I have quick question. I’m trying to figure out the stupid Hisense TV that I recently bought.
My TV came with 3 HDMI ports. But one of them is designated as an eARC port. I did do my research but found conflicting info. I was curious if the eARC port is strictly an output port supposedly. But since I didn’t do any resarch before plugging in the Shield, and just went with it. When I tried to set up the Dolby Vision i got horrible stuttering in the sound. I did research on that (Reddit) that suggested turning off Dolby. Dolby is turned off and the stuttering is gone. So I’ve finally looked into what the eArc port is and found that it is an output for a sound system/soundbar. But thought “Why did it work, kinda, as an input port?” **And extra info, this a Bluetooth headphones only TV. No soundbar or internal speakers are being used.
I moved the Shield from the eARC port to another port but haven’t had the chance to find the outcome of the change, with Dolby turned on. I’ve been busy today, so I won’t get a chance to test until this evening. Gosh, I might have get one of those HDMI port boxes so i can set up my 3 boxes.
The eArc HDMI port on most tvs is specifically designed for connecting and controlling audio devices like a soundbar. I have 4 hdmi ports on my LG set including the eArc port. I tried using it with other devices other than my soundbar and ended up having connection along with video/audio issues. I ended up reconnecting my soundbar to the eArc port and got two 2-to-1 input manual hdmi switches to use with my other tv hdmi ports so I could connect all my periferal devices to my tv. I’ve had no further sound or video problems since.
On my main tv in the living room, I “Conflagerated” a (semi) nice mounting board. On it I have the 5 port HDMI switch, an Ethernet Switch (as i’m still a Hard-Wired fan), and I have 5 Streaming Boxes all as inputs to the HDMI Switch. The hdmi switch is populated like this: Port 1 is my Formuler Z11 Pro Max; Port 2 is my Minix U8K Ultra; Port 3 is the Nvidea Shield; Port 4 is the Onn Pro and rounding out in Port 5 is the Rupa box. The one output of the HDMI Switch goes to HDMI port 1 on the TV, and the HDMI-eArc from the Tv goes to my Samsung Soundbar for some Sweet Surround!
Whichever device I wish to use is just a simple remote selection (1 thru 5), and then with the remote that goes with whichever devices I chose, I fire up the TV and soundbar. I have this board and all the components underneath the tv inside the tv cabinet/stand. It has clear doors and I can see whats active and the ethernet switch activity. I will take some pictures of it all when I get the wire management sorted better. It’s “OK” now, but not neat enough for public view IMHO. Who would have thought a retired EE would be picky about wiring…go figure eh?
As Im getting older now, I still revel at all the Tech we have available today. Heck I dont need all the stuff I have for sure, but im hooked and enjoy it.
Here is my hdmi switch hookup. I have 2 of these to connect my media player, Xbox console and 2 streaming devices. I tried a couple of 5 port switches with auto switch feature but the auto switch quit on both after a while. I hope you don’t suffer the same fate. LOL
lol I hear ya…but when I get in me old recliner in the evening, there is only one thing that forces me out of it…my bladder lol I’d have to have a remote controlled hdmi switch,
@itzme and @sim_bill , Thank you for the assistance! I didn’t get to test though. Snoozed off too early.
Reece, thank you for the link to the remote switcher. The UGreen looks nice but I found one that is 20 bucks cheaper that might work for me. It come with a remote.
Thanks JerryJ!
Ive had sush great luck with UGreen Products, I decided to be a “Brand Loyalist” when I made the purchase. Hope the ROOFULL works out for you. Be sure and post your results with it so it will help others here in the future!
I can’t wrap my head around this and I’m sorry. It shouldn’t be that complicated or require separate devices. The eARC HDMI port on a TV has dual purposes. It is both a regular HDMI port and an audio return channel. It is meant to be connected to either a sound bar or an audio video receiver (surround sound system) if you have one. Your TVs audio settings also need to be configured to output sound through the eARC port and not through the internal speakers or any other output. Usually there is an “auto” option that works just fine if it detects that an audio device is connected properly. If you don’t have a sound bar or AVR, then that HDMI port just works as normal and the sound should come from the TV.
Now, if you have a sound bar then all your other devices need to be connected to the other HDMI ports on the TV so that the TV can send the sound to the sound bar through the eARC port.
If you have an AVR, you can plug your devices directly into that, and only your AVR needs to be connected to the eARC port on the TV. Usually, the AVR will automatically switch which is playing the audio when you turn on a device. Or you can switch the input mode from your remote.
Bottom line is, your audio device needs to be connected to eARC and your TV audio output settings need to reflect that.
Thank you @Jayhawks659! I’m a newb when it comes to all the new fancy Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, HDR10 and of course eARC. When using the HDMI #1 port I was getting horrible stuttering. So I assumed it was since the was listed as eARC I thought it is what was causing my sound issues. I did do a search on the function of the that type of port. But all of the info I found was that it’s main function was to run a sound bar or receiver. I subsequently moved what was connected to that port to another one and the sound issue followed. So at that point I finally figured that I had to re-pair my headphones when using my Shield. With my old Vizio I had to use a bluetooth transmitter to run my headphones since that TV didn’t have a bluetooth option. I haven’t even tried to use the internal speakers since the TV is in my man cave. My better-half get really frosted when I’m watching noisy stuff at night when she’s trying to sleep.
Ah yes, Bluetooth can cause issues sometimes. But if you’re connecting the headphones directly to your Shield, it has nothing to do with which HDMI port you’re using on the TV. As soon as I connect my Shield to a Bluetooth speaker or headphones, it stops putting out audio through HDMI.
