I actually didn't think that the Samsung Q90R wasn't going to get an eARC update, but after following forums and anxiously awaiting, it finally happened.

one thing i am really wondering about as a gamer is input lag (not audio lag). Does hooking the console to the receiver (in my case a Vizio Atmos soundbar), then receiver to the TV,. introduce lag? Do you know anything about that? FWIW I can INSTANTLY tell when game mode isn't on my TV, so I am lag sensitive, and I didnt really notice any lag playing this way, but just want to be sure. Anyways Finally got my setup working, it's a 2018 TCL 6 series (has regular arc, not earc) and a Series X and the Vizio Atmos bar. I had it wired as Xbox to TV, then TV Arc to soundbar. Wired this way, the Xbox doesn't even offer Atmos etc as options in it's audio output settings. Once I changed it to hooked the X to the soundbar, then the soundbar to the TV via arc, a whole bunch of audio settings on My Xbox including Atmos opened up, and trying with Halo Infinite seems to work great! Also, huge shoutout to MS, they have cool audio setup thing, that will individually fire each speaker in sequence along with a graphic where each speaker lights up as fired. Really cool to show noobs like me that it's working, and that all of my atmos speakers are firing! Fantastic little ease of use feature.

Kinda surprised Caleb that you didn't make any pithy comment about cables specifically marketed as ARC or eARC "certified".

@@burnsyd17 That’s a different video! You just have me a great idea, tho!

I still don’t understand why most tv’s, when supporting 4K120hz, have to include the ARC/eARC feature to one of those ports, such as the tcl 646. The only tv brand, that keeps it separate is the Vizio P series tv’s. I can only assume it’s a cost cutting measure since eARC is technically a 2.1 feature and they want to keep the price of the tv lower while still giving the option of having 4K120hz or eARC. Luckily, it appears the 2022 models are adding 2.1 to all available HDMI ports now, at least the higher end models. Hopefully, this is implemented more in upcoming tv’s.

Thanks! I remember when we put out our first explainers on this tech, our headline was something like “the best feature you aren’t using.” I gather lots of folks still aren’t taking advantage.

@@Caleb_Denison they aren't using it because when people buy a TV they don't pay attention to the HDMI specs and only pay attention to size, and resolution. Everything else is an after thought. I don't know a single person in my family or friend group who knows what ARC or eARC is. I'm mainly the tech heads like us that get into the weeds of specifications.

Glad we could help!

Earc is still really good compared to arc to remove lip sync issues, or audio delay if you play games

Thanks for the clarification. I didn't know there was a difference.

Correct

He’s also wrong about the lag and lip sync with eArc. He’s right in the sense that those are quote on quote “advertised” features of eArc, however since the inception on eArc, certain and TV’s and devices, such as the infamous Xbox consoles and LG OLED TV’s are known to have significant issues with Dolby Atmos and lag/lip sync issues when using that with eArc.

@@TheLazyGamers LG TVs have issues with everything. Whenever I have to set up a Sonos Amp, Arc Soundbar or Playbar on one, it's always been a total clusterfuck. Samsung or Sony, no problems ever.

@@andrewbobucky4612 every TV has its pros and cons. The LG’s are the best when it comes to gaming features and having a high end panel, which for me are the biggest concerns. My LG G2 can do 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 for 12-bit @ 120hz, and supports all video modes for my series X console without issues. For example Sony TV’s can’t do Dolby Vision @ 120hz, and also has increased latency at Dolby Vision 60hz due to not supporting a DV game mode. Sony TV’s also do not support LFC with their VRR unlike LG and Samsung, and due to not supporting LFC also doesn’t have Gsync nor Freesync Premium/Pro support. With the Samsung’s they don’t support DV whatsoever so that’s a no go for my series X. The G2 is the only TV on the market that supports all the HDMI 2.1 features and new console features (48gbps, 4K @ 120hz, VRR (Forum, Freesync Premium/Pro, Gsync) HDR (HDR10, Dolby Vision), ALLM and can reach 1000 nits HDR), and that’s why I chose it. LG’s biggest issue has always been audio. The audio on their OLED’s is subpar as it is, plus the infamous e-arc bugs that plague the LG sets especially with gaming consoles just makes e arc completely useless on LG TV’s. While the G2 supports all the picture settings for my gaming PC and series X console, it doesn’t support all the audio modes due to the removal of DTS/X over e-arc. So now I have to plug it into a soundbar directly in order to get all the series X audio formats. Only problem is there isn’t a single soundbar on the market that can do full 48gbps uncompressed, as well as passthrough 4K @ 120hz with HDR (Dolby Vision and HDR10), VRR (Forum, Freesync Premium/Pro, Gsync) and ALLM. The closest we get is the Sony HT7000, but that is limited to 40Gbps not 48gbps, as well as can’t passthrough VRR & ALLM. At the end of the day, I wish there was a be all end all tv that just supported everything no questions asked, but unfortunately that’s not the world we live in and we have to pick our poison with TV manufactures accordingly. Hell the fact that we don’t even have viable hdmi 2.1 soundbars yet means I’m just gonna have to play the waiting game for the manufactures to step up their game.

You do not need an HDMI 2.1 Cable to use eARC (HDMI 1.4 or better is fine), but if you are passing video through your soundbar you want to use a cable good enough for the video source. (HDMI 1.4 for switch and PS4/Xbox One, HDMI 2.0 for Apple TV/PS4 Pro/Xbox One X/Fire Stick, HDMI 2.1 for PC and PS5/Xbox Series)

Great question, you need a "High speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet", but that's just about all cables made in the last 10 years, and it should say in printing along the cable that there's ethernet if the Cable has ethernet. HDMI 1.4 cables or better have the ethernet functionality but for future proofing if you don't already have a cable I would buy an HDMI 2.0 or 2.1 cable (with 2.1 being preferable) depending on how long the run is and what your budget is.

Glad to help!

I don't know what your source material is, whether a console or the builtin apps of your TV, but when TVs are set to PCM, generally this means downmixing incoming HDMI content (consoles, players, etc) to stereo. With eARC, if you choose Pass Through for digital audio out, you can set your console/player to output Linear PCM 5.1/7.1, thanks to eARC the tv is able to pass that uncompressed surround signal to the audio device. For Blu-ray player app in these consoles it's better to set the internal setting to Bitstream, which will pass through audio, even Atmos, and let the receiver or sound bar decode it.

Thanks! Lots more of these are coming! Please share with someone who might need it? Appreciated!

My LG C7 TV received the full HDMI 2.0 from the PS5 and using ARC to get surround sounds from my aging 2013 sound system which has like HDMI 1.4.

So glad they came out with not dealing with switching inputs.

@@zZiL341yRj736 are getting full DD+ or DTS from PS5? I an ARC 1.4 HDMI not taking the eARC DD+ DTS from the PS5

That drawer with extra items. I have several. A multitude of cables including s-video. Also a stack of old equipment including a variety of switch boxes. Radio shack had optical switch boxes

I had multiple drawers like that over the years.

What button to push that is in front of my Onkyo to activate the ARC port ?