Tech
09 Sep 2026
8 min read
How HDMI ARC and eARC Send TV Sound to a Soundbar
Connecting a streaming box or game console to a TV is easy to picture: the source sends video and audio toward the TV. A soundbar creates a less obvious problem. If the TV is receiving the sound, how does that sound travel back out through an HDMI cable to the soundbar? That is the job of Audio Return Channel, usually called ARC. Its newer counterpart, Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC), serves the same basic purpose while supporting more demanding audio formats and improving parts of the connection process.