ARC - who uses it?

[dmspen]

Anyone here using an HDMI audio return channel? My TV has ARC capability, although my receiver doesn't so I'm considering an upgrade.

The reason I am considering this is that my newish Panasonic TV has Netflix, but when content is brought into the TV via internet, it bypasses the AV receiver. I've yet to hook up an optical/digital coax to my TV audio out. If I had an AVR that had ARC, I wouldn't need any more cabling or switching of AVR inputs.

Just wondering if anyone is using it and the sucess they have with it.

[Cholly]

My bedroom Vizio 37 inch LCD has a SPDIF digital audio out that I use to feed to my Yamaha AR-V657 receiver that doesn't have HDMI capability. My speakers are in a 5.0 configuration: 50 year old AR-3 fronts, Energy Take Classic center and surrounds. It works very nicely. The Vizio has 2 HDMI inputs - one coming from a TiVo Premiere DVR, the other from a 4 input Monoprice HDMI switch that has inputs from a Kodak HD Theater, Toshiba HD DVD player and Panasonic Blu-ray player. The Panny also has an optical out going to the AVR for CD playback.

Whether the SPDIF output gives equally good audio as an HDMI ARC connector, I don't know.

[harsh]

I'd be hard-pressed to convince myself that ARC is a huge step above connecting the conventional way unless you've got a painstakingly hidden wall-mount. It seems like either way you have to select a different source on the AVR.

[Colorado Guy]

I use "ARC" connecter on my Panasonic Plazma to my Insignia NS-R5101AHD-A5.1 that i bought from Best Buy. It works great for OAR TV.

[dmspen]

Thanks all. It's probably way cheaper just to hook up the optical out to the receiver rather than but a whole new receiver (maybe I just wanted a new toy...).

[balboadave]

ARC and optical cable carry the same audio content, so the difference is just the simpler cabling solution for using the ARC. The A/V receiver still has to switch to the ARC enabled HDMI input.

ARC can be tricky to setup however. It requires HDMI Control, generically called CEC, to be enabled for both the TV and receiver. But every manufacturer has their own version of CEC, with different names, and they don't always play together nicely. When it does work, one remote can control the devices on the HDMI CEC network, basically turning them on and off as needed. But if you have a universal remote, like a Harmony, this is not wanted behavior, and you need to go deeper into the settings to turn off just the power functions of CEC.

[olguy]

Thanks all. It's probably way cheaper just to hook up the optical out to the receiver rather than but a whole new receiver (maybe I just wanted a new toy...).
New toys are always good. I get one every chance I have. :lol: