What does HDMI Arc actually do for me?

[r5yk5]

I have a pretty standard (I think) set up. Ultra, TV. Record player, cd player (actually a blueray player) and a cassette deck.
When I first got the Ultra I had the TV connected via HDMI but I had problems with it. For example, sometimes I like to watch the cricket while listening to music. But if I touched, accidentally or not, any button on my TV remote it would automatically switch to HDMI. Sometimes it would do it all by itself. Other weird behaviours too.

So I use the toslink/optical input now-a-days. I'm happy with it. I always was when I used to have a pro-plus there and HDMI was not an option. I have to press pause on the music over wifi to get the Ultra to switch to the TV sound, but that's how I want it.

I see some people are frustrated with he HDMI Arc implementation in the Ultra so I'm wondering, what am I missing by not using the HDMI connection between my TV and Ultra, other than and extra input?

Thanks

 

[EddNog]

Listening to music while watching the cricket is not strange!

I had no issue doing this with my WiiM Ultra. That is, in fact, how I used the WiiM Home App for Apple TV 4K for lyrics while listening to music through the WiiM. Just substitute WiiM Home App & lyrics for whatever channel, sports streaming service you use for cricket. And I used ARC for it (WiiM has an excellent ARC implementation, way better than Eversolo).

-Ed

 

[Aquaman]

I've not noticed a sync issue over optical and my TV remote controls the amp volume so I'm still leaving the optical for now.


Listening to music while watching the cricket is not strange!

If only I understood the rules.

 

[EddNog]

I‘ll leave multi-tasking to the female population who is presumably much better in that.

To be fair, if I am not mistaken, it is scientifically proven that they are, in fact, much better at that than we male people are.

-Ed

 

[BMeek]

In my case, the HDMI usage enables a [small] TV to provide a simple view and UI into my main music system. In other words, my use of HDMI with the WiiM Ultra isn't about "watching TV and/or listening to Music"... it's an extension of my sound system independent of my "Home Theater".

Also, my only HDMI source on the other side of the WiiM Ultra's TV/ARC connection is an old Apple TV 4K. This provides the WiiM Ultra with the AirPlay 2 receiver it lacks (fwiw) allowing me to continue using the Apple ecosystem I've put up with while leveraging WiiM speaker grouping with the Ultra as master. I do like being able to use the ATV4K's Siri Remote to adjust volume (even when I've got the connected Ultra playing music from a non-HDMI source), and the ability to turn off EVERYTHING by powering down the ATV4K and seeing the Ultra follow suit and 12v-trigger the power amp off too. I've also discovered the WiiM Apple TV app... underwhelming relative to its iOS sibling, but good to have.

 

[EddNog]

In my case, the HDMI usage enables a [small] TV to provide a simple view and UI into my main music system. In other words, my use of HDMI with the WiiM Ultra isn't about "watching TV and/or listening to Music"... it's an extension of my sound system independent of my "Home Theater".

Also, my only HDMI source on the other side of the WiiM Ultra's TV/ARC connection is an old Apple TV 4K. This provides the WiiM Ultra with the AirPlay 2 receiver it lacks (fwiw) allowing me to continue using the Apple ecosystem I've put up with while leveraging WiiM speaker grouping with the Ultra as master. I do like being able to use the ATV4K's Siri Remote to adjust volume (even when I've got the connected Ultra playing music from a non-HDMI source), and the ability to turn off EVERYTHING by powering down the ATV4K and seeing the Ultra follow suit and 12v-trigger the power amp off too. I've also discovered the WiiM Apple TV app... underwhelming relative to its iOS sibling, but good to have.

The Apple TV WiiM app displays lyrics for the music that it plays, which the app for iOS does not do, and it works for Plex and Qobuz, which don’t normally have lyrics on any platform. Of course if you use Apple Music right on the Apple TV, that’s got its own lyrics.

-Ed

 

[BMeek]

The Apple TV WiiM app displays lyrics for the music that it plays, which the app for iOS does not do, and it works for Plex and Qobuz, which don’t normally have lyrics on any platform. Of course if you use Apple Music right on the Apple TV, that’s got its own lyrics.

-Ed

Yes! I had forgotten seeing that pleasant surprise. I still use Pandora stations for my different eclectic tastes in music, and while listening to the Ultra's Pandora stream I was impressed seeing the lyrics rolling in sync with playback (that Pandora can't be bothered with ).

 

[EddNog]

Yes! I had forgotten seeing that pleasant surprise. I still use Pandora stations for my different eclectic tastes in music, and while listening to the Ultra's Pandora stream I was impressed seeing the lyrics rolling in sync with playback (that Pandora can't be bothered with ).

Yes, it works beautifully well. The Eversolo app for Apple TV supposedly pulls lyrics too, but I’ve never played a song where it actually pulled anything, so WiiM is for sure winning on this feature.