If you’ve been looking for a new television lately you may have come across the term “HDMI ARC” or "HDMI eARC" and you’re wondering what it is and why you need it.
Connecting your TV to your ceiling speakers via HDMI is the best and easiest method but it is important to understand the ins and outs before you run all the cables.
Read on to learn how & when to use the HDMI ARC port for connecting your television.
What Is HDMI ARC / eARC?
HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) and HDMI eARC (enhanced Audio Return Channel) are features of HDMI technology designed to simplify and improve the way audio is transmitted between your TV and audio equipment, such as soundbars, AV receivers, or your ceiling speaker amplifier.
Both eliminate the need for a separate audio cable, allowing a single HDMI cable connection to handle audio both from and to the TV.
However, there are key differences between ARC and eARC in terms of their capabilities.
HDMI ARC: The Basics
Introduced with HDMI 1.4, ARC was designed to streamline audio connections in home entertainment systems.
It allows audio to travel "backwards" along the HDMI cable from your TV to an external audio device.
This makes it easier to route audio from sources connected directly to your TV, like streaming apps or game consoles, to a soundbar or receiver.
With ARC, you can enjoy audio formats such as:
- Stereo (2.0 channel).
- Compressed surround sound formats like Dolby Digital or DTS.
However, ARC has limitations. It lacks the bandwidth to support advanced audio formats, such as Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, when transmitted via lossless formats like Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio.
HDMI eARC: The Upgrade
HDMI eARC, introduced with HDMI 2.1, significantly improves on ARC by offering higher bandwidth and faster data transmission.
This enhanced capability allows eARC to support high-resolution, uncompressed audio formats, including:
- 5.1 and 7.1 uncompressed surround sound.
- Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.
- Object-based audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.
eARC also incorporates automatic lip-sync correction, ensuring that audio and video are always perfectly aligned, a feature not guaranteed with standard ARC.
Why Does It Matter?
If you’re a casual viewer with a soundbar or audio setup that uses compressed audio, ARC might meet your needs.
However, for those investing in premium home cinema systems or keen on experiencing the best audio quality available, eARC is the way forward.
It delivers a richer, more immersive sound experience, bringing your entertainment to life with precise detail and clarity.
Whether you’re watching movies, gaming, or streaming your favourite music, understanding the differences between HDMI ARC and eARC ensures you can make an informed decision when setting up or upgrading your home entertainment system.
What Is "CEC" & Why Is It Important?
Now you know what ARC is, the next important consideration in connecting to a ceiling speaker is something called "CEC".
CEC, or Consumer Electronics Control, is a feature of HDMI technology that allows devices connected through HDMI cables to communicate and work together seamlessly.
CEC simplifies your home entertainment setup by enabling a single remote control to manage multiple HDMI-connected devices. This reduces the clutter of remotes and makes switching between devices much more convenient.
How Does CEC Work For Ceiling Speakers?
CEC uses the HDMI connection to send control signals between devices, enabling actions such as:
- Power Synchronisation: Turning on your TV can automatically power up connected devices like a soundbar or ceiling speaker amplifier.
- Volume Control: Adjusting the volume on your TV remote can directly control the soundbar or amplifier's volume.
When connected to an AV receiver for surround sound you'll also be benefit from;
- Source Switching: When you turn on a connected device, like a game console, your TV can automatically switch to the correct HDMI input.
- Playback Control: Functions such as play, pause, or stop can be controlled across devices, such as using your TV remote to manage a Blu-ray player or streaming device.
Why Is CEC Important?
CEC significantly improves your experience by simplifying operation and reducing the hassle of managing multiple devices.
For instance you may be installing ceiling speakers into your kitchen. In the same kitchen you're also going to install a TV so it'd be a great idea to link the two together for room-filling TV sound.
Connecting your TV to an amplifier with HDMI eARC support would mean that you simply turn your TV on using the standard remote control, the amplifier would automatically turn on and start playing the TV sound.
You can then adjust the volume from the standard remote control. Easy for everyone in the family to use.
Brand Names for CEC
It's worth nothing that different manufacturers use proprietary names for HDMI CEC, which can cause confusion.
Some common ones include:
- Anynet+ (Samsung)
- BRAVIA Sync (Sony)
- Simplink (LG)
- Viera Link (Panasonic)
- CEC (Generic name on some devices)
So to recap, an HDMI eARC connection with CEC will allow you to;
- Send audio from the television to an amplifier or soundbar.
- Automatically power on and off the connected amplifier.
- Adjust the volume up & down from the standard TV remote control.
- If you're connected to an AV receiver then you'll also be able send 4K video from connected sources to the TV.
You’ll also usually be able to control the volume from your standard remote control using a technology called HDMI CEC.
This means that you can do most basic functions such as volume up, volume down and mute from your standard TV remote control.
Setting up is easy, just plug a compatible TV into a compatible amplifier using a high speed ethernet cable.
Ensure you’re in the ARC input which will be clearly marked on the TV itself, hint, it's not always HDMI 1!
Finally you’ll need to go into your TV’s settings and look for the audio settings where you can change the TV’s sound output to the HDMI device and you’re set to go.
HDMI ARC Compatible Amplifiers
Now that we understand that HDMI is the best way of connecting a TV to a ceiling speaker system, you'd be pleased to know that every amplifier has an HDMI input right?
Wrong.
Unfortunately it's not quite that straight-forward.
As of 2025 there's only a limited amount of integrated amplifiers on the market that support a HDMI eARC input.
The most popular systems that we offer with HDMI eARC connectivity are:
Before deciding to use HDMI ARC in your ceiling speaker system, consider the following:
- Check Device Compatibility: Ensure that both your TV and audio equipment support HDMI ARC. Consult the user manuals or technical specifications for your devices. Most modern TV's and amplifiers will most likely be eARC compatible.
- Audio Format Support: Confirm that HDMI ARC supports the audio formats you plan to use in your ceiling speaker system.
- Configuration: Set up your devices correctly, enabling HDMI ARC in the TV settings and ensuring the AV receiver or audio processor is configured to receive audio through the ARC channel.
Final Thoughts
HDMI ARC is a great feature and it’s the best way to connect your television to an amplifier or sound bar where possible.
If your amplifier doesn't have a HDMI port, you can still connect via the digital optical audio output with no quality loss using a Digital To Analogue Converter (DAC). You will need to revert your volume control to the amplifier though so do bear that in mind.
Read More: How To Connect A TV To Ceiling Speakers
Cover Image Credit: Samsung
