Questions setting up a new receiver.

[the skipper]

I've had a Vizio 55" with ARC for over a year. I've never needed to use the ARC input before now.

I just picked up a Marantz SR5011, also with ARC. All this ARC stuff is new to me. Hell, HDMI on a receiver is new to me. I've always gone right to the TV.

Plugged in a 2.0 HDMI cable between them, Theoretically, I should see an on-screen menu. I don't.

I called Marantz and the message said they are closed for the hurricane until further notice. They're in friggin' North Jersey ferchrissake!

Now, I'm trying to isolate the problem to one or the other to see where the problem lies. Can I test the ARC port on the TV by plugging a blu-ray player to see it it works?

Or, can I plug the receiver's ARC HDMI into another port on the TV to see if it works?

Life was so much simpler before all this crap.

Thanks.

 

[whoaru99]

Any of the HDMI ports on the TV should work for just input.

Usually only one specific port on the TV is equipped with the ARC feature.

Is this a 4K TV?

 

[the skipper]

Any of the HDMI ports on the TV should work for just input.

Usually only one specific port on the TV is equipped with the ARC feature.

Is this a 4k setup?

Thanks.
So, I should be able to plug in a HDMI cable from another source into the ARC input? I can't see where there's a selection for that particular port on the TV., Would that source override whatever other source, if any, was selected?

FWIW, I'm trying to use that ARC port for audio output only. I have no sources going through the receiver.

Yeah, it's a 4k TV but the only 4k stuff I get is via it's internal Amazon app.

 

[whoaru99]

Yeah, the ARC port should, generally, function as a normal input.

I presume you've been into the receiver and turned on the HDMI stuff/made sure it's set for HDMI ARC and all the other HDMI stuff you want to use?

Also, be sure you power cycle all the stuff after changing connections or settings. It has to handshake and all get on the same page again after changes.

The TV normally just calls them HDMI 1, 2, etc., at least from what I've seen. You have to know what is connected to what input. However, when you play internal source, I think that should be automatically be routed to the ARC connection.

Have you set the TV audio to external output/digital/ARC, whatever it may be on your TV?

 

[the skipper]

I presume you've been into the receiver and turned on the HDMI stuff/made sure it's set for HDMI ARC and all the other HDMI stuff you want to use?

That's the issue. I have no idea what it's set to. The only way to do this is to use the on screen display, which ain't workin'!!!

Have you set the TV audio to external output/digital/ARC, whatever it may be on your TV?

No need according to Vizio tech support which, admittedly, I don't have too much faith in. The only audio out adjustmant is for digital PCM or Bitstream.

 

[whoaru99]

What I'd probably do is be sure the TV's ARC capable port is connected to the Monitor 1 connection on the receiver. Shut down the TV and receiver.

Turn on the TV and be sure you have selected the HDMI input that is connected to the receiver.

After that, perform the factory reset for the receiver and see if you get any OSD.

 

[mhardy6647]

Just clutchin' at straws here -- the TV we have has a CRT in it; any ARCs associated with it come from the HV power supply...

 

[whoaru99]

@the skipper

Status update?

 

[the skipper]

Just clutchin' at straws here -- the TV we have has a CRT in it; any ARCs associated with it come from the HV power supply...

Thanks Mr H.

That might work with a Vizio sound bar but there seem to be a few differences between both the available screen menu and my remote. It did discover the Sony BDP plugged into a non ARC port but not the receiver plugged into the ARC port!?!?

I explained what I plan to do in the next post.

 

[the skipper]

@the skipper

Status update?

I didn't have a chance to kerfutz with it yesterday. I plan on trying a few things today to help isolate the issue.

My main goal right now is to get the setup menu to appear on the screen. Without that, I can't do jack.

1) On the TV, take the HDMI cable out of the ARC jack and plug it in where the Blu-ray is currently plugged in. I know that one works. If it works, my problem is with the ARC input on the TV. But, I KNOW fer sure that TV input works. If still no menu, then...

2) On the receiver, take the HDMI cable out of the ARC monitor jack and plug it into the non ARC monitor jack. If that doesn't work, I'll have to assume it's the receiver.

I still can't believe Marantz support was closed for the hurricane on Monday. They are in Northeast New Jersey.

Thanks for checking in.

 

[the skipper]

Gettin' there.

I did step 1, moving the TV HDMI to a known working HDMI port and got a menu. I did a primitive setup on the speakers. Audyissy (sp?) comes later. Just hearing some sound from this beast was refreshing.

I connected the TV optical out to the receiver and can't get it to work. I'll get back to that later. Are these supposed to be loose?

I set up some FM presets just so I felt I accomplished something.

So, it's now 5:00 and I think I'll get some shuteye. I have trouble sleeping to begin with but when I get obsessed it gets really, really bad.

Next: I'm going to move the receiver's ARC HDMI to it's sister (non ARC) monitor port and see if I can get HDMI audio from the TV ARC port* to the receiver's ARC port. That's all I wanted from this in the first place.

Later. It's T&T time and then bed

* The back of the TV has it listed as audio. weird...

 

[whoaru99]

ARC stands for Audio Return Channel so audio isn't totally out of place but I've normally seen it as HDMI 1/ARC type of thing.

 

[the skipper]

ARC stands for Audio Return Channel so audio isn't totally out of place but I've normally seen it as HDMI 1/ARC type of thing.

I must have misunderstood the meaning of ARC. I knew it passed audio from the TV to the receiver but thought it simultaneously passed video from the receiver to the TV. A two way street sort of.

 

[HTHMAN]

ARC can be a headache. Had to turn it off on the BD player. Every time I turned OFF the receiver, the BD player turned ON. I was constantly turning it off.

 

[Bodyblue]

https://www.cnet.com/news/what-is-audio-return-channel-arc/

 

[whoaru99]

I must have misunderstood the meaning of ARC. I knew it passed audio from the TV to the receiver but thought it simultaneously passed video from the receiver to the TV. A two way street sort of.

It is a two way street, of sorts. I don't know for sure if it will do that simultaneously (not sure what the case for it would be) but certainly that one HDMI w/ARC connection should be able to pass the OSD and or source video from the receiver to the TV, or TV audio back to the receiver all through the single HDMI cable. It sure does that on my Marantz AV7005 pre/pro + Panasonic TV.

 

[whoaru99]

ARC can be a headache. Had to turn it off on the BD player. Every time I turned OFF the receiver, the BD player turned ON. I was constantly turning it off.

I think that would be CEC*, not ARC.

But, to use either I think you have to first enable HDMI Control in the receiver, then I think you can enable/disable ARC and enable/disable the CEC functions.

*Note that in your gear, the CEC functions often are called by some sort of trade name e.g. SimpLink for LG, VIERA Link for Panasonic, etc.

 

[HTHMAN]

I think that would be CEC*, not ARC.

But, to use either I think you have to first enable HDMI Control in the receiver, then I think you can enable/disable ARC and enable/disable the CEC functions.

*Note that in your gear, the CEC functions often are called by some sort of trade name e.g. SimpLink for LG, VIERA Link for Panasonic, etc.

You are correct. Wrong terminology but the right problem. It is a Samsung player and they called it some proprietary technology to work in coordination with their TVs. I guess if you have another brand of TV, it has no coordination.

 

[Aspen]

I feel your pain. I was unable to get ARC to work between my Samsung TV and Yamaha AVR. Tried support from both Samsung and Yamaha, but it would not work. I use my AVR for all source switching and feed video to the TV by way of one HDMI cable. The only audio source I get from the TV is for internet surfing and I used a toslink to an audio only source on the AVR.

My understanding is that it would not be possible to get a 5.1 audio out from the TV from an over the air HD TV channel using my current configuration, ARC would be required for that. I don't have any HD channels nearby, so I don't care.

Why not use the AVR to do all of your receiving and switching?

 

[JoeESP9]

Just about all TV's will produce a 5.1 signal on the coax/optical out when using the internal ATSC tuner. Some will, in addition, do so with an external (HDMI) input. However, IME the majority will pass only 2.0 audio when using an external source.