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eARC vs ARC

  • October 29, 2024
  • 11 replies
  • 529 views

I am planning on getting a Sonos Arc Ultra and two Era 100s for surround. My TV only has an ARC input, not an eARC. Will I still be able to get Dolby Atmos, and will I be losing something by not having eARC?

THANKS!

Best answer by jgatie

As far as I can see, that TV was upgraded to DD+ Atmos support by a firmware update in 2020.

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11 replies

UKMedia
  • October 29, 2024

Some TV’s can’t pass Dolby Audio through from external devices.  I have a TV with only an ARC connection and had to use an Arcana HD Fury device to split the Audio and video.  This enabled me to send the Audio directly to the Arc, rather than through the TV, and the video to the TV.

Edit:

Diagram of my setup attached.

 


jgatie
  • October 29, 2024

An ARC connection can pass Atmos as DD+, but not all TV’s support it.  List your TV model and we can look up the specs. 


  • Author
  • Contributor I
  • October 29, 2024

Jgatie-

I have a Sony model XBR-65X900F, about 6 years old. 
 

Thanks


jgatie
  • Answer
  • October 29, 2024

As far as I can see, that TV was upgraded to DD+ Atmos support by a firmware update in 2020.


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  • Avid Contributor II
  • November 8, 2024

My Sony TV is also a little dated and no eARC. The format arriving on the Sonos depended on the streaming app on the AppleTV 4K, super wired.

if you don’t plan to buy a new tv soon https://hdfury.com/product/4k-arcana-18gbps/

will give you Atmos TruHD if you use any source that supports it


  • Contributor I
  • December 18, 2024

I have a TCL TV with only ARC, a Sonos soundbar with eARC and an Apple TV for media.  Is there a way to buy a converter to switch everything to eARC?  I would appreciate some help!! 


jgatie
  • December 18, 2024

I have a TCL TV with only ARC, a Sonos soundbar with eARC and an Apple TV for media.  Is there a way to buy a converter to switch everything to eARC?  I would appreciate some help!! 

 

See the post above yours.  There are converters, but they aren’t cheap.


  • Lyricist I
  • December 26, 2024

Can I ask the same question regarding Panasonic TX40JX800B, please?


jgatie
  • December 26, 2024

Can I ask the same question regarding Panasonic TX40JX800B, please?

 

As listed here, that TV doesn’t have Atmos support:

https://www.panasonic.com/uk/support/discontinued-products/televisions/tx-40jx800b.html


  • Lyricist I
  • December 26, 2024

Thank you. Can I just check:

How can we tell? Sound says Dolby Atmos and connectivity lists ARC - is it that DA isn’t listed under the latter?

Does that imply that it’s not worth getting eg. Sonos Beam 2? 


jgatie
  • December 26, 2024

Thank you. Can I just check:

How can we tell? Sound says Dolby Atmos and connectivity lists ARC - is it that DA isn’t listed under the latter?

Does that imply that it’s not worth getting eg. Sonos Beam 2? 

 

The specs show a blank line for Atmos, which means unsupported.  Plus the date of manufacture (2019) makes it iffy for Atmos support.  The definitive source for that info is usually RTINGS.com, but that model wasn’t listed on that site, so I had to consult the specs at Panasonic.