What does HDMI Arc actually do for me?

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r5yk5

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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
 
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r5yk5 said:
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
Click to expand...
Have a look at the HDMI Beta Testing firmware. It solves the issues with HDMI auto switching. The description of the beta and the text in the WiiM Home App is not fully correct but it solves the issues.
 

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hgo58 said:
Have a look at the HDMI Beta Testing firmware. It solves the issues with HDMI auto switching. The description of the beta and the text in the WiiM Home App is not fully correct but it solves the issues.
Click to expand...

Thank you. Yes, I'd seen that. That's why I'm wondering, if I'm not using the auto switching feature of the HDMI, what else does it offer? Why would I want to switch from optical to HDMI? What do I get that I'm not getting now?
 
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If you want to free up the optical input on your Ultra, and don't need the HDMI problems, you could do what I'm doing in this thread.

QuarryHunslet

Thread 'Using WiiM HDMI ARC Input for Non HDMI TV Source'

Until now, I have not used the HDMI ARC Input on any of my WiiM devices to connect to any of my TVs, because I am not a fan of the HDMI ARC concept, and do not want to use my TV remote control to control the volume of my Ultra, or Amp Ultra, as they have their own perfectly good remote controls for this purpose.

Also, the HDMI ARC ports on my TVs are being used as HDMI Inputs, so I have been connecting my TVs to the Optical Inputs on my WiiM devices.

I also don't use my WiiM devices for TV audio all of the time, and often use the TVs built in speakers, as they are perfectly adequate most...
 
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QuarryHunslet said:
If you want to free up the optical input on your Ultra, and don't need the HDMI problems, you could do what I'm doing in this thread.

QuarryHunslet

Thread 'Using WiiM HDMI ARC Input for Non HDMI TV Source'

Until now, I have not used the HDMI ARC Input on any of my WiiM devices to connect to any of my TVs, because I am not a fan of the HDMI ARC concept, and do not want to use my TV remote control to control the volume of my Ultra, or Amp Ultra, as they have their own perfectly good remote controls for this purpose.

Also, the HDMI ARC ports on my TVs are being used as HDMI Inputs, so I have been connecting my TVs to the Optical Inputs on my WiiM devices.

I also don't use my WiiM devices for TV audio all of the time, and often use the TVs built in speakers, as they are perfectly adequate most...
Click to expand...
Thank you. Does this offer me any other advantage other that freeing up an optical input, which I don't (currently) need?
 
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r5yk5 said:
Thank you. Does this offer me any other advantage other that freeing up an optical input, which I don't (currently) need?
Click to expand...
Probably not, although it would allow you to use the otherwise unused HDMI port, which is why I have done it with three TV/WiiM combinations.
 
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r5yk5 said:
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
Click to expand...
I like the HDMI ARC input because it allows me to use the TV remote to control volume and to turn on/off my WiiM Amp Ultra together with the TV.
It also seems to simplify lip-sync, at least with my TV (compared to optical).
 
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r5yk5 said:
Thank you. Does this offer me any other advantage other that freeing up an optical input, which I don't (currently) need?
Click to expand...
HDMI CEC allows the source/TV to not only turn your sound system on/off in sync with the TV (when working correctly) but also control volume of the attached sound system using the remote of the source (TV or video streamer--for example, my Apple TV 4K remote controls the volume of the WiiM downstream).

-Ed
 
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dominikz said:
I like the HDMI ARC input because it allows me to use the TV remote to control volume and to turn on/off my WiiM Amp Ultra together with the TV.
It also seems to simplify lip-sync, at least with my TV (compared to optical).
Click to expand...
Those are some of the reasons why I didn't use the HDMI input for my TVs.
 
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EddNog said:
HDMI CEC allows the source/TV to not only turn your sound system on/off in sync with the TV (when working correctly) but also control volume of the attached sound system using the remote of the source (TV or video streamer--for example, my Apple TV 4K remote controls the volume of the WiiM downstream).

-Ed
Click to expand...
Those are some of the reasons why I didn't use the HDMI input for my TVs.
 
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I only use the TV sound on the WiiM when watching movies or music. The HDMI Beta Testing firmware allow to control when TV sound is on ARC or internal speakers, so it's possible to watch TV and play music at the same time, if you want to.

The major benefit with HDMI ARC, compared to optical, is however the synchronization of video and sound. This works better on ARC due to the CEC sync protocol. CEC also allow volume control in both directions.
 
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hgo58 said:
The major benefit with HDMI ARC, compared to optical, is however the synchronization of video and sound. This works better on ARC due to the CEC sync protocol. CEC also allow volume control in both directions.
Click to expand...
I didn't have any issues with synchronisation when I connected my TVs to WiiM devices via optical, and still don't now that I'm using optical to HDMI adaptors going from TV optical out to WiiM HDMI in.
 
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Some strange use cases here.
I either watch TV OR listen to music. If I wanted to do both at the same time I‘d disconnect the HDMI cable and not call on WiiM. But everyone to his own.
And yes, of course I want to use the TV‘s remote control for volume adjustment and on/off. That‘s the whole point of it on an audio device like a WiiM.
 
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