#Tv audio bar plus
#Tv audio bar tv

However, ARC is superior to optical when it comes to bandwidth - that is, the amount of data it can handle at a given time. Optical cables have better shielding than HDMI and are therefore less susceptible to interference. Both can handle compressed, multichannel audio up to 5.1, and neither can handle 7.1 audio, although an advanced version of ARC called eARC can. You might change your mind.īoth formats are superior in sound quality to analog (RCA cables).

#Tv audio bar tv

OpticalĮven if you’re happy with using an optical (TOSLINK) cable rather than ARC for sending audio from the TV to your sound bar or receiver, it’s worth comparing the two. In case you’re wondering, ARC doesn’t have anything to do with the functioning of Blu-ray players and game consoles, so there’s no need to worry about their compatibility. You could use the receiver as the hub, connecting it to the TV through ARC with one HDMI cable and plugging Blu-ray players or game consoles into the receiver using HDMI. Yet another alternative setup is possible if your home setup includes an AV receiver that supports ARC, such as the Yamaha RX-V6A. This kind of setup can be really helpful, particularly if you have a wall-mounted TV where connected HDMI cables are run through holes drilled in the wall. Now, you’ll not only have audio going from the TV to the sound bar, but video from the game controller and Blu-ray player getting passed through from the sound bar to the TV: One way to configure HDMI ARC. To do that, you’d connect the TV to the sound bar using ARC and plug any game controllers and Blu-ray players to the HDMI inputs on the sound bar. For example, you could use your sound bar as a hub - as long as it supports ARC and has multiple HDMI inputs. Extra FlexibilityĪRC’s two-way audio capability gives you additional setup flexibility. Not all remotes or TVs offer this feature, so make sure the one you have (or are considering buying) does. You typically must go into your TV’s settings to activate it. However, the CEC feature isn’t necessarily plug and play.

So, with HDMI ARC, not only will you have less cables, but fewer remotes to deal with. This allows you to use a single remote to control power on/off, audio level and other essential functions of any ARC-connected devices. You can use the remote for even more functions by engaging an HDMI feature usually called Consumer Electronics Control (CEC), though different manufacturers refer to it by a variety of names.

#Tv audio bar plus

With this configuration, the HDMI ARC connection will carry all the audio from your devices to your sound bar, plus you’ll also be able to control all the source-switching from your TV’s remote. As shown in the illustration below, simply use HDMI cables to connect the Blu-ray player and game console to the TV. With ARC, a single HDMI cable carries both audio and video.Īs an example, let’s say your home audio setup consists of a smart TV, a Blu-ray player, a game console and an ARC-capable sound bar such as the Yamaha SR-C30A, SR-C20A, SR-B20A, YAS-109 or YAS-209. As a result, you have a variety of options for interconnecting the various devices you’re using.Īnother benefit is fewer cables, since you don’t need to use a separate optical cable to send audio from your TV to your sound bar or receiver.

That means the audio can travel both “downstream” (from your TV to your sound bar or AV receiver) and “upstream” (from the sound bar or AV receiver back to the TV), assuming all components are ARC compatible. One of the key benefits of ARC is that it supports bi-directional audio through a single HDMI cable. As shown below, these are usually clearly labeled: The HDMI ports (circled in red) on the Yamaha YAS-109 sound bar. To make an ARC connection, simply plug an HDMI cable into the dedicated ARC jacks on both devices. Ready to learn more? Read on … ARC Basics and Benefits HDMI ARC makes it possible to simplify your TV setup while improving your ability to configure and control your system. When the HDMI ® 1.4 spec was introduced back in 2009, it included a new protocol designed to significantly improve the audio experience for television viewing: ARC, which stands for Audio Return Channel.