From Sonos reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/h7z9gv/hd_fury_is_working_on_an_earc_solution_for_sonos/
HD Fury is working on an eARC solution for Sonos Arc - Full Audio & Atmos from any HDMI sources
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I have a bestbuy tv from 2016 and have a Comcast cable box and then there are apps available from Comcast would Atmos be available if I got the arcana in this situation and also have they said if it comes with HDMI cables required between devices?
From HDFury’s latest updates, I can see why they’re able to move so quickly - they are the factory and their offices and fabrication facility are literally in the same building. They’re not having to shop out to a contract manufacturer which would slow things down. Very cool to see!
I think English is not the native language here, but it’s damn better than my (insert any other language I fake here). That being said, I’m trying to figure out how two inputs work. I could see three, one being the source device, one being the video to the TV, and the last being eARC to the Sonos. But two doesn’t make sense to me.
I think English is not the native language here, but it’s damn better than my (insert any other language I fake here). That being said, I’m trying to figure out how two inputs work. I could see three, one being the source device, one being the video to the TV, and the last being eARC to the Sonos. But two doesn’t make sense to me.
HDFury is based in Taiwan. And, agreed, their English is significantly better than my (utterly non-existent) Mandarin.
As for input vs. output, apparently it’s tricky. As they go on to say in the response to one of their posts:
This is a needed device for sonos because there is no solution in the world doing that yet. The whole challenge is to accept a video/audio signal of any kind and then transform this into a simulated eARC TV input that SONOS can connect to in order to extract full audio eARC from it. So this dongle is ALWAYS NEEDED and must be inserted between any device output and sonos output. The rule is simple in HDMI, OUTPUT goes to INPUT or INPUT to OUTPUT, but OUTPUT CANNOT GO TO OUTPUT and INPUT CANNOT GO TO INPUT. so this dongle make this works and this is must have for SONOS, no device in the world (apart from EARC TV) will ever be able to offer full sound to SONOS unless such solution is inserted in between.
Vertex2 have 4 inputs and 3 outputs, to connect let's say AUDIO OUTPUT to SONOS OUTPUT, then you need such solution in between, OUTPUT from Vertex2 (or from any source or any splitter) goes to that device input and then this turn into another simulated TV eARC input where SONOS output can connect to to retrieve full audio. You guys with SONOS have just to understand that SONOS have an OUTPUT that normally connect to a TV INPUT and it retrieve eARC from it cause sound flow backward ("R" in ARC/eARC means "RETURN") This is exactly why it does not work for anything else than a TV eARC INPUT, so such hardware dongle will be ALWAYS NEEDED to turn any device output into a simulated TV eARC INPUT where SONOS can connect to.(edited)
I won't explain the thing again and again, it's all already explained above, so please read a bit and try to understand cause many sonos owners still do not get the very basic of how it works and still think their SONOS have any HDMI input, while in reality it is a HDMI output and that is the problem in the first place. If SONOS had HDMI input, then it could be connected directly to any device OUTPUT and works just fine, unfortunately, it is not the case.
Yup, I’ve read that several times already. It still makes no sense to me. I’m just going to wait until they get past preproduction and see how it makes sense for me. Push comes to shove, if the need arises, I’ll just buy a TV with eARC, so that I can connect multiple sources and have a single output connection to the Arc.
Yup, I’ve read that several times already. It still makes no sense to me. I’m just going to wait until they get past preproduction and see how it makes sense for me. Push comes to shove, if the need arises, I’ll just buy a TV with eARC, so that I can connect multiple sources and have a single output connection to the Arc.
They’re supposed to be providing more info within a few days, so maybe it will be clearer then. They seem to be moving quickly so maybe it won’t be too long of a wait.
As for getting a new tv, unfortunately that’s not in the cards for me. But if I’d had ANY idea I might be getting an Arc j can guarantee you that eARC would have been been on my shopping list when I was buying the tv…. ☹️
Heh. No doubt. I feel foolish for buying a non eARC set only 12 months ago.
HD fury hinted some news through the AVS forum this morning. The are approximating that the dongle will be $100 if preordered, $150 afterwards. Not sure if those prices will stick, but I would guess that pre-ordered will be discounted. It’s not their first product and have likely done that before.
Also stated that they will have packaged deals for Arcana with one of their matrix/switches.
I’m making a habit of checking that thread everyday.
Also worth noting, HDFury isn’t pushing their own products too hard, openly stating that for some people their source may have a separate audio output already, or a cheaper Amazon HDMI splitter is all they need.
HD fury hinted some news through the AVS forum this morning. The are approximating that the dongle will be $100 if preordered, $150 afterwards. Not sure if those prices will stick, but I would guess that pre-ordered will be discounted. It’s not their first product and have likely done that before.
Good catch,
Also stated that they will have packaged deals for Arcana with one of their matrix/switches.
Their stuff seems super nice… but damn it’s expensive. From what I can tell the cheapest splitter they’ve got which will work is the Integral2 which only has two inputs and is still $250. So a combined Integral2 + Arcana solution is setting me back $350 at least and only lets me hook up an ATV and a BD player. On top of what I've already paid for the Arc/One SLs/Sub/One Wall Mounts, this whole enterprise starting to get spendy fast.
Also worth noting, HDFury isn’t pushing their own products too hard, openly stating that for some people their source may have a separate audio output already, or a cheaper Amazon HDMI splitter is all they need.
That is good to see, and there’s quite a few 4 input HDMI matrixes (sp?) on Amazon in the $50 - $100 range that claim to support Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. The issue is going to be finding something that actually does what it says it will AND will play nice with the Arcana.
I would pre-order in a heartbeat. Any ideas where the best place is to keep an eye on these things? I’m worried I will miss something on the thread!
I would pre-order in a heartbeat. Any ideas where the best place is to keep an eye on these things? I’m worried I will miss something on the thread!
Between these two locations you should stay up-to-date - the HDFury team seems to be heavily active in both:
AVSforums topic:
https://www.avsforum.com/forum/195-soundbars/3153792-hdfury-sonos-arc-earcadapter.html
HDFury Support Discord (look in the “straight-from-the-lab” for the moment though they say that an Arcana channel will be opening soon):
OK, thank you!
And since many of us may well need a splitter/matrix has anyone got experience with any of these devices. There seems to be so many options.
I was looking at this: https://www.amazon.ca/HDMI-Matrix-4x2-4K-60Hz/dp/B086WWZJLW/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=EZCOO&qid=1592850522&sr=8-3
Looks good other than no CEC (Needs a firmware update?!)
Any recommendations out there?
I preordered the HD Fury eARC dongle. Should ship this week. I’ll report back if I get it to work. I’m also trying to get it to work wirelessly, so I’ll try hardwired first.
https://www.hdfury.com/product/4k-arcana-18gbps/
Jason
I would pre-order in a heartbeat. Any ideas where the best place is to keep an eye on these things? I’m worried I will miss something on the thread!
You should be able to describe to this thread so you get notified whenever there is an update. Or you could ckeck the AVS forums thread, or HD Fury’s website. I think there will be at least a couple weeks of preorder, so I wouldn’t worry too much.
HD fury hinted some news through the AVS forum this morning. The are approximating that the dongle will be $100 if preordered, $150 afterwards. Not sure if those prices will stick, but I would guess that pre-ordered will be discounted. It’s not their first product and have likely done that before.
Good catch,
Also stated that they will have packaged deals for Arcana with one of their matrix/switches.
Their stuff seems super nice… but damn it’s expensive. From what I can tell the cheapest splitter they’ve got which will work is the Integral2 which only has two inputs and is still $250. So a combined Integral2 + Arcana solution is setting me back $350 at least and only lets me hook up an ATV and a BD player. On top of what I've already paid for the Arc/One SLs/Sub/One Wall Mounts, this whole enterprise starting to get spendy fast.
Also worth noting, HDFury isn’t pushing their own products too hard, openly stating that for some people their source may have a separate audio output already, or a cheaper Amazon HDMI splitter is all they need.
That is good to see, and there’s quite a few 4 input HDMI matrixes (sp?) on Amazon in the $50 - $100 range that claim to support Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. The issue is going to be finding something that actually does what it says it will AND will play nice with the Arcana.
Besides making sure what ever device you settle on handles the video and audio properly, I also want to make sure that it’s easy to control. I don’t want to use a cheap remote or have to getup on the couch and switch manually (gasp!). It seems like HD Fury’s stuff works with universal remotes. I’ll need to understand how that works better before making a decision.
Hoping someone might be able to help confirm if the Arcana might be the right solution for me.
Reading all the posts and the FAQs on the HDFury site it feels like it should work, but I’m not that technical so after a bit of extra help to confirm before pre-ordering.
I’m in the UK and have recently purchased a Sonos Arc, but my 2015 Sony Bravia android TV only has HDMI Arc so looking at options to get Dolby Atmos without having to buy a new TV.
I have the following connected sources:
- XBox One S (for Bluray/UHD content, plus Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ apps)
- Sky Q satellite TV (with some UHD content)
- Apple TV (may soon be upgrading to Apple TV 4K)
As I understand it, if I couple the Arcana up witha an appropriate HDMI splitter then it should allow me to get Dolby Atmos (form the relevant sources) as it effectively takes the limitations of the TV (no eArc or DD+ passthrough) out of the question?
Also, a more minor point, but with the Arcana + splitter set-up would I still get sound from integrated apps on the TV or anything connected to the TV (like a Amazon Fire stick)? I know I wouldn’t get Dolby Atmos from these integrated apps and they wouldn’t be my primary source (as would use the Apps on the Xbox one/Apple TV 4K), but just keen to understand if I’d still get sound through the Sonos Arc this way.
Finally does anyone know what sort of import tax there would likely be for pre-ordering the unit for delivery to the UK? Looks like it could push the price up a fair bit, but still looks like it might be worth it.
Many thanks in advance.
Mark
Agreed, I don’t want to spend a fortune to make this work. Also, I don’t want to add too much complexity - when I am not at home my family just want this to work. It’s amazing how in trying to keep it simple Sonos have forced me to add complexity.
Once we all have eARC TV’s maybe then things will be simple but for 2020 some more inputs would be nice!
OK, thank you!
And since many of us may well need a splitter/matrix has anyone got experience with any of these devices. There seems to be so many options.
I was looking at this: https://www.amazon.ca/HDMI-Matrix-4x2-4K-60Hz/dp/B086WWZJLW/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=EZCOO&qid=1592850522&sr=8-3
Looks good other than no CEC (Needs a firmware update?!)
Any recommendations out there?
That looks like a valid option to me. The lack of CEC isn’t an issue, and if you aren’t using smart apps, lack of ARC passthrough isn’t either. I don’t care for remote.
One thing worth noting is that for our use case, output 1 and output always need to be the same source. So if you want to switch from input 1 to input 2, you’ll need to switch both outputs, otherwise video and audio will be different source. For that reason, traditional matrix may not be the best option, unless you can lock the outputs to the same input or something. A separate switch and splitter may also be a better option.
It would be nice if by the time they are delivered they have got it to the point where you just plug it between the TV and the ARC without the need for a switcher.
Not sure I understand what you mean here. Arcana has one HDMI input for sources. If you need more to pass more than one source through Arcana to send audio to the Arc, then you will need an HDMI switch. If you only have one source, then you do not need a switch.
I think I understand what
If that’s what you’re asking
If that’s not what you meant, you’ll have to clarify your statement because I don’t get it, either. ;-)
You are correct on the above, but….what if your sources are a cable/sat box, fireTV, and a blueray player with an ARC capable TV? Your TV should be able to process the audio from the cable box and firetv and send it to Arcana through the ARC port. As you stated, your limited by the TV’s capabilities, but the two sources directly connected aren’t beyond the TV’s capabilities. The Blueray would connect to the Arcana directly, because it is beyond TVs capabilities. Basically, something like the diagram below.
I am not 100% sure this work, since I can’t test it obviously and have not see a demo setup this way. It should work in theory though. I showed the same diagram on the discord channel, so perhaps I can get an answer on that. They may not want to talk about it though, as it’s a somewhat complicated setup and much of what could go wrong is out of HDFury’s ability to address...if an issue is between source and TV for example.
Hi
Yes you are correct, what i was suggesting was it would be nice if you could leave everything connected to your (Arc capable) Tv and just plug the hdmi into the Arcana and then the Arcana into the Sonos ARC
I was coming from the point of view really of having spent in the region of 1k on ARC, Sub and 2 play one’s and then $189 plus possible import tax on the Arcana the idea of a large sum for a working switch( Vertex) it would be nice to use the set up as drawn by melvimbe so the money pit would end.
i am happy with the Tv giving DD+ from Netflix and Disney etc so if i can just plug in my OPPO and get full Atmos from that i would be delighted.
The other reason i ask is having looked there are hundreds of switches out there but finding one that will agree with the Arcana could be a nightmare!
Hi
Yes you are correct, what i was suggesting was it would be nice if you could leave everything connected to your (Arc capable) Tv and just plug the hdmi into the Arcana and then the Arcana into the Sonos ARC
The only reason Arcana exists because TVs limit what audio can be sent to the Sonos Arc. If your still passing everything through the TV, then Arcana adds no value in the setup.
i am happy with the Tv giving DD+ from Netflix and Disney etc so if i can just plug in my OPPO and get full Atmos from that i would be delighted.
I did speak with an HDFury rep, showed him that same diagram, and he said it would work, just didn’t want to talk too about it and confuse people.
The other reason i ask is having looked there are hundreds of switches out there but finding one that will agree with the Arcana could be a nightmare!
Yea, I think the trick of it is to know the video and audio capabilities of your sources, display, and Arc , and then just make sure whatever switches, splitters, and matrices you have in between meets the requirement and does limit what your source/display/Arc can do. For example, my FireTV is capable of 4k 60Hz HDR and DD+ w/atmos TV is capable of 4k 120 Hz HDF. ARC can do DD+ w/atmos. Therefore the switch needs to be at least 4k 60Hz HDR and DD+ w/atmos. I’ve seen some that only handle 30Hz, so I don’t want that. 120 Hz would be better for future proofing, but not completely necessary since I don’t have a 120Hz source yet, and can replace the switch if I ever do.
As someone else pointed out, the dongle alone won’t be the full solution for anyone. You will need an HDMI splitter at a minimum in addition to this, but likely also an HDMI switch too if you have multiple sources.
Yes, HDFury has been very clear that their magic dongle will need a splitter - theirs or anyone’s. Since theirs seem to be quite pricey I’ve already been looking at other HDMI switch options that will be compatible with both Dolby Atmos as well as Dolby Vision. I’ll be very curious to see how well these types of switches work with this dongle when it’s out in the wild.
Personally, assuming this works well, which I think it would, I wouldn’t push anyone to buy an eARC TV for the eARC capabilities, instead of using this device. The cost of the dongle plus other HDMI devices is going to be less than the cost of a new TV, easily. As well, we’ve see that each TV model seems to handle audio processing and CEC controls differently. This dongle will be a known quantity, you’ll know exactly what you’re getting.
This. As long as it’s not insanely expensive the dongle will be a no brainer for us early adopters. The need for it will generally go away as more eARC TVs come out but will prevent many of us from HAVING to upgrade TVs just for better sound. I do all of my viewing through Apple TV 4K and this seems like just the ticket to unlock the full audio potential of the Sonos Arc + Apple TV combination.
It’s the picture definition of a niche device, but sign me up for day one.
I wanted to hear some experiences of how Arc has performed in terms of Atmos performance for streaming services which deliver Atmos through DD+. Is it considerable or is it hit or miss. How is the sound in comparison to when you play the same content on DD+. I have invested a lot in the Arc+Sub combo and on the fence for Arcana, would cost close to $300 in Canada. If the difference is considerable, for streaming services, I would cross that fence. If not, I would stay on the side of DD/DD+.
I preordered the HD Fury eARC dongle. Should ship this week. I’ll report back if I get it to work. I’m also trying to get it to work wirelessly, so I’ll try hardwired first.
https://www.hdfury.com/product/4k-arcana-18gbps/
Jason
Wirelessly? In what way do you mean that? The device (which really isn’t a dongle, since 5 ports and requires it’s own power) doesn’t have any wireless capabilities.
Most of the matrixes I’ve been looking at seem to include an IR remote, which will work well for me. I’ve been a Logitech Harmony user for a LONG time because it makes my complex setups easy for the wife and guests to use (I set them up for friends and family for the same reason). As long as there’s an IR input, I can teach my Harmony Hub the codes and we’re off to the races.
Good to know. Don’t have a harmony remote myself right now, but think it might be about that time. I assume then you could right some sort of macro/routine so that output 1 and 2 always match?
As far as shipping date goes, HD Fury is currently saying Oct. 1. They are stating though that they are shooting for earlier than that, they simply don’t want to over promise/under deliver.
It also looks that if you bundle the Arcana with another device for a discount, you’ll get the other device shipped with Arcana. Considering that shipping is a considerable cost depending on where you are, that might not be a bad thing.
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