Awesome! Now begins the wait! 

Couple questions to make sure I am understanding this product: 

1.   It takes source input such as ATV4K and sends audio directly to the soundbar and splits the video to the TV? So, in a sense this turns tv in nothing more than a monitor.  So with this internal split of audio and video, is it still sending audio to TV? 
       

2.   Any modern day 2.0 capable HDMI switch work?

1. Correct, for all intents and purposes the Arcana acts like (and makes the Sonos Arc think that it’s plugged into) an eARC TV. And Arcana is built specifically to pass any and all sound formats the source (Apple TV, Roku, BD player, etc) is capable of directly to the Arc with no modifications.
   
   As for the question about sending Audio to the TV, you’ll want to go red through the Arcana FAQs on the HD Fury website, but I think the answer is no. They are working on functionality to be able to take the audio FROM the TV (e.g. from the tuner or its built in apps) and send it to the Arc via Arcana, but they’re not promising that until/unless they can get at least 800 pre-orders. 
    
2. Theoretically, yes. Make sure to get a well reviewed one that supports features you want (e.g. Atmos, Dolby Vision, HDR10, etc). HD Fury makes some apparently awesome ones but the price tag isn’t cheap. Many can be found on Amazon but buyer beware of course. There are big discussions about this on the HD Fury Discord support channel that I haven’t followed yet. I figured I’d let others do the grunt work of figuring out what works and then follow in their footsteps.
   
   One note: if you only have a single external source you want to use you won’t need a switch - Arcana will work out of the box for one source  

Hope that helps!

First of all, thanks for this post and pointing out this product! Defenitely looking for such a solution. Below my 2 cents.

I was at the point of pre-ordering as well, but as I understand from their ‘Getting Started’ tab https://www.hdfury.com/product/4k-arcana-18gbps/, they have some sort of graduated scale in what they will adapt in the product (as I understand they call this their Stretch Goal). 
The most basic option would entail only splitting the audio from the video. In that case there is no ARC loopback from the TV through the device to the Sonos ARC. Also no CEC for control purposes.

The website also states: “Our Dev Team has a roadmap and a specific approach to make this a reality; there is no guarantee that it will work, but the outlook is VERY promising.”. Well that does sound promising, but I think I’ll just wait until the product is released and tested. I’d rather pay 199 USD instead of 155 USD with the guarantee of a working product.

Last but not least: I might be in the wrong here, but the whole idea of ARC vs eARC is the bandwidth right? Not being able to pass both 4K video and Atmos over TrueHD through HDMI 2.0? That makes me worried about the HDMI 2.0 specification on this product. Especially considering they specifically note 18Gbps, the speed of HDMI 2.0. And even if it does work, it’s definitely not future (8K) proof. Just something to consider.

They commented on HDMI 2.1 on their discord. They will not implement that until later in 2021 since there are no sources that output 2.1 so that it can be properly tested. I think that is fair, there are too many companies rushing out the latest standards with sub-par implementations of it only to put you as a consumer in a position where it might not work the way it should.

Perfect.. thank you very much

At heart, Arcana is designed to do one core function: get full range audio from an external source to the Sonos Arc so that people with incompatible TVs could get Atmos on their Arcs without having to buy a new TV. HD Fury has been exceptionally transparent during the product development process and we’ve gotten to see - and even vote on - the inclusion of new features as they went along. CEC control was one of those. Sound loop back from the tv was another. They even added the splitter functionality fairly late in the process. Originally you were going to need an external splitter to make it work as well. 

if CEC and loop back are important to you, yeah, maybe you should wait to see if it gets added. For many of us, those features will be nice to haves but not deal breakers (I don’t need either, for example). 

As for 18Gbps / 2.0 / 8k - nothing in tech is future proof. Nothing. Something newer, faster, different, better, cheaper will always come along. And Arcana is far from the last word in solutions to the problem it’s solving - but it is the first, which is why we’re excited about it. Based on HD Fury’s track record, I’m sure they’ll keep coming out with adapters and solutions as needs change. 

Regarding the stretch goal of enabling the Arcana to pull audio from TV smart apps (and HDMI sources connected to TV) and sending it to the Sonos Arc...two points to make.  One is that the other two other ways to accomplish this without that functionality.  One is to use Arcana in combination with one of HD Fury’s HDMI switches/matrix, like vertex2, or to use a different switch/matrix along with the Sharc.  Both of these options are diagrammed out pretty well on HD Fury’s site.  The CEC controls, IMO, is the bigger gain from the stretch goal, although that functionality can be replicate with a different method of control, like Harmony, as well.

The other point, I think it’s a wise choice to avoid using smart apps on your TV if at all possible going forward.  While it adds a lot of convenience, there’s going to reach a point where streaming tech goes beyond what the TV can handle and you’ll be pushed to upgrade your TV for non-display quality reasons.  Really, you could claim that the issue and need for Arcana is already because of non-display quality reasons, limitations and implementations of ARC and eARC.  So, it makes to use smart apps if they are there and meet your needs, but perhaps it doesn’t make sense to spend extra to get them to work right rather than use a separate streaming source like ATV, Roku, or FireTV.

If you look at the history of AV products, there always seems to be a battle between component products and all-in-one products.  The component products doing one thing well and easier to replace and upgrade, and all-in-one products being cheaper overall, but pushing an upgrade when one feature is no longer modern enough and limits the whole system.  You could typically break audio into 4 basics components.  Sources, switching/control, audio, and video.   We’ve seen receivers/audio products that act as a source and  switching/control as well as audio.  We see TVs that add sources, switching/control, and/or audio to it’s main video purpose.  Switching/control has rarely been done as it’s own separate device.  I like the idea of finally getting a system where all 4 basics are in separate devices,where each device can be upgraded as needed without forcing an upgrade to the other 3. 

This is an entirely reasonable approach and nobody could blame you for it.  But i shall just point out that if everyone takes the same approach then failure becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy - pre-orders never hit 800 and so the extra features never get built.

I can’t say I agree.  In my opinion, the critical feature for this is the ability to bypass having your TV’s ARC/eARC feature send audio to the Sonos Arc.  There is no other work around in existence today, and nothing else planned to be released in the near future.  Getting audio from smart apps and CEC control functionality can be worked around.  I see these extra feature is just a bonus.

That said, I can see where people really might really like their TV apps, and are unwilling to switch to an ATV/Roku/FireTV for preference or budget just to get  improved audio.  It’s also possible that some other device could come around a year from now that has better functionality and price than the Arcana.

I think I expressed myself badly. I just meant that if nobody preorders until they know whether the addional features will be included, the additional features will not be included, because the 800 target won't be hit.

My guess is that the “super powers” as HD Fury refers to them will get included with Arcana one way or the other. They’re only ~240 pre-orders away from the 800 mark and they’ve still got months to go before shipping. And since Arc is still backordered at Sonos (and Amazon and who knows where else), there’s still a bunch of customers who haven’t received their Arc yet. Which means a bunch of people who haven’t figured out they’re probably not going to get Atmos yet. Which means a bunch of people who don’t even know they’re going to need something like Arcana yet. So it’s early times. 

Plus, HD Fury said on their Discord channel that the “super powers” are a firmware update, not a hardware change. So even if it doesn’t get included in the units that go out the door, I bet that it will be available as an update not long after. I’d also bet that they’re further along on the coding than they’re officially letting on. In the end they seem like a bunch of tech nerds (in a GOOD way!) and I’ll bet they’re going to want the features in there anyway. 

My 2¢ at any rate. 

To add to what @Highfalutintodd already stated, you can also factor in that Arcana is still relatively unknown at this point.  It’s mentioned here and a few other forums, as well as their own website, but that’s it.  It’s not been written about in tech articles nor available for sale on Amazon or any other place people would typically look for this sort of thing.  I would also guess that pro installers would want to get their hands on this as well.

I actually guess their initial batch of devices made is going to be much larger than 800, when factoring in installers and reselllers, as well as stock for their own inventory.  800 seems sort of like an arbitrary number as threshold for deciding to do additional development work. But I’m just guessing.

Also, I think I’ve said the before, but I fully expect there to be a second product made that incorporates Arcana with an HDMI switch.  A device that takes 4 HDMI inputs, 1 output for a TV or projector, 1 port for audio over normal HDMI, and 1 port for audio over ARC/eARC.  Such a device would allow for clean setup where your TV and audio system each has a single input, neither system requiring pass through of audio or video, so no chance your TV limits your audio capabilities or vice versa.  A true component setup.  Also makes it easier to locate your sources, TV/projector, and audio system further apart with less issues.

Hmmm so I started to pre-order, but then suddenly felt a little nickel and dimes so I stopped for the moment.  At 155 for arcana, then 24 shipping to USA … then there is this import tax.  This shipping from Taiwan or China.  Didn’t look at China, but the import tax can be up to 30%.. although the source states averages nearly 7%.  Then there is this packaging option.  As I understand it is if you want cheaper tariff, we won’t protect it (as much)
 

I get the tax… but how much will it cost?  7% is about equal to a tax here in the states.  I just don’t want to be surprised with a 30% bill upon delivery.  That’s nonsense.

Just wait then. They sell their products through the reseller channel so Arcana will show up there eventually. Or wait until it starts shipping and people who got their pre-orders will be able to tell you exactly what it cost. 

I think you are looking at things wrong. They are being very upfront. You pay separately for the item and for shipping. Import tax is something that the receiving country charges. So whatever percentage it is, is related to your country’s laws.

My estimate is that it will cost more if you buy it later via resellers.  

I don’t mean to make it sound like they are being deceitful.  I appreciate the upfrontness.  I more want to know what the tax will be.  From a very little research it can be from nothing (exempt under $100) to 30%.  That’s a big range and be be upwards of 155+24+up to 45.  For now and in the future, for total cost, I am less interested above the 190 range...

the government has allowed Americans to import up to $800 at a time of most foreign goods without having to pay import duties or tax. 

I got mine Hdfury arcana Now pre ordered on https://www.hdfury.eu
but it will be delivered around November
mostly in Europe they are super fast with delivery.. so hopefully they ship sooner.  

will you be exempt from tax if you do not order on hdfury.com but on hdfury.eu? I didn't know anything about hdfury.eu and so I ordered on.com

That depends .. if you live in Europe then it is cheaper .. if you live outside of Europe you have the chance that you have to pay tax and import duties ..

For EU residents I would have thought it depends on whether EU VAT is charged on the products and therefore HDFury hands over that VAT to an EU country’s tax authorities.  I could not immediately see any evidence that the products would be dispatched from within Europe or that VAT was being charged (but i didn’t look very hard).  So my guess is that import duties would still be payable, but I am not at all confident about that.

If you chose not to pre-order though, your price will be $199, instead of the current $175.  That’s $24 right there.  If buying from the US, I don’t think there’s a scenario where you’re going to pay less by waiting. That said however, the hdfury.eu price is 155 euros, which converts to around $182 if my math is right.  Not sure what VAT and other fees would apply.

One other consideration is the product availability.  This is a smaller outfit and appears to be making the product in batches of 1000.  So even if you buy today, you’re going to be in the second batch.   After preorder, HDFury will surely keep some for themselves to sell, and then split the rest between a handful of distributors.  It’s entirely possible that hdfury.eu, and monoprice in the US, don’t have enough stock to meet demand for very long when it’s first release.  Particularly hdfury.eu, yes they have pre-orders open, but they are not authorized to do a pre-order and it does not mean they will be given enough stock to meet the demand.  I wouldn’t be too surprised if it’s a couple more months before they fulfill those pre-orders.

Looks like they’ve upped that initial order quantity, @melvimbe. I just noticed that the Arcana product page now says this regarding shipping: 

Shipping of the first 1900 pre-ordered units is expected before October 1, 2020.
Shipping of pre-ordered units above 1900 is expected before November 1, 2020.

So looks like there’s plenty more opportunity to get in on that “first batch.” 

Good catch @Highfalutintodd.  Found that this was reaffirmed in the Discord channel. Sounds like they plan on shipping around mid September, but that’s not firm yet.

Nothing stated on why they are boosting the batch size.  I’m sure it’s to accommodate all pre-orders and distributor orders, as well as some for direct sale after it’s released.  Just curious if Sonos, installers, or some other source is interested in this, more than the other HD Fury products.