On a decent system, with decent speakers, you might notice that the high-res formats are a little more open, a little smoother sounding. If you’re still in the planning phase for your next home theater system, you might want to stick around. These don’t support TrueHD, DTS HD, or Dolby Digital Plus also. Seems the HW-T series were just that. For most setups, the sound will be just as good with optical as with HDMI. This basically means that the HDMI cable coming from your Home Theatre System can not only send the Audio and Video Signal to the TV, but it also sends the TV Audio back to the receiver across the same cable. The new updated version termed as HDMI eARC. I just got a new TV (OLED55B7P) that only has HDMI ARC and Optical audio out, but my speakers are RCA (stereo L / R). The main job … You can use the cord on uncompressed PCM stereo audio, and 5.1/7.1 Dolby Digital and DTS multi-channel audio. One complication is if you have a sound bar, like the Sonos Playbar or Vizio S4251w-B4, that benefits from a surround sound signal and you connect it to one of the many TVs that can't pass such a signal via its optical outputs. He also thinks you should check out his sci-fi novel and its sequel. So if you want just a single cable between two devices, HDMI is your pick. If you have a trio of 3.5mm cables bundled together, you can mimic 5.1 surround sound using something ca… You can control the Arc by using a single remote only. In case you are willing to send audio files by using a single hdmi cable, then you can use this cable. Still have a question? Well, HDMI has always been the preferred option for most of us. Got a question for Geoff? But if you can't it's not the end of the world. HDMI vs. DisplayPort vs. DVI vs. VGA: Which connection to choose? Hey guys, I just got myself Sony BDVE6100 5.1. That’s why if you want to use the full stereo system correctly, you must need an HDMI ARC connection. It is compatible with virtually any sound format. It is always better for you to go with HDMI. For CES, Samsung says, 'Why not?'. Although optical audio cables are immune to electrical noise, they are quite fragile compared to HDMI cables. Therefore, if you  increase the cable length the signal quality will be poor due to the specific resistance of the copper wire used. When it comes to video quality, the HDMI cable is the name that comes first in our mind. Want to connect your shiny new soundbar or AV receiver? The biggest difference is that HDMI can pass higher-resolution audio, including the formats found on Blu-ray: Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. Its a bit of a pain needing both remotes, but far less than never knowing when a reset of the TV was needed. In terms of simplicity, HDMI also passes video signals. These wires are compatible with the surround sound and can support up to 5.1 channels. However, we must go for convenience and HDMI is the one common solution for all the audio and video requisitions. Both can pass multi-channel audio, like Dolby Digital. HDMI ARC Cable HDMI-ARC is an Audio Return Channel. That, or get a new TV. one of the many TVs that can't pass such a signal via its optical outputs. In this article we discussed about HDMI arc vs Optical. The manufacturing cost of this cable is more expensive compared to the previous one. Copyright © 2020. Maybe you have an older receiver. And  they do not support Dolby Digital Plus, TrueHD, Blue Ray and DTS HD. Both are better than analog (the red and white cables). One of the benefits of HDMI ARC is quality audio, HDMI ARC produces quality sounds from any device, even old devices, especially when you make use of HDMI eARC, numerous home entertainment systems, optical cables support surround sound that’s up to 5.1 channels, which is also good for smart TV, game console and soundbar. The simplest advice is to go with HDMI when you can. While there is a difference between Dolby Digital and those high-res lossless formats, the difference isn't as pronounced as you might expect. My father is convincing me that optical connection is currently being the best choice for the best 5.1 experience, however, I am browsing through some reddit threads and I mainly see people are recommending HDMI connection over Optical one. These cables are compatible with all the latest audio formats. The multiplexed digital audio signal generated by media boxes is essentially the same regardless of which connection method is used to pass it to a decoder/amplifier. eARC has much higher bandwidth and it can support Dolby TrueHD audio. By sending audio both ways, ARC does away with the need for optical audio cables (also called S/PDIF), cutting down on pointless clutter that likely already causes you a headache at home. Where as the HDMI ARC support all sound formats. For a decent audio result, an optical cable is a good option. And both of them used for different purposes. If you want to transmit top-quality audio between two devices, then picking optical cables will be a smart move. HDMI ARC is much better than optical because it has a much higher bandwidth thus being able to transfer higher-resolution video and audio. Are you willing to use a 7.1-channel surround sound system? For the cables of high definition multimedia interference, copper is used. If you were to drive off of HDMI, you'd need multiple inputs and a switching process to move between them. Is HDMI ARC better than optical?Mar 13, 2014Both HDMI and optical pass digital audio from one device to another. If your gear doesn't have HDMI, it can't take advantage of the high-resolution audio formats from Blu-ray anyway (unless you connect with analog, and decode from your Blu-ray player). Digital Optical cables, also referred to simply as Optical cables, only allow for audio signals to be relayed between your source device and the speaker. You need to update the Arc in this case. When it comes time to connect your shiny new sound bar or AV receiver, your two main choices are HDMI or optical digital audio. It is because not all HDMI cables come with the same quality. The main job of the HDMI ARC cable is to transfer the audio signal from one line to the TV. Moreover, you will get a higher bandwidth with the help of this enhanced audio return channel. However, HDMI ARC relays both audio and video signals through a single cable. The setup is in a small space and I like the size, looks and output of the analog speakers so I'd like to keep them. Optical, on the other hand, is usually restricted to 96 kHz. On lesser gear, it's a lot less likely you'll hear a difference. It termed High Definition multimedia interference Enhanced Audio Return Channel. Which one is Better HDMI ARC or Optical? They look similar and can work, but an analogue interconnect has different impe… HDMI ARC, transmit both audio and video signals , With Optical cable Video signals can not be send. This cable can support all kind of sound formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. What I read online from reviews is that Arc via HDMI is better than optical. The enhanced audio return channel can easily support the 7.1-channel surround sound. HDMI vs Optical audio connection question. First, check out all the other articles he's written on topics such as why all HDMI cables are the same, LED LCD vs. OLED, why 4K TVs aren't worth it and more. The connector is a standard, circular RCA connector - the kind that’s found at either end of a pair of analogue interconnects.But don’t be tempted to try and use a standard RCA phono cable in place of a dedicated coaxial digital cable. Does Optical Cable make a difference? Besides, the wires can assist you in discarding the tangled cables and clutter. Another great option is HDMI ARC. Unlike many other similar devices, the Soundbox isn't equipped with HDMI-ARC, so audio can't travel back down the HDMI lead from the TV to the Soundbox and needs an alternate route. By using it, you can connect the Blu-ray players, set-top box, different gaming consoles to the TV. The best property of an optical cable is that they can even transmit sound very well when there is electromagnetic interference present and on the other hand you will face many issues with an HDMI ARC cable in case of electromagnetic interference, and therefore everyone should prefer optical cables when there they have to install a long cable all over their house, also an optical cable is better … Attach the remaining end of the HDMI cable to the Beam. There is no difference when it comes to passing multi-channel audio like Dolby digital. But in that case, you can’t use 60 frames per second. Optical cables do not support 7.1 audio channels because they can’t … Because of the reason HDMI ARC cables are of Maximum 15 meters length and Optical Cables my be beyond that length ( 30 meters). The cables are cheap, and having just one wire simplifies setup. It has replaced all the other connectivity options, especially for the set boxes, Blu-ray players, and gaming consoles. HDMI-ARC is an Audio Return Channel. Created by ProDigitalWeb. In that case, optical is fine. Keaton, Pattinson, Affleck to all play Batman in 2022. The intended use of the optical port on the Sooundbox is to take an optical audio link from a smart television, so that on-TV apps can output to the Soundbox. HDMI is an abbreviated form of High Definition Multimedia Interface. Discuss: HDMI vs. optical: Which digital-audio connection to use? On the other hand Dolby Digital is surprisingly good, and unless you have decent gear, you probably won't hear much (if any) improvement with Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD MA. Yes! But the cost of that decision is reflected in the limited amount of codecs that can be carried on an optical connection. Yes. If you want to get the best audio quality, then undoubtedly High Definition multimedia Interference Audio Return Channel is the best option. Going to the Basics Both HDMI and optical cables pass the digital audio from one device to another. The main issue is these cables are virtually immune to interference. All about Technological Advancement of Yesteryear, Today, and Tomorrow. Learn how your comment data is processed. Nevertheless, there are only a few eARC supported devices on the market. However...Depending on your gear, you might not have the option for HDMI. If you plug a regular HDMI cable into the ARC port, it will act as a regular HDMI. Instead of using an electrical current, these cables transmit the signal through light. The best case for HDMI ARC cables is if you have an A/V controller or soundbar. The major difference is that HDMI cables can pass higher resolution audio which includes formats found on Blu-ray like Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master audio. We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. These formats can't get transmitted across optical. In the case of a 2.1 line, you can view 120 frames per second in 4K. But still, it is not recommended by all the users. It has an HDMI In and an HDMI Out (which is the ARC connection) But here's a note from the manual about DTS: "Dolby Digital and DTS are only available on either the Coaxial In or Digital Optical Audio In inputs. Their latest versions of HDMI, 2.0 and up, can support audio bandwidth of up to 192 kHz and 32 channels. Each of these can pass multi-channel audio such as Dolby Digital. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. When comparing HDMI vs. optical audio cables for sound quality, HDMI is better than optical. Better, a little...Regardless of the gear you use, as mentioned there's also no way to get Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD Master Audio with an optical connection. A High Definition multimedia interference 2.0 line is ideal for a 4K video. For those who want to use only a single wire between two devices, then High Definition multimedia interference cable is the one that you should select. Hence, “e” stands for “enhanced”. More TVs have optical outputs, so it allows the TV to be "switch" between sources, and drive the single output. The main benefit of the HDMI-eARC is that it has got a massive improvement in bandwidth and speed. Launched in 2002, the biggest benefit of HDMI is it’s a one-size-fits-all connection for video and audio. But the disadvantage is that this cable is susceptible to electromagnetic interference. It implies that you need to use only one line for audio and video. Probably the least common connection when it comes to modern AV kit, coaxial digital uses electricity to transmit audio. Usually, these two can pass digital audio from one device to another. In this case, the optical cables are not the perfect one for you. As we mentioned, you’ll most likely find an optical port on anything that needs video and audio to co-exist, like a gaming console, DVD player, or soundbar. Besides, material construction is one of the factors that also differentiate these two. This alone makes HDMI ARC a clear favorite. These materials are not expensive. On the left is a traditional non-ARC setup, requiring an HDMI cable from an Xbox to be connected to the audio system, another to send the video to the TV, and an optical … HDMI cables are an all-in-one solution. HDMI vs Optical Audio - Which One Is The BestHow would you know which cable to choose between HDMI or Optical for your audio enjoyment? We haven’t talked about this much. Therefore, the HDMI ARC is better suits your audio appliances. HDMI ARC cables use very low voltage to transmit the audio signal. It is a single cable that helps to transmit high definition video and audio. Samsung First Look 2021 event teases new TVs in virtual showcase, Pink fridge? The latest HDMI standard, v1.4, adds another useful feature – ARC, or “Audio Return Channel”. While we’re on the topic of connections that transfer both audio and visuals, there’s one last one that we should cover and that’s HDMI ARC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Where as, Optical Cables sends audio signals in the form of light waves through the fiber optic cables, so the loss of signals is very limited. Simply put, you’ll get better quality audio than you would with an optical cable. Moreover, HDMI ARC also enables CEC technology. The Case for HDMI ARC. Maybe you have everything connected to your TV, and you just want to get the audio out to a sound bar (and the only option is optical). Find out which one is better and why. These are vital for most VR systems. Audio Return Channel, or ARC, uses a single HDMI connection to send audio from a TV to the soundbar or AV receiver. It is always better for you to go with HDMI. Most sound bars, for example, lack the fidelity to do anything with the additional resolution. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. On the other hand, optical TOSLINK cables are less prone to such interferences, as they are non-metallic and use glass threads for signal transmission. HDMI can pass these types of audio including the formats that can be found on Blu-ray: Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. When hooking up an audio system or sound bar, you generally have to choose an HDMI or optical digital-audio connection. © 2021 CNET, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. Moreover, with optical cables, the usage is limited to speakers up to 5.1, while HDMI takes advantage of Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. Bottom LineUse HDMI when you can. A photo tour of Hobbiton, featured in 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' trilogy. Neither of those sound bars have HDMI inputs anyway, so the best way to connect them is directly from the source to the bar via optical, skipping the TV. Is HDMI ARC better than optical? Many don't accept those formats at all. The basicsBoth HDMI and optical pass digital audio from one device to another. The Harmony does all that and more, so you would find no advantage to connecting your Beam by HDMI, you'd just be wasting an HDMI port. However, that's not a huge deal. After my older soundbar died out as I posted previously, I decided to look at the equivalents in 2020. Then, the only options left to your are selection is HDMI Arc vs Optical digital audio. This cable can support all kind of sound formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. View Entire Discussion (6 Comments) HDMI ARC adds control over the TV from downstream devices (power, volume, etc). Both cables can be had pretty cheap. Optical cables do not have interference during transmission. When it comes to the Compared to the analogue, these are far better. Audio like Dolby digital Plus, TrueHD, Blue Ray and DTS HD Master audio quality. A 7.1-channel surround sound system of the HDMI ARC cables use very low voltage transmit! 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