"ARC" capability (1 Viewer)

[Cathy Dearman Morris]

can someone "dumb down" what arc is? its purpose. (scenario using it)
I have a Samsung tv and one of the hdmis is an arc one. right now I have the direct box hooked in it.

 

[schan1269]

ARC replaces a toslink. It saves you $5.

ARC problems...

1. Requires CEC.
2. Requires CEC
3. Requires CEC
4 Requires CEC
5. Only "guaranteed to work*" if the TV and sound system are the same manufacturer.

*There is currently a thread where a guy bought an LG TV and soundbar. Both have ARC. ARC refuses(apparently) to work. And if "ARC doesn't work"(according to the manual) there is no other way to use the TV remote to control the sound of the soundbar. (and whatever LG genius it was that decided you "had to use ARC" for the remote to control the other piece...instead of the ability to use a code in the remote, is an abject moron)

 

[Al.Anderson]

Cables typically have direction for signal flow (e.g., "from" the receiver "to" the TV, or "from" the TV "to" the receiver), and can only handle one direct per cable. ARC breaks that rule by allowing the HDMI to flow to the TV for some uses but the audio to flow to the receiver for other uses. The primary instance of audio flowing back to the receiver is when the TV is processing the incoming signal instead of the it going to the receiver first (usually the OTA signal, or a cable without a cable box).

If you don't need that capability (and you don't appear to) it operates as a standard HDMI channel.

 

[schan1269]

It helps to understand "exactly what HDMI even is"...

It is, essentially, two pairs of ethernet cable. Yep, a bunch of 18-22guage pairs of wires. No big mystery.

HDMI audio and video doesn't even use all the pairs. Hence they've had to come up with features to use all the extra pairs.

Eventually, maybe, power over HDMI. One day BD players, STB and streaming devices will only have the HDMI. As they'll receive their power from the display.

 

[Cathy Dearman Morris]

so is the arc hdmi on the tv an input or an output?

 

[schan1269]

Neither one.

It is a feature between a TV and an audio device to replace a toslink/digital coax. Nothing more.

 

[Cathy Dearman Morris]

so should I not be using this as my direct tv input ?

 

[schan1269]

You don't care for ARC, no. So put the Directv there.

 

[TonyD]

I use the arc output from my Vizeo tv to my Denon receiver.

Works fine for me.

I think if you can use it then use it.

why wouldn't you, also one less wire to be running behind the tv.


Btw Sam, I see "reviewer" under oyur name, Do you have any current reviews I can look at?

 

[schan1269]

The OP doesn't have ARC capable audio.