If you were a doctor you would be my doctor, too! Only smart people know how to simplify the complicated. We need more teachers like you. So happy I found you. Thank you.
I wish you'd been around, back in the day, to explain things in your straight forward manner when I was a pup trying to understand all that school stuff. Thanks for keeping it on the level and not bamboozling folks with too much tech-speak-jargon. Keep up the good work.
If you're using a PC, go with optical digital for audio. It may be limited to 5.1 and compressed audio, BUT, you can use display port connection for the display and benefit from things like 144Hz plus FPS.
I Beg to Differ. My Brand New Hisense can process DTS-HD and playing a movie with that audio format AND using HDMI ARC doesnt translate the proper surround channels back to my Sony Home Theatre. HOWEVER, when I specify from the TV to exclusively use SPDIF, the Sony properly outputs the 7.1 to each respective speakers. This can be easily differentiated by the centre channel that processes dialogue. HDMI-ARC just outputs the Dialogue to both front speakers while ignoring the Centre.
Mai, thanks for your feedback, but HDMI-ARC does have the same capability, it's all about adjusting the settings on the TV & sound-bar, but I understand. If the optical works best for you, nothing is wrong with going that route.
@@seanbrownskating That is correct. It can't play Dolby TrueHD or even the compressed Dolby Digital Plus. Optical is restricted to Dolby Digital 5.1. This could be the reason why you are hearing more volume. HDMI ARC can carry a Dolby Digital Plus signal which is essentially giving you more channels of audio I think.
I have just new sound bar And I connect it with HDM both side but still not working? Do I need to the output wire the small tiny head face I don’t have hole for that in the tv? Plz help
Not sure if you were able to solve the problem - but I just notice I overlooked you comment by accident. I have couple videos that might be able to solve your problem. Use The HDMI (ARC) Port On Your Sound bar and TV - ruclips.net/video/Fo71E0-n6wk/видео.html HDMI ARC On Your TV & Sound bar Part 2 - The Setting Adjustments - ruclips.net/video/VD--ncurWNg/видео.html You NEED To Upgrade Your HDMI Cable To HDMI 4K High-Speed Cable - ruclips.net/video/KkQ9pIZjzwY/видео.html
Great follow-up video, Mr. Chard. I am configuring a TiVo/computer network with my new LG C8 OLED TV and LG SK9Y soundbar. It's taken me weeks of research to see that you and Chris Majestic are the best on RUclips. I learned that the HDMI path to soundbar and TV is best (as you have so politely explained). I also learned that I have to configure that path to avoid obstacles in HDCP and HDR and ATMOS performance. This old geezer loves your presentation.
Hello Mr. Steve, sorry for the late response & thanks for the compliments that I'm considered one of the best you found on RUclips. Glad to help you in anyway possible. Thank you very much. Stay tuned.
I can connect my speakers to the computer monitor via 3.5 mm jack. The monitor can either use a display port or hdmi (currently connected to display port for gsync). But currently it's connected via optical cable. Should I switch to the 3.5 via hdmi?
Thanks for that. But how come my optical sounds louder than my hdmi connection? When testing both at -9db the sound resolution seems a bit clearer on the optical.
You are welcome - the only thing I can think of is type of HDM cable you are using - I notice a difference when I upgraded my cables which I talked about in this video, Here's Why You Need To Upgrade Your HDMI Cable To HDMI 4K High-Speed Cable ruclips.net/video/KkQ9pIZjzwY/видео.html
Hi thx for the video;need help my Sony 900E(2017) is connected to my Yamaha YSP 1100(optical no HDMI)i want to upgrade my soundbar?Not my TV.Any suggestions since my TV has only STD ARCH.Can std ARCH connect to E-ARCH?
@@ChardTheTechGuy Hey thx !What do you think of the 2015 Yamaha ysp 5600 to marriage with my 2017 Sony 900E? the Yahma doesn't have HDR pass thru but does have 4k pass thru.
I purchased my first sound bar today. I’m not really technical at all. My sound bar had both HDMI and Optical (never used before). Unfortunately the HDMI connection into my TV didn’t pick up anything! Tried all the connections. It’s a Samsung 2010 50” plasma. The HDMI connections work for my satellite system, but none of the connections pick up my sound bar. So I had to use optical. Maybe my TV is too old and not compatible with certain newer devices!
Also bought one today and I have a newer Samsung series tv . There are multiple hdmi ports on the tv and there is one that says hdmi arc and that one you should use to connect you’re soundbar to . HDMI arc is the audio return channel. If you don’t have that one you should use the optical connection this is something most tv even the older ones have because it’s around since 1980 or 1990
I’m having a problem with my digital audio cable: There’s a delay in the sound when the tv goes from playing nothing to playing something. So for example, if I select a RUclips video playing the Pledge of Allegiance, instead of hearing: “I pledge allegiance…” I hear “…. -ledge allegiance…” The same thing happened on my old tv too. Is it possible I’m using a bad digital optical cable or is there a setting in my surround sound I need to adjust? Any information would be helpful, thanks!
HDMI ARC is better if Available, you can more control with the HDMI ARC ( Use The HDMI (ARC) Port On Your Sound bar and TV - ruclips.net/video/Fo71E0-n6wk/видео.html )
It could be the settings on the TV, check out this video first HDMI ARC On Your TV & Sound-bar Part 2 - The Setting Adjustments ruclips.net/video/VD--ncurWNg/видео.html before you make the switch back to optical
When i use optical cable i can hear sound from the tv speakers & soundbar at same time. But when i use hdmi arc cable i only hear sound from the soundbar. So i choose optical cable over hdmi.
my opposite, when I connect to choose from Optical and ARC HDMI which is I don't get an option to choose ARC HDMI I have to go with an Optical. It's annoying to hear sounds from the tv and soundbar at the same time
It didn't work for me at all/ I had a SCEPTRE TV (about 6 years old) and it didn't have a HDM ARC. I coldn't hear any sound, so I bought a new VIZIO for $300 (5o inch). All tvs now are SMART TVs.
I have a question: if I only watch videos on RUclips and watch some movies/series on Netflix... I don't really need a HDMI on my soundbar, do I? Hdmi e arc would be good for a bluray player but it wouldn't make a difference from source that have no "high res" audio, right?
That is the best and most straightforward explanation I have heard. Certainly made a decision, actually a few decisions, a hell of a lot easier. Thank you, you rock.👍
This is generally good advice, but I must say that there are a lot of caveats. For one, sone TVs will always compress the ARC output and may not necessarily do so on the optical. Of course, most signals you get on your TV are encoded with a lossy format, but there are exceptions. Fir instance, if you are watching a 4K UHD movie from a disc, using the optical out from your TV (or the player) may very well give you higher quality sound. It’s important to distinguish between stereo and multichannel also.
Hi Rosa, this is hard to say which is best, both choices are okay. But if it was me I would connect the TV to the sound bar and use my receiver to listen to music through the other speakers.
Help how can I connect the sound bar arc to my cable box and able to see the video at the same time , because I connected the cable box to hdmi 1 and the sound bar to hdmi 2 I think I'm doing it wrong
Turn on the TV first with the football game, then switch the audio input to the Bluetooth where the iPhone is connected to on the sound bar HDMI ARC On Your TV & Sound bar Part 2 - The Setting Adjustments - ruclips.net/video/VD--ncurWNg/видео.html
Got a new tv and sound bar. Tried the optical cable then tried the hdmi arc. The hdmi does sound better. My tv has 4 hdmi ports. 2 of them are the 4K at 120hz ports. One of these is the hdmi arc also. Which was being used for my PS4 The sound bar has an hdmi pass through. My question is this: my PS4 was using that hdmi arc port. And now I am plugging it into the sound bar hdmi port. Am I losing the 4K 120hz?
Just for information the ps4 only supports 4k 60hz, so that means even when u are using 4k 120hz your TV will turn it down to 60hz, so what I wanna say is that no you won't lose your 4k 120hz
@@realPasci nice. Thanks. My ps5 is hooked into the other 4K 120 port. Wasn’t sure about the PS4 tho. Hopefully going through the sound bar doesn’t degrade the picture quality on the PS4
I am using an optical splitter to use a sound bar and to control dialog and my receiver to control surround sound. I only get 5.1 from the optical on my 7.2 receiver. Can I then use an HDMI splitter to get the full 7.2?
Here is my *suggestion* , choose between a sound bar system that can give you the 7.2 or a receiver & speakers that can give you the 7.2 - Splitting the signal and trying to keep the surround sound and dialog between these two set of speaker is too much work. You want to sit back, relax & enjoy the movie, with one system it would much easy to deal with, whichever one you choose to go with.
I had no idea, I assumed Toslink and HDMI would be the same signal. I connected my PC to my OLED 2.1 HDMI to get 120 hz, and the optical to the receiver, but the Denon receiver wouldn't play Dolby Atmos, now I know why! Thanks!
I still don't get it because the label is confusing in my opinion.. audio return channel ? it's returning audio from where... But I'm going to hook up a HDMI cable and run it to the soundbar and then switch back and forth from optical to HDMI and see what difference there is. Should I set the TV sound output to PCM(?) or DTS something or other
I have a Google Chromecast connect to my TV which doesn’t have a HDMI ARC port but has a optical cable port, and a soundbar that has a HDMI and Optical port. What is the best solution to getting the soundbar to work with my Chromecast?
Hello sir, please can I ask, is it possible to use the HDMI cable to connect the TV to the home theatre system just to get the audio only and not the video? Like just to use the home theatre for speakers only?
Yes I just recently purchased a Q 60 T Samsung sound bar I am using the HDI arc on the back of the sound bar and in the back of the TV worked fine until I turn the TV off and then back on it played for 15 or 20 seconds before it changed to the HDMI arc in the back of the TV set which took away the picture and the sound do you have any answers for this I’d appreciate it thank you
If I don't have an HDMI arc on my tv can I plug both normal HDMI and optical into my soundbar, will I get the same results as the HDMI arc??? And if it does not work can I use (arc audio extractor)for the same results as arc??
Hi, I have a Sony sound bar and a Samsung tv, I connected with HDMI arc, I can see the TV's control working with the sound bar but there is no sound in both tv and sound bar, what could be the problem?
Hi Jenaro, I want to direct you to this video ( ruclips.net/video/VD--ncurWNg/видео.html ) I made to help others with issues like yours. Let me know this having issues after trying the things I suggest in the video.
Most sound bars convert the sound and down sample it anyway my JBL sound bar only has Dolby audio and it will turn on when it gets a signal automatically from optical works better when I tried to use ARC the sound bar would randomly turn on when not in use so optical worked out better no issues just get your menus set up
Thanks a lot bro. Can you tell me one thing. My home theater is connected to the receiver via HDMI Arc to the TV. Now I got a sound bar of Sony. How do I connect it to the TV so that the sound bar plays the same sound with my home theater system always whatever I play. Since the HDMI Arc is occupied so shall I connect the sound bar with the TV using optical port?
You are welcome, Farook, okay only one output can occupy the HDMI ARC port, you can get a splitter to feed both soundbar and receiver but you might lose the HDMI ARC function. So I would recommend try using the optical for one and ARC for the other and see how that works.
Hi Sir, I have connect my Samsung Tv to sound bar with HDMI Arc. But getting sound only from good quality video from you tube. Not getting sound from poor quality video on you tube. Plz help
That's very strange, watch this video HDMI ARC On Your TV & Soundbar Part 2 - The Setting Adjustments where I explained settings to help solve the problems ruclips.net/video/VD--ncurWNg/видео.html
Hi, I have an iMac and I want to connect it to my soundbar, but I don't want to connect through bluetooth. Instead I want to connect through a cable. The soundbar has the optical but doesn't have an analog port. Is there a cable to connect the analog headphone port on the mac to the optical port on the soundbar?
@@ChardTheTechGuy Thanks but my iMac 🖥 doesn’t come with digital:(hdmi/optical)…only bluetooth and analog and my sound bar doesn’t have the analog so I’m only left with the bluetooth connection which I am trying to run from because I have a lot of bluetooth connected devices. By the way..you sound like you are from my home land Jamaica 🇯🇲
Make sure the optical cable is not connect too, sometimes that cause that issue. Another thing, check the cables to make sure there are securely connected. Check the speaker connection settings in the TV settings.
@@ChardTheTechGuy Your right it still works perfectly fine also anytime i watch a movie only movies i have a audio options to on my tv setting, which one is best better dolby atmos or dolby atmos plus
@@ChardTheTechGuy so if m not wrong in that dolby atmos won't work? As my soundbar has eARC and my tv has hdmi arc so do i need to use optical for that atmos sound effect?
I’m using HDMI cable but sometimes when i turn on my decoder (TV Channel Box) before my Sony TV. My External Speaker won’t turn on. It will say TV Speaker it fixed. Audio System Unavailable. But when I turn off my decoder, it will say Audio System Active. How do I fix this ? Even sometimes when I simply turn my TV on my External Speaker won’t active. Sometimes I need to restart my TV, or close Bravia Sync and turn it on again to fix it.Sometimes both won’t work. I faced this problem for years. Do I need the optical cable for this ?
Are you using HDMI ARC or just HDMI? ARC usually turns on the sound-bar when you turn on the TV. Make sure the decoder is connected to the TV and not the sound-bar. The optical cable will work, you just won't have the features of the HDMI cable.
A couple years ago I bought a 43 inch LG TV. To my other amazement it was not Bluetooth compatible. I have an inexpensive pair of MPOWH7 Bluetooth head phones. I only can use the optical digital input, will this work with my inexpensive headphones or will I have a lack in lip syncing because of the cheapness of the headphones. I do have an a hdmi port…. But it’s my understanding I have to purchase something like a Tao tonics optical digital transmitter and receiver…..so confusing to me. I really do not want to leg and lip movements to voice. Thank you for your help
I Could be the fact that your HDMI cable has a low data transfer speed, if you want to have great sound at a great price I would recommend the rocketfish HDMI cable from best buy. I got mine on sale for 4ft/$9.99 but off sale it's 4ft/$29.99 I'm pretty sure. Hope this helps.
first of all, optic is fibreglass wich has almost infinite bandwidth, and speed thats why. but you need arc to kick in the hardware to get to atmos. the hdmi of the cx is also to blame. its bandwidth is narrowed by LG compared to the c9 model last year. about -8gb/s. btw have you checked audio AV sync in the OS of the CX. ofcourse a highspeed hdmi is an essential
My hometheater has Hdmi arc port,optical port and 3.5 m jack port but in my tv only nrml HDMI Port , 3.5 m jack or rca port for audio but dis port not giving sound like dolby surround so what can i do plz help me ?
Sounds like it's time for a TV upgrade to use that HDMI ARC port. But you can try connecting your devices (PS4, Xbox, Etc) to your home theater (assuming it's your stereo receiver). then just connect the TV to the home theater HDMI out port for video. That means you will feed all the sound from your devices (PS4, Xbox, Etc) to the home theater & just video only to the TV.
I want every one watching TV to hear the TV speaker, but i need something to transmit to my hearing aids, I do not have a Digital Audio out point on the TV so I guess I need something like a loop amplifier receiving signal.
Hello im from india, I got an 1. lg c8 oled tv 2.Ps4 slim and 3.zebronics zeb-juke bar 9400 pro soundbar. On the back side of the sound bar it has 1.Aux input 2. HDMI (Arc) 3. Optical input What i want is I want to get 5.1 output from both ps4 slim and tv. How should i connect to get that 5.1 output
Hello, In order to get 5.1 output you’re going need to connect the optical cable. But if you use the HDMI ARC ports, you are going to get higher audio formats
I have speakers on the other side of the room and when i used rca the sound cracked and shit but when i switched to optical its like a whole new story. It sounds amazing and all that static nois and pops are gone :)
What if my TV has hdmi Arc port but my sounbar doesnt . It only, says Hdmi,, would it be better to use regular hdmi without the arc or use Optical port?
I have in my tv only spdif & hdmi Arc , hdmi , headphone Jack. I want connect my amzon echo studio. Echo have only opitcal input . So please suggest me which one is sutable .
I understand the confusion, I was comparing the capability of the HDMI cable vs the Optical cable, not for the soundbar usage. But you can connect devices to the soundbar (ex. Xbox) and the video will pass-through to the TV.
I was hoping you would fight more for the optical. One benefit is the limitation of HDMI ports. My 82" RU9000 only has 4 HDMI which I thought was plenty but when you talk about hooking up a cable box, 1 or more video game consoles, a firestick (since tizen doesnt have technology) and even a chromecast, you seem to run out of hdmi fast when you use one just for sound. But your points are valid, I'll sacrifice elsewhere.
@Chukwuemeka Onyema I appreciate your feedback, I do like the optical but the HDMI just make life simpler with that one cable connection with audio and video in one. Optical will be around for awhile and still have a purpose in giving people the choice of how they want their audio delivered.
I have existing optical cable used from my AVR connected to DVD player now. My question is, can I connect this optical cable from AVR to my new Television? For Audio? My AVR has no HDMI Inputs/output...(old model AVR) Thanks❤
Thanks for this. Is the sound performance of hdmi really that much better? I ask because my amp is the other side of the room from my other devices and optic is so much easier!
Hdmi with Audio Return Channel isn't higher resolution then toslink both send 5.1 dobly digital and 6.1 DTS es. However HDMI without ARC can send higher res audio such as uncompressed multichannel audio like 7.1 Dolby true HD
Well, I thought I had it figured out but now I'm more confused than I was before. So, optical good, hdmi better, hdmi/arc not as good but still better. And to think I have been delaying getting a new soundbar until I understood hdmi/arc and could make an informed decision. Now I think I will just stick with my old soundbar with optical hookup because red laser light is cool. It sounds like hdmi/arc is a gimmick. I use regular hdmi on all my devices and they sink perfectly. My soundbar hooked with optical recognizes all the different formats in 5.1 from Dolby to THX and adjusts accordingly. I fail to see what arc or e-arc add except another excuse to raise prices on devices for an otherwise nonessential gimmick.
As far as sound quality is concerned, optical and HDMI ARC carry the same audio resolution formats and should sound the same. The newer HDMI eARC is a newer “enhanced” version with wider audio bandwidth capabilities. Found on more recent equipment, eARC can carry uncompressed multichannel audio and Dolby Atmos signals that optical and “regular” HDMI ARC cannot. HDMI eARC also tends to be more reliable and less buggy than the earlier HDMI ARC, though most HDMI problems are caused by using cheap HDMI cables. I learned that the hard way.
What if your sound bar has a USB port? Would using a usb to hdmi to connector to the Arc port be better than using the optical or do you lose signal using the connector?
Can I connect both HDMI n Optical cable from TV to Home Theatre? Bcoz I have Sony x9500g TV with both E-ARC port & Optical cable port... Please advise immediately as by using only HDMI cable sometimes sound is not coming through Home Theater. So I ordered for optical cable to solve it. Kindly reply...
@@PrasannaKumar-vj9we please tell me solution.i use hdmi cable..settop box and tv connect hdmi and home theatre and tv connect hdmi arc..same problem some time tv boot up time no audio for home theatre.then tv off and on sound work.please help
Is the only way to get true hd atmos sound, through an ARC cable? my TV is a little older and only has hdmi ports. Do i have to upgrade TV to get to the atmos level of overhead sound. Thank you .
BP, not really, Dolby Atmos will work with any old cable as long as the source support it, but you will need newer cables if you get new equipment, including TVs that handle HDMI ARC (audio return channel), ethernet, 3D, or has 4K resolution.
@@ChardTheTechGuy i saw this optical cable on amazon that costs around 1500 INR, it says it supports full dolby and its reviews confirm it. Should i go for it?
Thanks a lot for the info! But my 5.1 sound system (sony ht rt4) has only 1 hdmi arc what should i do? I mean i want to connect both my tv and console (ps4 pro) with my sound system.
Not a problem, connect the soundbar and TV to the HDMI ARC port on each end. Connect the PS4 Pro to any available port on the TV, then select the port on the TV where the PS4 is connected to, turn on the soundbar and you are good to go. Suggested videos: TV or Sound Bar? - Where Do You NEED to Connect Your Devices - ruclips.net/video/YVFtroJP9hQ/видео.html / HDMI ARC On Your TV & Sound bar Part 2 - The Setting Adjustments - ruclips.net/video/VD--ncurWNg/видео.html
Hey Chard thanks for the video. I have a Phillips sound system that’s the Phillips 900s but I only want to use the sound system without the other components. Well the sound has a DSS cable type. Is there any possibility of integrating it with my system. Please get back ASAP.
Hi, i have an LG TV and LG Soundbar and they're connected with an hdmi cable, but when im watching dolby atmos the sound is cutting off every half second. Why? Because of the low quality hdmi cable or because both of the devices playing at 5.1 dolby ?
Are connected with HDMI or HDMI ARC? The cable connection was my second guess. I hope you don't have the HDMI & the Optical cable connected at the same time. Or one or two of the settings on the TV or Sound-bar is not right. Suggested video: HDMI ARC On Your TV & Sound-bar Part 2 - The Setting Adjustments ruclips.net/video/VD--ncurWNg/видео.html
What about going from PC with a HDMI into a converter which outputs OPTICAL to a HEADSET. I heared that only optical cable are capable of transmitting proper dolby surroundsound, what is the situation with the HDMI cable here, and what happens as soon as a converter comes into play? Does anybody know? (I use the Astro A40 with a Mixamp)
Hi Chard. Need help. My 1st SET UP tv to Bose home theater via ARC HDMI (2 ft OEM cable) was working. UNTIL... I had to change set up to a 20ft HDMI cable purchased online. After switching back to the 2 ft OEM HDMI cable... It works... But I really need a longer cable. PLS HELP. TY
Hi Ivan, one of two things, the type of cable or signal lost. Make sure you have HDMI Hi-Speed cable amzn.to/2XV9WQ1 If checkmark on the cable then Check out this HDMI Booster amzn.to/33VPC5c. hope this helps. Also, the 20ft cable you have may be bad.
Thank you for this. Heading over to your HDMI eARC now to try and understand that better. After getting a new TV for my game/movie room, I want to get as much out of it as I can
So I'm using the bose 700 sound bar with bose 700 bass and the bose 700 surround speakers...i don't use a blu-ray or anything like that I only watch things on the TV like Netflix ect...is optical better when it comes to just watching TV since I don't use any blu-ray or is arc still gonna be better...just asking because I can really tell a difference in sound
HDMI is still a better way to go due to the HDMI is still a better way to advantages you gain from that connection compare to the optical, but I had people that say they get better sound quality from an optical connection. Since you are doing audio-only, you have the option, I recommend give each connection a try to see which one sounds better in your setup & go with it.
Hello! I have a question. If i connect my speakers to the tv via optical cable and the tv is connected with my pc trough hdmi 2.1 cable, will my speakers be limited to the optical cable limitations?
Thats the problem I 'm had, I can not get the PC to output 7.1, Atmos or any TrueHD with PC > Optical > Receiver. It only works when I use HDMI PC > to Receiver to HDMI TV. l You only need 2.1 for eARC and 120hz. And the Receiver, PC GPU and TV all have to be 2.1 . Also download the Dobly Atmos extension from the Windows App Store.
I have static or rubling noise on voices on my subwofer specialy on low lvl sound ... I use hdmi .. tv supports hdmi earc but i want to try to connect with optical ... Would that change anything ?
If your receiver has speaker outputs for 5.1 then also must have more than just RCA inputs. Even my 15 year old receiver had Toslink / Optical. Those red and white and yellow cables are analog, and just LEFT, RIGHT and VIDEO. So converting them to HDMI won't give you any additional sound channels.
Does it work with coverter/adapter? My tv supports HDMI arc, my audio system (logitech z906) doesn't. But it has an optical port (wich i use now). Will it sound better with an 'optical-hdmi arc' converter?
I have a TCL 65R635 en route from Elec Express. I already own a VIZIO Sound Bar System. I had heard on a TCL Video Review warning that using the HDI/ARC port my sound bar would have a delay with the TCL unit....Does anyone reading this have knowledge, experience and advice for this amateur owner ??? Thanks
I ran into a problem with my Samsung 65 inch television (circa 2015 unit) and running the sound into my new Samsung Q900 soundbar (brand new; 2020 unit). Geek Squad installed everything like they did back in 2015 when I purchased the TV and they always have done a wonderful, professional job. HDMI cables were used originally and eventually I had no sound from my soundbar. Went back to optical cable and everything is fine now. In my case, I think the older Samsung TV and the new Samsung Soundbar had a communication problem with the HMDI cable. I am not clear on the reasons there, but the optical cable still provides excellent sound (and best of all it has been reliable). I may have lost something in that exchange, but good sound is still better than no sound (in my case). Perhaps a newer TV would solve that issue; not sure.
@@cvfunnsixspeed9213 sammys juss have an issue with hdmi on the tvs.I have the 2019q60r and it works when it wants to. From what I read it's a bug so u unplug then replug when it dies. Power off power on
@@cvfunnsixspeed9213 You can still use the optical cable for audio only, the HDMI cable works best with HDMI-ARC or eARC. Depending on the age of the TV not always things are going to work perfectly. I have an older TV and new soundbar, the soundbar and the TV connect of WiFi for reason I can't explain. I say use which works best for your situauon
Thanks for this video. Just a question...what is the best option if my tv only has hdmi port without an optical port, and my soundbar only has an optical port, without an hdmi port? How can I connect the two devices? Is there a type of cable that i can use? Thanks in advance. Your answer will be much appreciated.
Thanks for your detailed explanation Brother!! Can you please help me one thing in my TV, I don’t have HDMI ARC facility and unluckily optical slot is also damaged in my woofer!! Can you please tell me now how to connect my TV to my Sony home theatre? Is there any possible to convert HDMI to HDMI ARC..
Quick question yall, I got a sound bar for Christmas and it came with an optical cable. But my tv doesn’t have an optical audio cable port. Do I just get an adapter or something so that I can connect it to my tv? And if I used an adapter for optical to hdmi, would The sound bar be able to automatically recognize the audio coming from whatever hdmi channel I’m on or would it only be able to recognize audio coming from the same hdmi channel that it’s connected to? P.s. the sound bar also has a USB port as well as my t.v.. should I just hook it up through the USB ports?
Hi. Great video. Thanks. I just want to find out, I have a Sony 4K TV that has HDMI ARC. I want to connect it to my Bose V35 system that do not have HDMI ARC. Is that still OK or should I also connect digital cable to it as well. Would be great to get your feedback.
Hello, yes it should still work but the Audio Return function will not work. If don't get any audio I would say use the optical instead. Also, try connecting both of them and see what happens.
You explained it very well. You are very easy to understand and you did not go in circles!!! Great video. I learned a lot from this. Thank you. I just sub.
I have a samsung tv and soundbar that both support eArc, if I want to test/hear the sound between this and the optical, can I keep them both plugged in at the same time (and just switch sound settings between the two) or will I need to unplug the optical completely for the earc to work and vice versa?
Finally somebody who can give an explanation without making me get a headache
Thank you and glad to help
Yep
Right short and sweet and to the point
😂
If you were a doctor you would be my doctor, too! Only smart people know how to simplify the complicated. We need more teachers like you. So happy I found you. Thank you.
Wow, thank you! Glad to help & I really appreciate you comment
Good lord finaly a normal person with a normal explanation 🤘
Man, very organized and clear presentation . Best I’ve seen!!
I wish you'd been around, back in the day, to explain things in your straight forward manner when I was a pup trying to understand all that school stuff. Thanks for keeping it on the level and not bamboozling folks with too much tech-speak-jargon. Keep up the good work.
Thank you very much, I appreciate you.
If you're using a PC, go with optical digital for audio. It may be limited to 5.1 and compressed audio, BUT, you can use display port connection for the display and benefit from things like 144Hz plus FPS.
Thanks for your contribution on this topic.
I Beg to Differ. My Brand New Hisense can process DTS-HD and playing a movie with that audio format AND using HDMI ARC doesnt translate the proper surround channels back to my Sony Home Theatre. HOWEVER, when I specify from the TV to exclusively use SPDIF, the Sony properly outputs the 7.1 to each respective speakers. This can be easily differentiated by the centre channel that processes dialogue. HDMI-ARC just outputs the Dialogue to both front speakers while ignoring the Centre.
Mai, thanks for your feedback, but HDMI-ARC does have the same capability, it's all about adjusting the settings on the TV & sound-bar, but I understand. If the optical works best for you, nothing is wrong with going that route.
Lifesaver, I’ve been using optical on my new soundbar forever not even knowing this.
Glad to help
Unless your soundbar is Dolby Atmos capable ARC won't improve your sound. It will allow for control of the soundbar via CEC though.
@@Darth_Gorilla I’ve noticed a slightly louder output. Also heard optical can’t play Dolby TrueHD.
@@seanbrownskating That is correct. It can't play Dolby TrueHD or even the compressed Dolby Digital Plus. Optical is restricted to Dolby Digital 5.1. This could be the reason why you are hearing more volume. HDMI ARC can carry a Dolby Digital Plus signal which is essentially giving you more channels of audio I think.
@@Darth_Gorilla gotcha
just replaced my old broken soundbar which was optical only. thanks for the quick and easy explanation. changed over to HDMI now
You're welcome! Glad to help!
HDMI CABLE WINS THATS ALL I WANNA HEAR .. Thank you sir
I have just new sound bar
And I connect it with HDM both side but still not working?
Do I need to the output wire the small tiny head face
I don’t have hole for that in the tv?
Plz help
Not sure if you were able to solve the problem - but I just notice I overlooked you comment by accident. I have couple videos that might be able to solve your problem.
Use The HDMI (ARC) Port On Your Sound bar and TV - ruclips.net/video/Fo71E0-n6wk/видео.html
HDMI ARC On Your TV & Sound bar Part 2 - The Setting Adjustments - ruclips.net/video/VD--ncurWNg/видео.html
You NEED To Upgrade Your HDMI Cable To HDMI 4K High-Speed Cable - ruclips.net/video/KkQ9pIZjzwY/видео.html
Great follow-up video, Mr. Chard. I am configuring a TiVo/computer network with my new LG C8 OLED TV and LG SK9Y soundbar. It's taken me weeks of research to see that you and Chris Majestic are the best on RUclips. I learned that the HDMI path to soundbar and TV is best (as you have so politely explained). I also learned that I have to configure that path to avoid obstacles in HDCP and HDR and ATMOS performance. This old geezer loves your presentation.
Hello Mr. Steve, sorry for the late response & thanks for the compliments that I'm considered one of the best you found on RUclips. Glad to help you in anyway possible. Thank you very much. Stay tuned.
I can connect my speakers to the computer monitor via 3.5 mm jack. The monitor can either use a display port or hdmi (currently connected to display port for gsync). But currently it's connected via optical cable. Should I switch to the 3.5 via hdmi?
for sure, I don't have an option for ARC HDMI on my TV, but the best offer I have to go with an Optical cable to connect to my soundbar system
Thanks for that. But how come my optical sounds louder than my hdmi connection? When testing both at -9db the sound resolution seems a bit clearer on the optical.
You are welcome - the only thing I can think of is type of HDM cable you are using - I notice a difference when I upgraded my cables which I talked about in this video, Here's Why You Need To Upgrade Your HDMI Cable To HDMI 4K High-Speed Cable ruclips.net/video/KkQ9pIZjzwY/видео.html
Optical is louder, it's not even close
Hi thx for the video;need help my Sony 900E(2017) is connected to my Yamaha YSP 1100(optical no HDMI)i want to upgrade my soundbar?Not my TV.Any suggestions since my TV has only STD ARCH.Can std ARCH connect to E-ARCH?
I love the Samsung sound bars - ARC or E-ARC it will still work
@@ChardTheTechGuy Hey thx !What do you think of the 2015 Yamaha ysp 5600 to marriage with my 2017 Sony 900E?
the Yahma doesn't have HDR pass thru but does have 4k pass thru.
I only hear that I will get the best audio going optical instead of hdmi on my soundbar to the tv
Raccoon Life, I did the research and the HDMI wins the audio quality test and the HDMI eARC is even better than HDMI ARC
@@ChardTheTechGuy Do you have a comparison video?
I purchased my first sound bar today. I’m not really technical at all. My sound bar had both HDMI and Optical (never used before). Unfortunately the HDMI connection into my TV didn’t pick up anything! Tried all the connections. It’s a Samsung 2010 50” plasma. The HDMI connections work for my satellite system, but none of the connections pick up my sound bar. So I had to use optical. Maybe my TV is too old and not compatible with certain newer devices!
Also bought one today and I have a newer Samsung series tv . There are multiple hdmi ports on the tv and there is one that says hdmi arc and that one you should use to connect you’re soundbar to . HDMI arc is the audio return channel. If you don’t have that one you should use the optical connection this is something most tv even the older ones have because it’s around since 1980 or 1990
I know there are ARC adapters too for older TV's.
I’m having a problem with my digital audio cable:
There’s a delay in the sound when the tv goes from playing nothing to playing something.
So for example, if I select a RUclips video playing the Pledge of Allegiance, instead of hearing:
“I pledge allegiance…”
I hear
“…. -ledge allegiance…”
The same thing happened on my old tv too. Is it possible I’m using a bad digital optical cable or is there a setting in my surround sound I need to adjust? Any information would be helpful, thanks!
Hi! I'm about to buy a home theatre and the amplifier has HDMI ports but it doesn't say arc. What does it mean?
It's the same thing
HDMI ARC is better if Available, you can more control with the HDMI ARC ( Use The HDMI (ARC) Port On Your Sound bar and TV - ruclips.net/video/Fo71E0-n6wk/видео.html )
My HDMI ARC audio keeps disconnecting randomly so I think I will try to do optical instead. Perhaps the problem is with my TV.
It could be the settings on the TV, check out this video first HDMI ARC On Your TV & Sound-bar Part 2 - The Setting Adjustments ruclips.net/video/VD--ncurWNg/видео.html before you make the switch back to optical
When i use optical cable i can hear sound from the tv speakers & soundbar at same time. But when i use hdmi arc cable i only hear sound from the soundbar. So i choose optical cable over hdmi.
my opposite, when I connect to choose from Optical and ARC HDMI which is I don't get an option to choose ARC HDMI I have to go with an Optical. It's annoying to hear sounds from the tv and soundbar at the same time
I have an older TV with just HDMI, no HDMI arc port, but my soundbar has HDMI arc port. Will it still work?
Yes you can still connect the HDMI to HDMI ARC, the sound will only go one direction instead of returning back to the TV
Or u can also get a hdmi splitter thanks me later 😉
It didn't work for me at all/ I had a SCEPTRE TV (about 6 years old) and it didn't have a HDM ARC. I coldn't hear any sound, so I bought a new VIZIO for $300 (5o inch). All tvs now are SMART TVs.
I have a question: if I only watch videos on RUclips and watch some movies/series on Netflix... I don't really need a HDMI on my soundbar, do I?
Hdmi e arc would be good for a bluray player but it wouldn't make a difference from source that have no "high res" audio, right?
No you don't and that's right about the audio quality. You know your stuff
@@ChardTheTechGuy it's stuff that I learned watching you dude ;) thanks
That is the best and most straightforward explanation I have heard. Certainly made a decision, actually a few decisions, a hell of a lot easier. Thank you, you rock.👍
Glad to hear it was helpful! Thank you very much
This is generally good advice, but I must say that there are a lot of caveats. For one, sone TVs will always compress the ARC output and may not necessarily do so on the optical. Of course, most signals you get on your TV are encoded with a lossy format, but there are exceptions. Fir instance, if you are watching a 4K UHD movie from a disc, using the optical out from your TV (or the player) may very well give you higher quality sound. It’s important to distinguish between stereo and multichannel also.
Thank you for expressing your point of view.
hi I have a LG sound bar with optical connection not hdmi connection do I need to connect the optical cable to my LG 4K tv or to my Pioneer receiver
Hi Rosa, this is hard to say which is best, both choices are okay. But if it was me I would connect the TV to the sound bar and use my receiver to listen to music through the other speakers.
I have a Bose 300 Soundbar, it seems the ARC went out, so now I’m using it via an optical cable 😞
That soundbar should have a reset button (check the manual), I would try that to see if it fix the problem
Help how can I connect the sound bar arc to my cable box and able to see the video at the same time , because I connected the cable box to hdmi 1 and the sound bar to hdmi 2 I think I'm doing it wrong
Please see the other comment that I left you
How can I view a football game but have my audio be music from iPhone thru the soundbar ?
Turn on the TV first with the football game, then switch the audio input to the Bluetooth where the iPhone is connected to on the sound bar
HDMI ARC On Your TV & Sound bar Part 2 - The Setting Adjustments - ruclips.net/video/VD--ncurWNg/видео.html
Got a new tv and sound bar. Tried the optical cable then tried the hdmi arc. The hdmi does sound better. My tv has 4 hdmi ports. 2 of them are the 4K at 120hz ports. One of these is the hdmi arc also. Which was being used for my PS4
The sound bar has an hdmi pass through.
My question is this: my PS4 was using that hdmi arc port. And now I am plugging it into the sound bar hdmi port. Am I losing the 4K 120hz?
Just for information the ps4 only supports 4k 60hz, so that means even when u are using 4k 120hz your TV will turn it down to 60hz, so what I wanna say is that no you won't lose your 4k 120hz
@@realPasci nice. Thanks. My ps5 is hooked into the other 4K 120 port. Wasn’t sure about the PS4 tho. Hopefully going through the sound bar doesn’t degrade the picture quality on the PS4
I am using an optical splitter to use a sound bar and to control dialog and my receiver to control surround sound. I only get 5.1 from the optical on my 7.2 receiver. Can I then use an HDMI splitter to get the full 7.2?
Here is my *suggestion* , choose between a sound bar system that can give you the 7.2 or a receiver & speakers that can give you the 7.2 - Splitting the signal and trying to keep the surround sound and dialog between these two set of speaker is too much work. You want to sit back, relax & enjoy the movie, with one system it would much easy to deal with, whichever one you choose to go with.
I had no idea, I assumed Toslink and HDMI would be the same signal. I connected my PC to my OLED 2.1 HDMI to get 120 hz, and the optical to the receiver, but the Denon receiver wouldn't play Dolby Atmos, now I know why! Thanks!
You are welcome - glad to help
I still don't get it because the label is confusing in my opinion.. audio return channel ? it's returning audio from where... But I'm going to hook up a HDMI cable and run it to the soundbar and then switch back and forth from optical to HDMI and see what difference there is. Should I set the TV sound output to PCM(?) or DTS something or other
I answered my own question it's like an audio out and then it also signals the soundbar to turn on
I have a Google Chromecast connect to my TV which doesn’t have a HDMI ARC port but has a optical cable port, and a soundbar that has a HDMI and Optical port. What is the best solution to getting the soundbar to work with my Chromecast?
You the what you have, which is the optical. This is for if have both connection on your TV & Sound-bar
Hello sir, please can I ask, is it possible to use the HDMI cable to connect the TV to the home theatre system just to get the audio only and not the video? Like just to use the home theatre for speakers only?
Yes you can HDMI OUT on the TV to HDMI IN on the Home theatre system. You can use the optical if available if you are just doing audio only
Yes I just recently purchased a Q 60 T Samsung sound bar I am using the HDI arc on the back of the sound bar and in the back of the TV worked fine until I turn the TV off and then back on it played for 15 or 20 seconds before it changed to the HDMI arc in the back of the TV set which took away the picture and the sound do you have any answers for this I’d appreciate it thank you
I got the same tv. Jus turn it off n then back on
Are you still having issues?
@@ChardTheTechGuy Yes I decided to only use the optic connection
If I don't have an HDMI arc on my tv can I plug both normal HDMI and optical into my soundbar, will I get the same results as the HDMI arc??? And if it does not work can I use (arc audio extractor)for the same results as arc??
Yeah you’ll be fine
Yes you can use that connection setup. Don't worry about using an audio extractor.
Hi, I have a Sony sound bar and a Samsung tv, I connected with HDMI arc, I can see the TV's control working with the sound bar but there is no sound in both tv and sound bar, what could be the problem?
Hi Jenaro, I want to direct you to this video ( ruclips.net/video/VD--ncurWNg/видео.html ) I made to help others with issues like yours. Let me know this having issues after trying the things I suggest in the video.
@@ChardTheTechGuy Thank you, very good video, I guess my tv is too old (2012), it doesn't have those settings, thank you very much for answering!
@@jenarega83 You are welcome, glad to help.
Great video and explanation. Just upgraded my receiver after 13 years and this the info I needed. Thanks.
Glad it helped, you're welcome.
No time wasting B/S, this handsome man is traight to to the point !!
Many thanks 😎
Most sound bars convert the sound and down sample it anyway my JBL sound bar only has Dolby audio and it will turn on when it gets a signal automatically from optical works better when I tried to use ARC the sound bar would randomly turn on when not in use so optical worked out better no issues just get your menus set up
Thank you for your feedback on this topic
A simple and direct answer. Good video.
Glad it helped Thank you for your feedback
I have a Sony TV with ARC port and Soundbar with e-ARC. Can I get Dolby ATMOS and DTS-X sound on my soundbar in that case?!
As long as the sound bar has the capability of Dolby ATMOS & DTS-X in the specs.
@@ChardTheTechGuy It’s a Sony X8000H Bravia TV and Sony HT-X8500 sound bar. So I guess that works!
@@nkhanolkar yesssss
Thanks a lot bro. Can you tell me one thing. My home theater is connected to the receiver via HDMI Arc to the TV. Now I got a sound bar of Sony. How do I connect it to the TV so that the sound bar plays the same sound with my home theater system always whatever I play. Since the HDMI Arc is occupied so shall I connect the sound bar with the TV using optical port?
You are welcome, Farook, okay only one output can occupy the HDMI ARC port, you can get a splitter to feed both soundbar and receiver but you might lose the HDMI ARC function. So I would recommend try using the optical for one and ARC for the other and see how that works.
@@ChardTheTechGuy bro, thanks a lot for your feedback. But does a TV give sound output simultaneously via HDMI and optical both?
Hi Sir, I have connect my Samsung Tv to sound bar with HDMI Arc. But getting sound only from good quality video from you tube. Not getting sound from poor quality video on you tube. Plz help
That's very strange, watch this video HDMI ARC On Your TV & Soundbar Part 2 - The Setting Adjustments where I explained settings to help solve the problems ruclips.net/video/VD--ncurWNg/видео.html
For my soundbar there will be no sound when there is no dialogue but there will be bgm
So can I solve this by hdmi arc
You can give that a try, make sure you get some Hi-Speed HDMI cables
Hi, I have an iMac and I want to connect it to my soundbar, but I don't want to connect through bluetooth. Instead I want to connect through a cable. The soundbar has the optical but doesn't have an analog port. Is there a cable to connect the analog headphone port on the mac to the optical port on the soundbar?
Check out this video I made previously, 4 Ways To Connect A Sound bar To A Computer For Better Sound ruclips.net/video/5WpIN7rvK8Q/видео.html
@@ChardTheTechGuy Thanks but my iMac 🖥 doesn’t come with digital:(hdmi/optical)…only bluetooth and analog and my sound bar doesn’t have the analog so I’m only left with the bluetooth connection which I am trying to run from because I have a lot of bluetooth connected devices. By the way..you sound like you are from my home land Jamaica 🇯🇲
Am using hdmi arc with sony s40R sound bar but it keeps disconnecting after sometime. Any help?
Make sure the optical cable is not connect too, sometimes that cause that issue. Another thing, check the cables to make sure there are securely connected. Check the speaker connection settings in the TV settings.
my soundbar is eARC but my tv is ARC so is it better to connect the Optical cable
Yes you can still use the eARC to ARC it will still work fine & yes it's better than the Optical cable connection.
@@ChardTheTechGuy Your right it still works perfectly fine also anytime i watch a movie only movies i have a audio options to on my tv setting, which one is best better dolby atmos or dolby atmos plus
@@ujoto Dolby Atmos is newer than Dolby Digital Plus, to me Dolby Atmos sounds better.
@@ChardTheTechGuy when it come to movies is the audio better streaming (netflix/prime video) or buying DVD movies
@@ChardTheTechGuy so if m not wrong in that dolby atmos won't work? As my soundbar has eARC and my tv has hdmi arc so do i need to use optical for that atmos sound effect?
I’m using HDMI cable but sometimes when i turn on my decoder (TV Channel Box) before my Sony TV. My External Speaker won’t turn on. It will say TV Speaker it fixed. Audio System Unavailable. But when I turn off my decoder, it will say Audio System Active. How do I fix this ? Even sometimes when I simply turn my TV on my External Speaker won’t active. Sometimes I need to restart my TV, or close Bravia Sync and turn it on again to fix it.Sometimes both won’t work. I faced this problem for years. Do I need the optical cable for this ?
Are you using HDMI ARC or just HDMI? ARC usually turns on the sound-bar when you turn on the TV. Make sure the decoder is connected to the TV and not the sound-bar. The optical cable will work, you just won't have the features of the HDMI cable.
Chard The Tech Guy mine is HDMI ARC, I do think the HDMI from my TV box interrupt the connection between my TV and the Speaker.
@@drmystic1018 same problem
@@drmystic1018 how to solve this issue please tell
Vineesh VN no idea, but after I use an Optical Cable. Speaker will work, the Bravia Sync won’t
Just subscribed to your channel. I appreciate your knowledge and heart to share it. Looking forward to more from you. 👍🏾💯👍🏾
A couple years ago I bought a 43 inch LG TV. To my other amazement it was not Bluetooth compatible. I have an inexpensive pair of MPOWH7 Bluetooth head phones. I only can use the optical digital input, will this work with my inexpensive headphones or will I have a lack in lip syncing because of the cheapness of the headphones. I do have an a hdmi port…. But it’s my understanding I have to purchase something like a Tao tonics optical digital transmitter and receiver…..so confusing to me. I really do not want to leg and lip movements to voice. Thank you for your help
Great presentation on these two sources of audio.
Thank you very much
I have lip sync issues with sonos soundbar using optical. Will HDMI arc work better and faster than optical and maybe fix the lip sync delay?
Same issue, i hope someone else will answer the same question will HDMI arc work better and faster than optical?
Yes the HDMI ARC connection should solve that problem. Also, check your TV audio settings for solve lip-sync issues.
See response below
Sound is soo clear, I kinda like a Bass sound with HDMi I get that
Yes you are going to get better sound with the HDMI cable
im wondering why my optical cable plays better sound then the hdmi with movies and games :tv is a lg cx and sound bar is a sont nt5"
I Could be the fact that your HDMI cable has a low data transfer speed, if you want to have great sound at a great price I would recommend the rocketfish HDMI cable from best buy. I got mine on sale for 4ft/$9.99 but off sale it's 4ft/$29.99 I'm pretty sure. Hope this helps.
@@GC9exe thanks i will give it a try im currenty using a set from amazon 2.1 hdmi but i will try a basic cable it wonthurt
@Cole Baccino thanks for helping out
@One of a kind Kev I hope that solved your problem
first of all, optic is fibreglass wich has almost infinite bandwidth, and speed thats why.
but you need arc to kick in the hardware to get to atmos.
the hdmi of the cx is also to blame. its bandwidth is narrowed by LG compared to the c9 model last year. about -8gb/s.
btw have you checked audio AV sync in the OS of the CX.
ofcourse a highspeed hdmi is an essential
My hometheater has Hdmi arc port,optical port and 3.5 m jack port but in my tv only nrml HDMI Port , 3.5 m jack or rca port for audio but dis port not giving sound like dolby surround so what can i do plz help me ?
Sounds like it's time for a TV upgrade to use that HDMI ARC port.
But you can try connecting your devices (PS4, Xbox, Etc) to your home theater (assuming it's your stereo receiver). then just connect the TV to the home theater HDMI out port for video. That means you will feed all the sound from your devices (PS4, Xbox, Etc) to the home theater & just video only to the TV.
@@ChardTheTechGuy ok thanku ...
I want every one watching TV to hear the TV speaker, but i need something to transmit to my hearing aids, I do not have a Digital Audio out point on the TV so I guess I need something like a loop amplifier receiving signal.
Suggested video: How To Split Your TV Headphones Jack Audio Into Two - ruclips.net/video/NPmFYsZo6QQ/видео.html
I have old tv lg hdmi arc and bosesoundbar 700
What the better choice cables use ?
HDMI ARC is always my first choice then Optical
Why sir
So what would happen if you have a digital optical cable and hdmi from a sound bar hooked up through arc at the same time?
Hello im from india,
I got an
1. lg c8 oled tv
2.Ps4 slim and
3.zebronics zeb-juke bar 9400 pro soundbar.
On the back side of the sound bar it has
1.Aux input
2. HDMI (Arc)
3. Optical input
What i want is I want to get 5.1 output from both ps4 slim and tv.
How should i connect to get that 5.1 output
Hello, In order to get 5.1 output you’re going need to connect the optical cable. But if you use the HDMI ARC ports, you are going to get higher audio formats
5.1?
i would use optic.
So my soundbar having aux.hdmi arc , optical ports so which connection is best for sounds quality for Sony bravia TV?
The HDMI-ARC is the best
I have speakers on the other side of the room and when i used rca the sound cracked and shit but when i switched to optical its like a whole new story. It sounds amazing and all that static nois and pops are gone :)
What if my TV has hdmi Arc port but my sounbar doesnt . It only, says Hdmi,, would it be better to use regular hdmi without the arc or use Optical port?
Just use the optical, HDMI ARC works better with the connection on both end.
I have in my tv only spdif & hdmi Arc , hdmi , headphone Jack. I want connect my amzon echo studio. Echo have only opitcal input . So please suggest me which one is sutable .
Okay since the Echo Studio only has optical go with that one.
@@ChardTheTechGuy But tv have only hdmi Arc and spdif .
Thanks for the information. Very useful. I wonder if I should use hdmi 2.0 or 2.1 for my Onkyo TX-RZ810
You're welcome glad to help. It all the depends on your Onkyo HDMI input.
Good video. But, you say hdmi is better because it can also send video. Ehat is the point of having video sent from/to your soundbar?
I understand the confusion, I was comparing the capability of the HDMI cable vs the Optical cable, not for the soundbar usage. But you can connect devices to the soundbar (ex. Xbox) and the video will pass-through to the TV.
I was hoping you would fight more for the optical. One benefit is the limitation of HDMI ports. My 82" RU9000 only has 4 HDMI which I thought was plenty but when you talk about hooking up a cable box, 1 or more video game consoles, a firestick (since tizen doesnt have technology) and even a chromecast, you seem to run out of hdmi fast when you use one just for sound. But your points are valid, I'll sacrifice elsewhere.
@Chukwuemeka Onyema I appreciate your feedback, I do like the optical but the HDMI just make life simpler with that one cable connection with audio and video in one. Optical will be around for awhile and still have a purpose in giving people the choice of how they want their audio delivered.
Chard The Tech Guy I prefer optical, hdmi is temperamental. But I know if I want 7.1 or 9.1 and Dolby atmos than I would have to use hdmi.
I get it now! Optical is older tech. Glad I have the TOSLINK, but I'm movin' on up! Thanks, Chard!
Glad to hear that and you are very welcome
I have existing optical cable used from my AVR connected to DVD player now. My question is, can I connect this optical cable from AVR to my new Television? For Audio? My AVR has no HDMI Inputs/output...(old model AVR) Thanks❤
If your new TV has an optical audio port, yes you can.
@@davecarsley8773 thanks sir 🙏 ❤
Thanks for this. Is the sound performance of hdmi really that much better? I ask because my amp is the other side of the room from my other devices and optic is so much easier!
Hdmi with Audio Return Channel isn't higher resolution then toslink both send 5.1 dobly digital and 6.1 DTS es. However HDMI without ARC can send higher res audio such as uncompressed multichannel audio like 7.1 Dolby true HD
Thanks for your feedback on this topic.
Well, I thought I had it figured out but now I'm more confused than I was before. So, optical good, hdmi better, hdmi/arc not as good but still better. And to think I have been delaying getting a new soundbar until I understood hdmi/arc and could make an informed decision. Now I think I will just stick with my old soundbar with optical hookup because red laser light is cool. It sounds like hdmi/arc is a gimmick. I use regular hdmi on all my devices and they sink perfectly. My soundbar hooked with optical recognizes all the different formats in 5.1 from Dolby to THX and adjusts accordingly. I fail to see what arc or e-arc add except another excuse to raise prices on devices for an otherwise nonessential gimmick.
As far as sound quality is concerned, optical and HDMI ARC carry the same audio resolution formats and should sound the same. The newer HDMI eARC is a newer “enhanced” version with wider audio bandwidth capabilities. Found on more recent equipment, eARC can carry uncompressed multichannel audio and Dolby Atmos signals that optical and “regular” HDMI ARC cannot. HDMI eARC also tends to be more reliable and less buggy than the earlier HDMI ARC, though most HDMI problems are caused by using cheap HDMI cables. I learned that the hard way.
What if your sound bar has a USB port? Would using a usb to hdmi to connector to the Arc port be better than using the optical or do you lose signal using the connector?
To be honest I haven't tried that
Can I connect both HDMI n Optical cable from TV to Home Theatre? Bcoz I have Sony x9500g TV with both E-ARC port & Optical cable port... Please advise immediately as by using only HDMI cable sometimes sound is not coming through Home Theater. So I ordered for optical cable to solve it. Kindly reply...
I would not advise that, choose either or, HDMI ARC preferred. Using both can cause issues
@@ChardTheTechGuy Thanks Mate...
same problem bro.still you facing that issue?
@@PrasannaKumar-vj9we solve that problem?
@@PrasannaKumar-vj9we please tell me solution.i use hdmi cable..settop box and tv connect hdmi and home theatre and tv connect hdmi arc..same problem some time tv boot up time no audio for home theatre.then tv off and on sound work.please help
Is the only way to get true hd atmos sound, through an ARC cable? my TV is a little older and only has hdmi ports. Do i have to upgrade TV to get to the atmos level of overhead sound. Thank you .
BP, not really, Dolby Atmos will work with any old cable as long as the source support it, but you will need newer cables if you get new equipment, including TVs that handle HDMI ARC (audio return channel), ethernet, 3D, or has 4K resolution.
@@ChardTheTechGuy does optical cable support Dolby Atmos?
@@AnshumaanGupta No it doesn't, the optical doesn't have enough bandwidth for Dolby Atmos.
@@ChardTheTechGuy i saw this optical cable on amazon that costs around 1500 INR, it says it supports full dolby and its reviews confirm it. Should i go for it?
Thanks a lot for the info! But my 5.1 sound system (sony ht rt4) has only 1 hdmi arc what should i do? I mean i want to connect both my tv and console (ps4 pro) with my sound system.
Not a problem, connect the soundbar and TV to the HDMI ARC port on each end. Connect the PS4 Pro to any available port on the TV, then select the port on the TV where the PS4 is connected to, turn on the soundbar and you are good to go. Suggested videos: TV or Sound Bar? - Where Do You NEED to Connect Your Devices - ruclips.net/video/YVFtroJP9hQ/видео.html / HDMI ARC On Your TV & Sound bar Part 2 - The Setting Adjustments - ruclips.net/video/VD--ncurWNg/видео.html
@@ChardTheTechGuy thanks alot for the reply! I already tried that it's the best option but when i play there's audio delay..
Hey Chard thanks for the video.
I have a Phillips sound system that’s the Phillips 900s but I only want to use the sound system without the other components.
Well the sound has a DSS cable type.
Is there any possibility of integrating it with my system.
Please get back ASAP.
Sorry, I accidentally missed your comment, thank you for the compliment on the video, not sure what you are trying to do. Need more clear details
Hi, i have an LG TV and LG Soundbar and they're connected with an hdmi cable, but when im watching dolby atmos the sound is cutting off every half second. Why? Because of the low quality hdmi cable or because both of the devices playing at 5.1 dolby ?
Are connected with HDMI or HDMI ARC? The cable connection was my second guess. I hope you don't have the HDMI & the Optical cable connected at the same time. Or one or two of the settings on the TV or Sound-bar is not right. Suggested video: HDMI ARC On Your TV & Sound-bar Part 2 - The Setting Adjustments ruclips.net/video/VD--ncurWNg/видео.html
What about going from PC with a HDMI into a converter which outputs OPTICAL to a HEADSET. I heared that only optical cable are capable of transmitting proper dolby surroundsound, what is the situation with the HDMI cable here, and what happens as soon as a converter comes into play? Does anybody know? (I use the Astro A40 with a Mixamp)
Thanks for this. I had a sounbar that used optical cable but didn't have HDMI. But I returned it because I couldn't control it with the TV remote.
No problem 👍 Nice move
Hi Chard. Need help. My 1st SET UP tv to Bose home theater via ARC HDMI (2 ft OEM cable) was working. UNTIL... I had to change set up to a 20ft HDMI cable purchased online.
After switching back to the 2 ft OEM HDMI cable... It works... But I really need a longer cable. PLS HELP. TY
Hi Ivan, one of two things, the type of cable or signal lost. Make sure you have HDMI Hi-Speed cable amzn.to/2XV9WQ1 If checkmark on the cable then Check out this HDMI Booster amzn.to/33VPC5c. hope this helps. Also, the 20ft cable you have may be bad.
Thank you for this. Heading over to your HDMI eARC now to try and understand that better. After getting a new TV for my game/movie room, I want to get as much out of it as I can
You're welcome - Glad to help. Hope you are enjoying your new setup
So I'm using the bose 700 sound bar with bose 700 bass and the bose 700 surround speakers...i don't use a blu-ray or anything like that I only watch things on the TV like Netflix ect...is optical better when it comes to just watching TV since I don't use any blu-ray or is arc still gonna be better...just asking because I can really tell a difference in sound
HDMI is still a better way to go due to the HDMI is still a better way to advantages you gain from that connection compare to the optical, but I had people that say they get better sound quality from an optical connection. Since you are doing audio-only, you have the option, I recommend give each connection a try to see which one sounds better in your setup & go with it.
Great review! I just changed my bose speaker to HDMI! I’ve noticed a huge difference from optical cable . Thank you
You are welcome - glad to help
Thanks 4 the break down brotha will be going the HDMI ARC route for my set up
Glad I could help, thank you for your feedback on the video
Hello! I have a question. If i connect my speakers to the tv via optical cable and the tv is connected with my pc trough hdmi 2.1 cable, will my speakers be limited to the optical cable limitations?
Thats the problem I 'm had, I can not get the PC to output 7.1, Atmos or any TrueHD with PC > Optical > Receiver. It only works when I use HDMI PC > to Receiver to HDMI TV. l You only need 2.1 for eARC and 120hz. And the Receiver, PC GPU and TV all have to be 2.1 . Also download the Dobly Atmos extension from the Windows App Store.
Yes - the optical cable will be the only cable feeding audio out.
Short and informative. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for your feedback
I have static or rubling noise on voices on my subwofer specialy on low lvl sound ... I use hdmi .. tv supports hdmi earc but i want to try to connect with optical ... Would that change anything ?
Hey,my sound system has rca and my tv has hdmi.Can I use hdmi to 2rca cable converter to get 5.1 surround sound.
Else can u suggest me the cable link.
If your receiver has speaker outputs for 5.1 then also must have more than just RCA inputs. Even my 15 year old receiver had Toslink / Optical. Those red and white and yellow cables are analog, and just LEFT, RIGHT and VIDEO. So converting them to HDMI won't give you any additional sound channels.
You are going to need a audio extractor ( *Give this a try* iArkPower HDMI Audio Extractor Splitter HDMI to HDMI - amzn.to/3phLVOS)
Does it work with coverter/adapter?
My tv supports HDMI arc, my audio system (logitech z906) doesn't. But it has an optical port (wich i use now). Will it sound better with an 'optical-hdmi arc' converter?
No it won't sound any better - stick with the optical connection instead over converting one signal to the next
I have a TCL 65R635 en route from Elec Express. I already own a VIZIO Sound Bar System. I had heard on a TCL Video Review warning that using the HDI/ARC port my sound bar would have a delay with the TCL unit....Does anyone reading this have knowledge, experience and advice for this amateur owner ??? Thanks
I ran into a problem with my Samsung 65 inch television (circa 2015 unit) and running the sound into my new Samsung Q900 soundbar (brand new; 2020 unit). Geek Squad installed everything like they did back in 2015 when I purchased the TV and they always have done a wonderful, professional job. HDMI cables were used originally and eventually I had no sound from my soundbar. Went back to optical cable and everything is fine now. In my case, I think the older Samsung TV and the new Samsung Soundbar had a communication problem with the HMDI cable. I am not clear on the reasons there, but the optical cable still provides excellent sound (and best of all it has been reliable). I may have lost something in that exchange, but good sound is still better than no sound (in my case). Perhaps a newer TV would solve that issue; not sure.
@@cvfunnsixspeed9213 sammys juss have an issue with hdmi on the tvs.I have the 2019q60r and it works when it wants to. From what I read it's a bug so u unplug then replug when it dies. Power off power on
@@cvfunnsixspeed9213 You can still use the optical cable for audio only, the HDMI cable works best with HDMI-ARC or eARC. Depending on the age of the TV not always things are going to work perfectly. I have an older TV and new soundbar, the soundbar and the TV connect of WiFi for reason I can't explain. I say use which works best for your situauon
@
Chuck Sharin I haven't hear anything like that
Thanks for this video. Just a question...what is the best option if my tv only has hdmi port without an optical port, and my soundbar only has an optical port, without an hdmi port? How can I connect the two devices? Is there a type of cable that i can use? Thanks in advance. Your answer will be much appreciated.
Thanks for your detailed explanation Brother!! Can you please help me one thing in my TV, I don’t have HDMI ARC facility and unluckily optical slot is also damaged in my woofer!! Can you please tell me now how to connect my TV to my Sony home theatre? Is there any possible to convert HDMI to HDMI ARC..
Quick question yall, I got a sound bar for Christmas and it came with an optical cable. But my tv doesn’t have an optical audio cable port. Do I just get an adapter or something so that I can connect it to my tv? And if I used an adapter for optical to hdmi, would The sound bar be able to automatically recognize the audio coming from whatever hdmi channel I’m on or would it only be able to recognize audio coming from the same hdmi channel that it’s connected to?
P.s. the sound bar also has a USB port as well as my t.v.. should I just hook it up through the USB ports?
Hello, you are going to need an audio converter (HDMI to Optical) - HDMI + Audio (SPDIF + RCA Stereo) Audio Extractor Converter - amzn.to/2LaYOLm
My tv have HDMI ARC BUT my sound bar doesn't have hdmi port only have optical port.....? How to solve need help
I would recommend you use the optical connection instead, I can do a how to video if you like.
@@ChardTheTechGuy my tv doesn't have optical port
Hi. Great video. Thanks. I just want to find out, I have a Sony 4K TV that has HDMI ARC. I want to connect it to my Bose V35 system that do not have HDMI ARC. Is that still OK or should I also connect digital cable to it as well. Would be great to get your feedback.
Hello, yes it should still work but the Audio Return function will not work. If don't get any audio I would say use the optical instead. Also, try connecting both of them and see what happens.
So a sound bar and home Theater system the same thing?
You explained it very well. You are very easy to understand and you did not go in circles!!! Great video. I learned a lot from this. Thank you. I just sub.
Glad it was helpful! Thank you very much for your feedback & Sub.
I have a samsung tv and soundbar that both support eArc, if I want to test/hear the sound between this and the optical, can I keep them both plugged in at the same time (and just switch sound settings between the two) or will I need to unplug the optical completely for the earc to work and vice versa?
No, don't have them plugged in at the same time, you have to unplug one at a time and test it that way.