Decent ARC extender?

C

caustic386

Audioholic Intern
Im looking for a wireless (preferred) or IP-based ARC extender. I'm quite new to home theater - is it as simple as getting a HDMI 1.4 extender? I'm pretty sure my TV doesn't support eARC, its a 4K/60Hz Samsung from about 8 years ago, no 10bit or 120Hz support. Sorry I don't have the model # handy, but I'll certainly dredge it up if needed.

Wireless is much more convenient, but I can make an IP-based solution work. I do not need to extend the image itself, just the audio. Use case is that my optimal TV placement is about 30ft from pre-existing in-wall speaker cable termination. No clean way to get a cable across the living space :(

Thank you!
 
nathan_h

nathan_h

Audioholic
Why use ARC when using optical out of the TV will be more reliable, easier and cheaper?

If you are using stereo sound, then you don't even need to do optical, you can just use the two channel output from the TV into a wireless transmitter. https://www.svsound.com/products/soundpath-wireless-audio-adapter is one example.

If you must have surround sound output from the TV, the optical is required (or ARC). In that case, I would use something like: https://www.parts-express.com/Toslink-and-Digital-Coaxial-Audio-Extender-Over-Ethernet-up-to-330-ft.-180-1142

Personally my last choice would be ARC, since most extenders and wireless options have limited, unreliable or often non existent support for ARC. And ARC is more fiddly than all the other options, even when hard wired, anyway. (vis CEC issues, etc)
 
C

caustic386

Audioholic Intern
Thnks, it didn't even occur to me to try TOSlink. I do indeed want multichannel, 7.2 is ideal but 5.1 at a minimum

The unit you linked is a good example of why I'm having a hard time finding a solution - that converts the signal to ethernet, so I'd still have to run a Cat5e+ cable. If it goes over IP, I can do it wirelessly and apply QoS, VLANs, etc. as needed. When I search for something like 'HDMI over ethernet' I get dozens of those converter boxes but maybe 2-3 ethernet-over-IP solutions, all of which appear to use broadcast/multicast which doesn't mix well with a home LAN.
 
nathan_h

nathan_h

Audioholic
Oh, yes, actually making it work over IP (as opposed to just using ethernet) is very rare.

Note that ARC and toslink are typically limited to 5.1 (and lossy, of course). There were a handful of TV's that "cheated" and sent DD+ (ie could be 7.1 lossy and even could include lossy ATMOS from streaming services) over toslink output. I had a Vizio that would do that. But it was unusual and arguably not in spec.

Since you want to get things like DD5.1 out of the TV streaming apps, I think you may have a considerable challenge to do that wirelessly. I can't see any reliable options.

What about not using the TV apps? You could put a cheap streamer (Roku has a 4k streamer that is on sale places for $30) with your AVR, and not worry about sending audio from the TV to the AVR.

You still have the challenge of sending VIDEO *to* the TV, but in this instance, that is easier. There are lots of wireless HDMI solutions that work well in one direction. (They aren't cheap of course.)
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
That's my big question, why source audio in a tv?
 
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