If you’ve bought a TV, soundbar, or AV receiver at any point over the last five years or so, there’s a good chance it has an HDMI ARC port. The “ARC” in that moniker stands for Audio Return Channel, a true feat for HDMI technology, and one of the main reasons why modern home theater systems can be put together with fewer wires than ever before.
Before the advent of HDMI ARC, if you were connecting a soundbar or AV receiver to your TV, you’d need to use HDMI to process video data, and a digital or analog audio cable to route TV and component audio back to your sound system. That was until 2009, when the rollout of HDMI 1.4 introduced HDMI ARC to the masses.
With HDMI ARC, your TV and audio system will be able to support both upstream and downstream video and audio signals, using just one HDMI cable. As far as TV and other device settings go, HDMI ARC is so commonly used that it’s pretty much plug-and-play these days. That said, you’ll want to make sure you’re buying the right HDMI cables to use ARC (or eARC), because only specific types of HDMI wires will work.
HDMI ARC, eARC, and why bandwidth matters
As mentioned, HDMI ARC was introduced with HDMI version 1.4. Luckily, most HDMI cables you can buy today are at least 2.0-certified, so you shouldn’t have any compatibility issues with older HDMI ARC-capable TVs and AV components. However, if you just bought a brand-new TV, we’re willing to bet the HDMI ARC port is actually labeled as HDMI eARC.
HDMI eARC is a souped-up version of HDMI ARC (with the “e” standing for enhanced) with higher bandwidth capabilities. The eARC connection supports audio streams up to 24-bit/192kHz, and is engineered to handle premium surround sound formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. HDMI eARC also has a feature called Lip Sync Correction, which calibrates picture and sound in real-time to make sure everything stays in sync.
Here’s a good rule of thumb: Make sure the HDMI cable you’re buying handles at least 18Gbps for HDMI ARC equipment, or 48Gbps for HDMI eARC gear. The better the bandwidth, the more data your TV, sound system, and HDMI cables have to work with, resulting in better picture and sound.
Other things you should know about HDMI ARC
Before HDMI eARC arrived, most HDMI ARC-compatible devices had a built-in setting called HDMI-CEC. The “CEC” stands for Consumer Electronics Control, which speaks to this technology’s main capability: allowing you to control all your home theater equipment with just one remote.
Now, even if you don’t care about consolidating remotes, in order for HDMI ARC to function (eARC is mostly excused from this), HDMI-CEC needs to be enabled for both your TV and AV hub — be it a soundbar or AV receiver. It’s also worth mentioning that if you’re using a digital optical port somewhere within your device chain, it may actually be disabling HDMI ARC. That’s why we recommend taking the time to remove any unnecessary cables from a home theater setup you plan on using with a newer TV.
Last but not least, HDMI ARC can become rather finicky when running wires over longer distances. While the quality of the cable certainly matters, generally speaking, HDMI cables longer than 25 feet are 50/50 for ARC actually working. So, let’s say you need to hide your AV components or other wires in an attic space, and plan on running a single HDMI cable down to the living room to connect to your TV’s ARC port: If you need a 25-foot or longer wire run, consider going with an HDMI balun with Cat6/7 support that works for longer distances instead of a traditional HDMI cable. Once you have the right cables plugged in and set up, you can enjoy the show.
