Need help with ARC, HDMI switch and setup (1 Viewer)

[sameeroquai]

I have a Panasonic TC-P55VT50 TV, Monoprice HDMI switch w/ Optical (PID# 7974), Apple TV, PS3, and Logitech Z-5500 sound system.
I use a Logitech Harmony Touch to control my devices. Using my Apple TV and PS3 works fine for audio and video. (These devices connect to the switch via HDMI and send video to the TV and audio to the speakers via an optical cable.)
If I watch TV using my OTA cables, the only way I can get sound is by keeping on Viera Link on the TV and ARC on the switch. (The antenna sends video directly to the TV and audio is sent FROM the TV TO the HDMI switch which send it on to the speakers via optical cable.)
Anyway, my problem comes when I turn off my system and the last activity was watch TV via antenna. This causes the audio to go silent next time anything is used and requires a power cycle on the switch. The strange thing is, if I switch back to the HDMI 2 input (where my switch is plugged into the TV) the ARC light turns off on the switch and the next time I use my system everything is fine.

I'm having trouble understanding ARC setups and getting this to work. I can't always switch back to HDMI 2 when sitting off the TV, so any help with the switch and TV setup would be greatly appreciated.

 

[schan1269]

All ARC does is replace a toslink. There is no big mystery.Your set up is working as good as it can given the issues CEC causes(CEC is the Viera Link).

 

[stevesutton1989]

I dont understand this at all why would you use up a HDMi slot for sound when you already have sound via other ports? Is it purely for easy control ?I need all the hdmi ports I can get so I wouldnt use arc myself

 

[Jason Charlton]

I dont understand this at all why would you use up a HDMi slot for sound when you already have sound via other ports? Is it purely for easy control ? I need all the hdmi ports I can get so I wouldnt use arc myself

Well, many newer TVs are losing the "other" audio outputs. Digital coaxial is all but gone, and Toslink is starting to disappear, too - so for people that get their HD signals via Over The Air antennas, or have "smart" TVs with built-in apps and an external surround audio system, they need SOME way for the audio signal to get from the TV to their receiver. ARC is flawed, but can serve a purpose for some users.

That being said, if you have multiple sources (game system(s), cable/satellite, Blu-ray/DVD, etc.) and you want to use something OTHER than the crappy speakers that come with the TV, you should not even CARE about how many HDMI inputs your display has. You should use an A/V receiver as the "hub" of your system, connect all your sources to that, then run a single HDMI cable from the receiver to the TV.

Thus, your TV only "needs" one HDMI input.

 

[stevesutton1989]

I thought an av reciever diminished signal and I didnt know toslink was going anywhere but thanks for the explanation

 

[schan1269]

I've seen some TV go over to a combi mini-toslink/3.55 headphone jack.Hopefully once HDMI 2.0 gets here and CEC becomes standardized, instead of an afterthought, maybe the questions of why "this doesn't work" Will go away.Not holding my breath.