HDMI eARC: meaning, use, advantages and connection explained

1. What do I get from an eARC connection on my devices?
2. What requirements and which cable for eARC?

3. Differences between HDMI ARC and HDMI eARC

4. Setting up a soundbar with HDMI eARC

In the past, the only thing that was important to many people when it came to television sound was that it neither creaked nor sounded too dull. Today, the demands on the audio output of one’s own television are much greater, as is also shown by the high sales figures for soundbars, loudspeaker systems and sound systems. On the way to the best possible sound, you will quickly stumble across the term HDMI eARC.

HDMI eARC or e ARC for short is the abbreviation for “Enhanced Audio Return Channel” and represents the improved form of the ARC connection standard (Audio Return Channel). You will find both designations primarily on televisions and comparable devices. Here we explain in detail how you can exploit the full potential of eARC.

What do I get from an eARC connection on my devices?

To understand the benefit of HDMI eARC and eARC in general, you need to know that most televisions typically compress audio signals before transmitting them. This compression ensures that the sound is output in a weakened quality at the end. This is exactly the problem you avoid with eARC.

Smart TVs with this standard instead transmit the audio signals in full resolution, provided the appropriate HDMI cable is available. The sound is thus transmitted and output in significantly better quality.

This high sound quality can also be easily passed on to other sound output devices such as a soundbar or Bluetooth speakers via HDMI connection. Televisions with eARC support almost all current and, above all, highly demanding audio formats such as Dolby Atmos or DTS.

What requirements and which cable for eARC?

Basically, you can only use the advantages of eARC if all connected devices also have compatible eARC sockets. For example, if you want to enjoy a film in the best possible audio quality on the television and soundbar, both your television and the soundbar must have an eARC connection.

At first glance, an HDMI eARC socket looks like a normal HDMI socket. The lettering under the connection is important. If there is only HDMI and a number behind it or even nothing at all, it is in all probability a normal HDMI input without ARC or eARC compatibility.

If, on the other hand, the connection is marked with HDMI followed by a number and the designation “ARC”, you already have an ARC connection available. If you even find the name “eARC”, the device also supports the better standard. Some HDMI connectors are both ARC and eARC compatible and support both formats.

The right HDMI cable for eARC

Now you have to bring the e ARC connectors (or ACR connectors) together with a suitable cable. You can also connect the two devices with a normal HDMI cable, but they do not support the audio functions of ARC and eARC. You can only take advantage of this with a special HDMI cable.

You can recognize these cables by the fact that they are marked as “Ultra High Speed ​​HDMI cables”. You can find them online and in traditional electronics stores. At around 35 to 50 dollars, they are also significantly more expensive than normal HDMI cables, which you can usually get for around 15 dollars.

Differences between HDMI ARC and HDMI eARC

It is obvious that eARC offers better audio quality than ARC. After all, eARC is the successor to the ARC standard. But you can go into the differences a little more in detail. This becomes particularly clear when you look at how ARC and eARC interact with soundbars that have multiple channels (audio sources).

So if you use HDMI ARC, the audio output will still be compressed. Although the sound is better than if you transmit it via a normal HDMI connection, you are far from exploiting the full potential of the sound with ARC. With eARC, on the other hand, you can enjoy uncompressed and the best possible sound even when using common 5.1 and 7.1-channel soundbars.

High bit rates and the output of object-based audio formats such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X are also only possible with eARC. The eARC connection offers better support for a larger bandwidth at a higher transmission speed. For the best possible sound quality, you should therefore rely on eARC for the audio output.

Setting up a soundbar with HDMI eARC

In a separate article, we explain in detail how to connect your soundbar to the television via HDMI eARC. In the linked guide you can also learn more about the advantages and special features of sound output.

Since without HDMI eARC you have to do without many of the audio functions that today’s smart TVs offer, you should definitely make sure that you have the appropriate connection when buying future devices. This is the only way you can get the full potential out of your smart TV.