Sonos Arc and Active Fiber Cable - Do I need a voltage inserter for eArc to work?

  • 8 February 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 55 views

Hi all and sorry for the long post!

I am honestly at a loss right now. I have a Samsung Q90R TV, which does now officially support HDMI 2.1 and eARC, and a Sonos Arc sound bar. While I can get normal ARC working and hear sound perfectly, this obviously creates latency issues and there is a slight lip sync issue which drives me nuts!

So as far as I’m aware, I need an HDMI 2.1 certified cable for eARC to work. No problem, I tested my setup with the HDMI cable that came with the Sonos Arc (which is HDMI 2.1) and then suddenly eARC turns on and all is well!

However, the problem is that I need a cable that is 15 meters (50 feet) long and also supports HDMI 2.1. So I research and find that to get those sort of speeds at that length you need a fiber HDMI cable. So I bought one from KabelDirekt, that is certified and has the legit HDMI 2.1 certification sticker, meaning that in theory it should work perfectly. 

However, to my dismay, when I try and use it I can only get traditional ARC and eARC refuses to work! Moving my entire setup around, to try the shorter cable that came with the system again, eARC is instantly recognized and works without a hitch!

So am I missing something? Has anyone had any luck with fiber cables and eARC on a Samsung TV (or any TV really)? I read that an HDMI voltage Inserter might be needed for Active Fiber cables, would this potentially help?

 

Thank you so so much in advanced for any advice!

 

EDIT: I am using an Apple TV and games console as external devices, so eARC is definitely something I need to get working.


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2 replies

You do not need a 2.1 HDMI cable just for sound - sound does not use much bandwith. Modern video needs high bandwith cables. Your cable lenght could pose a problem though. Not sure about a voltage inserter for fiber cables - the name fiber cables suggest they use light, so voltage would not be needed? 

I do not read anything about you using extrernal players though - which would be the only reason for needing eARC. Remember when you only use the apps on your TV Arc is all you need because all apps use DD+ wchich can be transported via ARC.


Oh, really? I had a 15 meter HDMI 1.4 cable and they said it didn’t support eARC and that only HDMI 2.1 cables support this?

 

But you are right, I forgot to mention that I am using an Apple TV and games console - so I do need eARC for these.

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You do not need a 2.1 HDMI cable just for sound - sound does not use much bandwith. Modern video needs high bandwith cables. Your cable lenght could pose a problem though. Not sure about a voltage inserter for fiber cables - the name fiber cables suggest they use light, so voltage would not be needed? 

I do not read anything about you using extrernal players though - which would be the only reason for needing eARC. Remember when you only use the apps on your TV Arc is all you need because all apps use DD+ wchich can be transported via ARC.