What is Audio Return Channel: ARC and eARC Explained

Audio Return Channel (ARC) is a feature of HDMI cables that allows audio signals to be sent “upstream” from the TV back to a soundbar or A/V receiver. It’s designed to make connecting your home theater setup simpler and more streamlined. Let’s take a look at how ARC and eARC work as well as why Audio Return Channel so beneficial for your home entertainment system.

How Does ARC Work?

Audio Return Channel lets you pipe audio into your television or projector, then route that to a connected soundbar or A/V receiver using an HDMI input. Before ARC, you had to run Blu-ray players, game consoles, and streaming media players into a home theater receiver first, then send a video signal from your receiver to your TV or projector.

But ARC simplifies allows you to easily send audio from connected devices like gaming consoles and streaming devices directly to your sound system without having to run separate cables between them. Instead, simply hook your audio/video components directly to your television, then use an HDMI cable to transmit audio to your receiver or soundbar. For ARC to properly work, you’ll need a TV or projector with ARC or eARC support, an ARC- or eARC-compatible receiver or soundbar, and a high-speed HDMI cable.

Benefits of ARC and eARC

One of the biggest advantages of using an Audio Return Channel is that it eliminates the need for multiple cables between components in your home theater setup. Instead of running several cables from set-top boxes, Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, and other devices back to your sound system, you can simply use one HDMI cable with ARC support to send audio from your TV or projector to a receiver or soundbar. This makes setting up a home theater much easier and more efficient than before. It also ensures there are fewer chances for signal interference or loss due to multiple connections.

In addition, because ARC is part of the HDMI standard, it’s compatible with all most TVs and sound systems that have HDMI inputs/outputs. This means you don’t have to worry about compatibility issues when shopping for components since they will all work together if they have an Audio Return Channel connection available. Finally, since all audio signals go through one cable instead of multiple cables, it reduces clutter behind your TV and makes troubleshooting much easier if something goes wrong with your system down the road.

ARC vs. eARC: What’s the Difference?

While ARC is great for transmitting surround sound, eARC or Enhanced Audio Return Channel provides greater speed and bandwidth for better surround sound handling. Whereas ARC can only send compressed audio signals, eARC is capable of handling uncompressed soundtracks.

For streaming, ARC is find since most streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video transmit compressed audio. And ARC can even send Dolby Atmos packaged in the Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) container when streaming from Netflix, Disney+, and other popular streaming services.

However, eARC can send uncompressed audio including Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD Master Audio, LPCM Bitstream, and Dolby TrueHD. On the other hand, vanilla ARC can’t broadcast uncompressed Atmos (just compressed over DD+), Dolby TrueHD, or DTS-HD Master Audio. So if you watch a lot of Blu-rays and 4K Blu-rays, eARC is a must-have for best-in-class audio. Note that you’ll need eARC support on your TV or projector and soundbar or receiver in order to fully utilize Enhanced Audio Return Channel.

What to Do if You Need to Convert ARC to eARC

If you’ve recently upgraded your TV or soundbar, chances are you might have one device with ARC and another with eARC, meaning you can’t enjoy fully uncompressed audio tracks. For instance, when I upgraded to a Sonos ARC soundbar with eARC, my Hisense H8F’s ARC port limited output to compressed audio like Dolby Atmos in the Dolby Digital Plus container, or Dolby Digital 5.1. An HDMI splitter or an eARC extractor lets you send uncompressed audio to your eARC soundbar or receiver as a workaround when you don’t have an eARC-capable television or projector. Our favorite audio extractors include the Orei 4K, HDFury VRROOM, and u9 HDMI audio extractor. Alternatively, consider using an HDMI splitter like the Monopice Blackbird HDMI Matrix.

Best Soundbars With ARC and eARC

The best eARC soundbars are the Sonos ARC, Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra 9.2.4, and Vizio M-Series Elevate. The top ARC soundbars are the Polk MagniFi Mini, Vizio SB36512-F6, and Roku Streambar Pro.

What are HDMI ARC and eARC: FAQs

What is Audio Return Channel – ARC and eARC Explained

Audio Return Channel (ARC) and Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC) are great ways to simplify connections in your home theater setup while still enjoying full digital surround sound quality from all connected devices like gaming consoles and streaming services. With just one HDMI cable carrying both audio signals upstream and downstream, you can reduce cable clutter behind your TV while eliminating compatibility issues between components thanks to its inclusion in the HDMI standard. If you’re looking for a way to improve both convenience and performance in your home theater setup without spending too much money on extra cabling, then ARC and eARC might be just what you need!