Audio Return Channel

[Gingerbread Man]

My TV outputs it's sound through my 5.1 receiver. These are connected via an optical cable, so I can't benefit from any dolby sound put out via the HD channels.

It seems the answer is audio via HDMI, and therefore utilising the Audio Return Channel (ARC), in my case HDMI 2 to send audio out from the TV to my receiver.

My receiver is quite old, a trusty Denon 1910 which doesn't support, but I believe needs to support HDMI 1.4 (?).

Can the TV be set to output audio down the ARC as a one way output. Yet when I use my external devices like a DVD player, this goes via the receiver which strips the audio and just sends the video to the TV via HDMI 1.

Basically can I upgrade my optical cable to HDMI to improve my TV sound?

[swapped]

It will depend on what your TV is capable of sending out (via optical or HDMI) – if it can only output stereo, it will down-mix anything more complex and output it as stereo anyway, leaving it to your receiver to process using something like Dolby Pro-Logic ii to use the 5.1

You are right that you need HDMI 1.4 for ARC, and HDMI is certainly capable of carrying 5.1 (and more), IF your TV can send it.

For the question about ‘one-way ARC’, I think you are OK, as a receiver will tend to (or can be set to) pass-through an HDMI picture and sound to the TV when the receiver is off, but process the sound whilst sending the picture on to the TV when the receiver is on. It’s not ‘stripping’ the sound – it sends an instruction to the TV to turn off the TV speakers.

[bsdnazz]

For this to work both the TV and the AV Receiver need to support ARC. I'm not sure the Denon 1910 supports ARC.

Reading the Denon manuals the 1911 docs make reference to ARC but the 1910 don't so you would need to replace the 1910.

[Gingerbread Man]

Thanks guys.

I wondered if both needed to have ARC capabilities or if the Amp would just see the audio from the TV as an audio signal, as I only plan on using it one way (TV audio to amp).

I know the Amp can't utilise it by sending data down it, but I thought it could maybe listen to any signals as it were.

I'll get an HDMI cable and give it a try.

[JimbobVFR]

If the Denon doesn't have ARC it's a pointless exercise.

What stuff do you watch on your TV? Is it freeview, smart stuff or what?

What Model TV do you have? You may be surprised and just need to set it up correctly to output 5.1 via optical.