cinematically but voices drop. I can't sort out if it is the PS5 or the streaming service or game because it happens in a variety of applications. I could play a movie in Paramount Plus and Appletv will handle it fine through same setup but PS5 will play all sounds except voices. My setup is HDMI to every device except optical to the sound bar; all connected directly to tv. Any help is appreciated, if there is a video addressing PS5 sound issues with solves and setup. thanks

[@alicat1059]

HELP ! I have a 2019 LG webOS TV SJ8500. I connected the Roku stick to an HDMI port but my sound is not great on streaming apps (AppleTV & Max) and I can barely hear the dialogue from the background music on the show. So should I connect the Roku stick to the HDMI ARC port ? Will that give me better sound ? Or is the ARC port ONLY for soundbars and external devices ? The Sound Out setting on the TV is currently on "Internal TV Speaker + Audio Out (Optical)". This is TOO MUCH for me to understand !!

[@alexnoriega3247]

Try audio Out (Optical/Hdmi arc) instead of Internal tv speaker + Audio Out optical

[@hhkk6155]

Using optical on a 7.1 receiver with proper 5.1 speakers. I was thinking about buying 2 more speakers to get 7.1, but most of the movies really don't have an amazing soundtrack, like very few movies properly use even 5.1. So I see no point in upgrading to 7.1 or buying a ner receiver for Atmos, sure demo clips make use of all channels , but majority of movies don't. As for audio compression - you literally can't even tell if it's there, thats why compressed music won. Also heard a lot about audio being out of sync when using ARC, I was like: no thanks 😅

[@sharubmazumder7620]

I need a suggestion I have a B6 series soundbar from samsung and my tv is also from samsung the problem is my tv supports Q-symphony but my soundbar doesn’t But my tv also supports dual sound via optical shall i switch to optical for dual sound or should i continue to use my soundbar via hdmi Earc Any suggestion is appreciated Thanks

[@brunoboy98]

Do i need a hdmi 2.1 cable for earc? or can i use a normal hdmi cable

[@Gypsum179]

Optical solved all of my arc reliability issues. Maybe in another 10 years arc will be ready, but it clearly is not there yet.

[@colclumper]

As far as I know optical can only support up to the ancient 5.1,I have 7.2.4 Atmos.

[@rodysk8]

Will optical cable works from a 4K Tv to a old Bose surround system that has optical input? Thanks

[@parkerwilkins5495]

If the tv has an optical output and it's enabled, then yes it should work.

[@olimphus26]

I love SPDIF

[@allanpennington]

But didn't you say that streaming services only output Atmos through compressed 5.1? If so will you get Atmos with Optical connection or only through HDMI? And as its compressed will you get Atmos from the streaming service if your TV only has ARC and not eARC? My Panasonic TH-50730EZ has ARC only but does have and optical out too. However it doesn't list Atmos support but does list Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and HDR10. So hoping when my new Samsung Q800B Soundbar arrives tomorrow Ill be able to get Atmos via Netflix and or Amazon Prime both of which are included Apps on the Smart TV.

[@MillenniumFalcon]

Thanks this was very educational.