Solved! HDMI ARC issues between Samsung TV and Yamaha receiver

[thels]

Hello,

We have a UE48HU7500L Samsung Smart TV and a HTR 4071 Yamaha receiver, connected through an HDMI cable. Both are capable of ARC, and we've configured both the TV and the receiver to enable ARC. The HDMI cable is in the OUT port of the Yamaha receiver. The Samsung TV has 4 HDMI ports. The 4th port is labeled ARC.

If we plug the HDMI cable into the ARC port, then ARC is working properly. If we, for example, play a YouTube video, we can hear the sound coming from our speakers, and the TV remote's volume buttons control the receiver's volume settings. However, we do not receive any video input from the HDMI port. In the Source settings, we can see that there's a cable plugged in, and we can select it, but when we do, the TV reports that it receives no signal.

If we plug the HDMI cable into any of the other ports, then we receive video just fine (for example, the receiver's menu panels, or a Digital TV Mediabox plugged into the Receiver). But, then ARC doesn't work, so when we try to play a YouTube video, we have no sound. Disabling Output to the receiver on the Smart TV settings does play audio from the TV, but this is naturally sub-par to hearing it over proper speakers.

When we connect another device to the 4th HDMI port (the one that supports ARC), such as connecting the Digital TV Mediabox directly, video is received properly. Only when we plug the receiver into the 4th HDMI port does the Smart TV not receive any signal.

Is there a way to benefit from ARC when playing media on the TV itself, and still be able to receive signal from the receiver, without the need for separate audio cables (which would include a loss of functionality, such as the receiver automatically powering on and switching to the TV ARC signal when the TV is powered on)?

Thanks.

 

[Dugimodo]

I take it you are feeding the video source to the receiver and switching to the relevant input, what if instead you connected the video source direct to the TV and let it do the switching? that's how it works with my soundbar with the ARC channel just passing through audio from the other inputs. Might not be the nicest solution for cable tidyness though I guess.

I don't have the option to try using an HDMI in both directions like you are, I feel like it should work though.
In my main home theatre setup I don't use ARC, I use an optical cable from my TV to the receiver.

 

[alexoiu]

Hi, It might be the cable. Try one like https/www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-High-Speed-HDMI-Cable-1-Pack/dp/B014I8SSD0

 

[jsmithepa]

Standard configuration: All sources ---> Receiver ---> (single HDMI ARC both ends) ---> TV. THIS SHOULD WORK.


U should not have to use more than one HDMI port on the TV. The Receiver does HDMI switching.

 

[thels]

@Dugimodo: That 'solution' is highly inconvenient, because of several reasons:

First: The TV is mounted against a wall opposite of where the receiver and other devices are. Cables would have to be at least 8 meters (about 25 feet) long, and we'd need several of them.

Second: If we were to connect the Bluray player through the TV, would the audio signal still be 5.1 by the time it gets to the Receiver?

Third: We still wouldn't be able to see the Receiver's own interface (though admittedly, this is not that big a big concern).



@alexoiu: But it used to work just fine with our previous Receiver, using the very same cable. That Receiver had other issues, and eventually needed replacement, but it did work. Why would we suddenly need a different cable?



@jsmithepa: That's the plan! (Well, sorta. There's also a PC hooked up directly to the TV, because that's physically a lot closer, and it made more sense to plug the TV in directly as an alternate monitor than through the Receiver.)

However, we did do some barebones when testing, unplugging all other devices from both the TV and the Receiver, so that they were only connected to each other without other devices interfering. When using the 4th HDMI port (labeled ARC), we could get Youtube audio played through the Receiver, but we couldn't see the Receiver's interface menu on the TV. When using any other HDMI port, we could see the Receiver Interface menu, but we couldn't get the Youtube audio played through the Receiver.

 

[jsmithepa]

@jsmithepa: That's the plan! (Well, sorta. There's also a PC hooked up directly to the TV, because that's physically a lot closer, and it made more sense to plug the TV in directly as an alternate monitor than through the Receiver.)

That's fine as long as you are awared, when selecting PC, (1)Switch TV HDMI to appropriate port, (2)Tell Receiver to get its audio from the ARC.

However, we did do some barebones when testing, unplugging all other devices from both the TV and the Receiver, so that they were only connected to each other without other devices interfering. When using the 4th HDMI port (labeled ARC), we could get Youtube audio played through the Receiver, but we couldn't see the Receiver's interface menu on the TV. When using any other HDMI port, we could see the Receiver Interface menu, but we couldn't get the Youtube audio played through the Receiver.

When a source is hook up through the receiver HDMI port, you tell Receiver, Example: Video HDMI-1, Audio HDMI-1. TV HDMI4.

However, in the case of PC -> HDMI-1? (TV), U tell TV, Video from your own HDMI-1, and Receiver gets Audio from HDMI (ARC). Visualize the path signals flow. VIDEO: PC-->TV. AUDIO: PC-->TV(ARC)-->RECEIVER.

At every switch then you have 2 devices to command, and each can take its video and audio from different places. Don't even enable CEC 'cuz it's not gonna be synchronized, you will have to rely on your fully programmable universal if you want single-button push switching.

You will only get the receiver OSD, menu as u call it, if the video signal is coming from receiver. But, in your PC case, the signal is directly coming from PC to TV, the video doesn't go through the receiver. Once again, visualize the signal path. That's the price you pay for your shorter cable length.

 

[thels]

@jsmithepa: With the PC plugged into HDMI2 (it's the DVI port, which seems to be recommended for PCs), and the Receiver into HDMI4, we get the PC sounds on the Receiver (assuming of course we tell the PC to output sound to the HDMI connection, not the PCs own speakers). That's all working fine and properly.

The problem is that when the Receiver's OUT port is connected to the TVs HDMI4 (ARC) port, the TV will see a cable plugged into HDMI4, but when selecting the HDMI4 'channel', it's not receiving a signal.

If the Receiver's OUT port is connected to any other HDMI port of the TV, then we do receive the signal from the Receiver just fine, but we don't get the TV's sound on the Receiver's speakers. Other functionality still works, though. For example, if we connect the Bluray player to the Receiver, and connect the Receiver's OUT port to the TV's HDMI1 port, we can control the Bluray/DVD menu with the TV controller.

Also, if we connect the Bluray player or the Digital TV Mediabox directly to the TV in port HDMI4, then we receive a signal just fine. Only when the Receiver is plugged into HDMI4 do we not receive any signal.

 

[jsmithepa]

Is late so I will respond to your first problem, DVI is VIDEO ONLY, I don't remember why DVI is recommended for PC. If u must use DVI port when you have to make a separate audio connection from PC to receiver, probably through Toslink.

 

[thels]

@jsmithepa: The PC is not the issue. It's currently disconnected from the Receiver entirely. Please forget that I even mentioned a PC!



The big problem seems to be that we don't receive a signal when the Receiver is connected into the TV's ARC port, and I don't understand why we don't receive a signal.

If we plug the Receiver into any other HDMI port, we receive the signal just fine.
If we plug another device into the HDMI ARC port, we receive the signal from that device just fine.
Only when we plug the receiver into the HDMI ARC port, the TV informs us that there's a cable in that HDMI port, but when we select that HDMI port to be displayed, we don't receive a signal.

The problem of course is that we WANT to plug the Receiver into the HDMI ARC port!

 

[alexoiu]

"@alexoiu: But it used to work just fine with our previous Receiver, using the very same cable. That Receiver had other issues, and eventually needed replacement, but it did work. Why would we suddenly need a different cable?"

Have you used the same cable with ARC, or only as regular HDMI?

 

[americanaudiophile]

You need to assign ARC to an input name on the receiver. That way you can select it as an audio only source. When you select a source connected to the receiver and that has been assigned a different input name you should get the result you want.
This is the way HDMI-ARC is supposed to work. Plan B would be to use an optical audio cable to accomplish the same result. ARC was invented to save you having to run an additional cable. It doesn't sound better though.
ARC came after HDMI started so early cables don't support it.

 

[thels]

@alexoiu: ARC worked just fine on the previous Receiver. We were able to play Youtube videos and hear the sound over the Receiver, and it also worked when we used it as a second Monitor for the PC, and made the PC output audio to that monitor (which was connected through its own HDMI cable that was plugged into the HDMI(DVI) port, not through an actual DVI cable). We could also play Video from the Digital TV Mediabox on the TV over that same HDMI cable without switching it around.

Unfortunately, we currently have no cable long enough to test it with the Receiver on its current location. Moving the Receiver to be close to the TV so we can test some of the other cables could be worth it, though. Are there any specifications listed on cables required for this to work?



@americanaudiophile: The ARC part works (as long as we use the ARC port on the TV). We did need to assign the ARC sound on the Receiver to either an Audio or an AV port. We've tried several audio and several AV ports. The effect remained the same. ARC only works on the 4th HDMI port, and on that port, the TV doesn't receive a signal from the Receiver.

 

[alexoiu]

"Unfortunately, we currently have no cable long enough to test it with the Receiver on its current location. Moving the Receiver to be close to the TV so we can test some of the other cables could be worth it, though. Are there any specifications listed on cables required for this to work?"

Yes, ARC capable is a must.