And both of them used for different purposes. We can see the use of optical cable mostly for home entertainment systems. When comparing HDMI vs. optical audio cables for sound quality, HDMI is better than optical. It is always better for you to go with HDMI. Dolby Digital Plus, TrueHD, Blue Ray and DTS HD. The main issue is these cables are virtually immune to interference. Bottom LineUse HDMI when you can. For CES, Samsung says, 'Why not?'. Yes! Having used the Soundbar 500 for a few months and having periodic outages with the HDMI ARC TV sound, I gave up and switched to Optical. But if you can't it's not the end of the world. The manufacturing cost of this cable is more expensive compared to the previous one. It is compatible with virtually any sound format. Instead of using an electrical current, these cables transmit the signal through light. First, check out all the other articles he's written on topics such as why all HDMI cables are the same, LED LCD vs. OLED, why 4K TVs aren't worth it and more. These don’t support TrueHD, DTS HD, or Dolby Digital Plus also. HDMI vs Optical audio connection question. Compared to the analogue, these are far better. Launched in 2002, the biggest benefit of HDMI is it’s a one-size-fits-all connection for video and audio. And they do not support Dolby Digital Plus, TrueHD, Blue Ray and DTS HD. HDMI can pass these types of audio including the formats that can be found on Blu-ray: Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. But the disadvantage is that this cable is susceptible to electromagnetic interference. When it comes to the one of the many TVs that can't pass such a signal via its optical outputs. We usually use the optical cable to send digital audio signals between two separate devices. Each of these can pass multi-channel audio such as Dolby Digital. HDMI ARC adds control over the TV from downstream devices (power, volume, etc). These cables are compatible with all the latest audio formats. Are you willing to use a 7.1-channel surround sound system? HDMI ARC cables use very low voltage to transmit the audio signal. Optical, on the other hand, is usually restricted to 96 kHz. Hence, you don’t need to use other remotes to control various devices. In this article we discussed about HDMI arc vs Optical. In addition, HDMI ARC support all audio formats and the Optical Cable have some limitations, even though they can transfer audio signals without any loss. In terms of simplicity, HDMI also passes video signals. Learn how your comment data is processed. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. HDMI is an abbreviated form of High Definition Multimedia Interface. Its a bit of a pain needing both remotes, but far less than never knowing when a reset of the TV was needed. If your gear doesn't have HDMI, it can't take advantage of the high-resolution audio formats from Blu-ray anyway (unless you connect with analog, and decode from your Blu-ray player). Tweet at him@TechWriterGeoff then check out his travel photography on Instagram. I just got a new TV (OLED55B7P) that only has HDMI ARC and Optical audio out, but my speakers are RCA (stereo L / R). A High Definition multimedia interference 2.0 line is ideal for a 4K video. Many don't accept those formats at all. We haven’t talked about this much. Optical cables do not support 7.1 audio channels because they can’t … It can support Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus, TrueHD, and DTS HD. The intended use of the optical port on the Sooundbox is to take an optical audio link from a smart television, so that on-TV apps can output to the Soundbox. In case you are willing to send audio files by using a single hdmi cable, then you can use this cable. By using these cables, you can get the ultimate benefits from Blu-Ray discs or a modern game console. A photo tour of Hobbiton, featured in 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' trilogy. Where as the HDMI ARC support all sound formats. The latest HDMI standard, v1.4, adds another useful feature – ARC, or “Audio Return Channel”. High definition multimedia interference cables can’t support the 7.1-channel surround sound. But the factor that creates a difference between these two is the passing ability of higher-resolution audio. All about Technological Advancement of Yesteryear, Today, and Tomorrow. This cable can support all kind of sound formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. For most setups, the sound will be just as good with optical as with HDMI. Seems the HW-T series were just that. But still, it is not recommended by all the users. Both are better than analog (the red and white cables). The enhanced audio return channel can easily support the 7.1-channel surround sound. These wires are compatible with the surround sound and can support up to 5.1 channels. Audio Return Channel, or ARC, uses a single HDMI connection to send audio from a TV to the soundbar or AV receiver. Besides, the wires can assist you in discarding the tangled cables and clutter. One of the benefits of HDMI ARC is quality audio, HDMI ARC produces quality sounds from any device, even old devices, especially when you make use of HDMI eARC, numerous home entertainment systems, optical cables support surround sound that’s up to 5.1 channels, which is also good for smart TV, game console and soundbar. The audio is exactly the same whether the Beam is connected by HDMI ARC or Optical. When it comes time to connect your shiny new sound bar or AV receiver, your two main choices are HDMI or optical digital audio. Optical cables do not have interference during transmission. Digital Optical cables, also referred to simply as Optical cables, only allow for audio signals to be relayed between your source device and the speaker. In this case, the optical cables are not the perfect one for you. That’s why if you want to use the full stereo system correctly, you must need an HDMI ARC connection. By using it, you can connect the Blu-ray players, set-top box, different gaming consoles to the TV. Neither of those sound bars have HDMI inputs anyway, so the best way to connect them is directly from the source to the bar via optical, skipping the TV. He also thinks you should check out his sci-fi novel and its sequel. Using the enhanced audio return channel, you can send high-quality audio from the TV to a soundbar. Because of the reason HDMI ARC cables are of Maximum 15 meters length and Optical Cables my be beyond that length ( 30 meters). If you have a trio of 3.5mm cables bundled together, you can mimic 5.1 surround sound using something ca… On lesser gear, it's a lot less likely you'll hear a difference. Therefore, if you increase the cable length the signal quality will be poor due to the specific resistance of the copper wire used. However, we must go for convenience and HDMI is the one common solution for all the audio and video requisitions. This basically means that the HDMI cable coming from your Home Theatre System can not only send the Audio and Video Signal to the TV, but it also sends the TV Audio back to the receiver across the same cable. And these have a limited capacity. View Entire Discussion (6 Comments) ARC, known as Audio Return Channel, takes the help of HDMI cable to transfer audio from a TV back to a receiver. Want to connect your shiny new soundbar or AV receiver? Copyright © 2020. Does Optical Cable make a difference? By sending audio both ways, ARC does away with the need for optical audio cables (also called S/PDIF), cutting down on pointless clutter that likely already causes you a headache at home. They look similar and can work, but an analogue interconnect has different impe… Besides it allows you to send it to the AV receiver. It is always better for you to go with HDMI. The Case for HDMI ARC. Still have a question? My father is convincing me that optical connection is currently being the best choice for the best 5.1 experience, however, I am browsing through some reddit threads and I mainly see people are recommending HDMI connection over Optical one. There is no difference when it comes to passing multi-channel audio like Dolby digital. These formats can't get transmitted across optical. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. Attach the remaining end of the HDMI cable to the Beam. Besides, material construction is one of the factors that also differentiate these two. After my older soundbar died out as I posted previously, I decided to look at the equivalents in 2020. You can use the cord on uncompressed PCM stereo audio, and 5.1/7.1 Dolby Digital and DTS multi-channel audio. Hence, “e” stands for “enhanced”. However, HDMI ARC relays both audio and video signals through a single cable. Now, you will be able to enjoy the uncompressed audio without any jury-rigging or latency. It has replaced all the other connectivity options, especially for the set boxes, Blu-ray players, and gaming consoles. These materials are not expensive. What I read online from reviews is that Arc via HDMI is better than optical. HDMI ARC is much better than optical because it has a much higher bandwidth thus being able to transfer higher-resolution video and audio. The major difference is that HDMI cables can pass higher resolution audio which includes formats found on Blu-ray like Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master audio. HDMI cables are an all-in-one solution. The Harmony does all that and more, so you would find no advantage to connecting your Beam by HDMI, you'd just be wasting an HDMI port. You can control the Arc by using a single remote only. The simplest advice is to go with HDMI when you can. Quality Audio. Digital Ruler and Ruler App- Measure Anything &... Cordless Screwdriver- Best Electric Power Screwdriver, Best Solar Path Lights- Latest Reviews & Guide, Digital Ruler and Ruler App- Measure Anything & Everything. In the case of a 2.1 line, you can view 120 frames per second in 4K. Don't sweat not being able to connect with HDMI. Powered by WordPress. Then, the only options left to your are selection is HDMI Arc vs Optical digital audio. However, that's not a huge deal. The main job of the HDMI ARC cable is to transfer the audio signal from one line to the TV. On the other hand, optical TOSLINK cables are less prone to such interferences, as they are non-metallic and use glass threads for signal transmission. Is HDMI ARC better than optical?Mar 13, 2014Both HDMI and optical pass digital audio from one device to another. The multiplexed digital audio signal generated by media boxes is essentially the same regardless of which connection method is used to pass it to a decoder/amplifier. Find out which one is better and why. I opted for the 650 for that 3.1 channel. On the other hand Dolby Digital is surprisingly good, and unless you have decent gear, you probably won't hear much (if any) improvement with Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD MA. Nevertheless, there are only a few eARC supported devices on the market. On a decent system, with decent speakers, you might notice that the high-res formats are a little more open, a little smoother sounding. If you want to transmit top-quality audio between two devices, then picking optical cables will be a smart move. Maybe you have an older receiver. It has an HDMI In and an HDMI Out (which is the ARC connection) But here's a note from the manual about DTS: "Dolby Digital and DTS are only available on either the Coaxial In or Digital Optical Audio In inputs. The best property of an optical cable is that they can even transmit sound very well when there is electromagnetic interference present and on the other hand you will face many issues with an HDMI ARC cable in case of electromagnetic interference, and therefore everyone should prefer optical cables when there they have to install a long cable all over their house, also an optical cable is better … It is a single cable that helps to transmit high definition video and audio. In case you are willing to send audio files by using a single hdmi cable, then you can use this cable. Moreover, with optical cables, the usage is limited to speakers up to 5.1, while HDMI takes advantage of Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. Attach the optical adapter to one end of the HDMI cable which would be inserted into the optical-out of the Digital to Optical converter box. HDMI ARC Cable HDMI-ARC is an Audio Return Channel. This cable can support all kind of sound formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. While there is a difference between Dolby Digital and those high-res lossless formats, the difference isn't as pronounced as you might expect. Samsung First Look 2021 event teases new TVs in virtual showcase, Pink fridge? Where as, Optical Cables sends audio signals in the form of light waves through the fiber optic cables, so the loss of signals is very limited. HDMI-ARC is an Audio Return Channel. More TVs have optical outputs, so it allows the TV to be "switch" between sources, and drive the single output. So if you want just a single cable between two devices, HDMI is your pick. Well, HDMI has always been the preferred option for most of us. 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