What is the difference between HDMI ARC and eARC?

HDMI ARC and eARC are features that allow audio to be sent from a TV to a compatible amplifier, home cinema receiver or soundbar via HDMI.

ARC stands for Audio Return Channel, while eARC stands for Enhanced Audio Return Channel.

The main difference is how much audio information the connection can carry.

What is HDMI ARC?

HDMI ARC allows audio to be sent from the TV back to a connected audio device.

This means you can use the TV’s apps and hear the sound through the home cinema system, for example.

ARC supports stereo audio and certain compressed surround formats, among others.

Depending on the equipment and content, Dolby Atmos can also be transmitted via Dolby Digital Plus.

What is HDMI eARC?

HDMI eARC is an enhanced version of ARC with considerably greater audio transmission capacity.

It allows high-resolution and uncompressed multichannel audio formats to be transmitted, such as:

• Multichannel PCM.

• Dolby TrueHD.

• DTS-HD Master Audio.

• Dolby Atmos via Dolby TrueHD, if supported by the equipment.

Do I need eARC for Dolby Atmos?

Not always.

Dolby Atmos can be transmitted via standard ARC when used with a compatible compressed audio format, such as Dolby Digital Plus.

However, Dolby Atmos via Dolby TrueHD from the TV to the audio system normally requires eARC.

Do both the TV and receiver need eARC?

Yes. Both devices need to support eARC to use the feature.

If only one device has eARC, the connection may in some cases work with standard ARC instead.

Which HDMI port should I use?

Use the HDMI ports labelled ARC or eARC on the TV and audio device respectively.

You may also need to enable the correct audio output and HDMI-CEC in the settings.

Tip: If you use an external Blu-ray player or games console, it may sometimes be beneficial to connect it directly to the home cinema receiver, depending on the audio and video formats the equipment supports.