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Do you really need E ARC to enjoy Dolby
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Atmos? Not really. HDMI ARC can handle
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it just fine, at least for streaming.
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Services like Netflix, Apple TV, and
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Prime Video use Dolby Digital Plus to
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deliver Atmos, and ARC supports that
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format without breaking a sweat. The
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funny thing is, ERC sounds like a
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must-have, but unless you're into
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uncompressed Blu-ray audio or super
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highfidelity setups, it's kind of
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overkill. For most people, ARC gets the
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job done perfectly. So before you rush
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to upgrade your gear, maybe just tweak
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your audio settings and spend that E arc
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money on better snacks. Now let's clear
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up a common confusion. There are two
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types of Dolby Atmos, compressed and
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uncompressed. The compressed version
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sent using Dolby Digital Plus works over
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HDMI IRC. It still sounds great and
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delivers that immersive overhead audio
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experience. You'll hear planes fly
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overhead or rain surround you from all
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directions. Even if it's compressed,
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it's still really immersive and it's
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what most people are enjoying when they
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say they're watching a Dolby Atmos movie
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at home. Think of Arc as the standard
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lane and EER as the express lane. Both
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get you to Dolby Atmos, but the express
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lane delivers more audio data, which
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means better surround precision, clearer
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effects, and no audio compression. Even
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better, E ARC sound bars are backward
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compatible. So, if your TV only supports
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ARC, an E arc capable soundbar will
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simply fall back to regular ARC. This
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makes it easy to upgrade without
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replacing your entire setup. If you
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mostly stream content, ARC is more than
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capable. But if you're an audio file or
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want to futureproof your setup for 4K
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Blu-rays, E ARC is worth the investment.
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So, how do you use ARC to get Dolby
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Atmos? First, check that your TV and
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soundbar both support HDMI ARC. Look for
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the port labeled ARC on the back. Next,
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make sure your TV supports Dolby Digital
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Plus. If it does, you're almost there.
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Connect the HDMI cable from your
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soundbar to the TV's ARC port. Most
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modern TVs will autodetect the signal,
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but in some cases, you may need to
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manually enable ARC or Dolby Atmos in
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your TV's audio settings. The Dolby
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Digital Plus codec compresses audio
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slightly, but with lossless
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decompression at the soundbar end,
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you'll still get immersive 3D surround
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sound. It's not quite as pristine as
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uncompressed audio from a Blu-ray disc,
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but for most people, it's
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indistinguishable. One last tip, don't
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forget to check your HDMI cable for ARC.
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Most high-speed HDMI cables will do the
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job, but if you're aiming for ERC and
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uncompressed Dolby Atmos, it's best to
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use an ultraigh-speed HDMI cable.
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They're not expensive, and they ensure
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you won't run into signal or sync
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issues. Oh, and if you want to
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understand the full difference between
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Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos, there's a
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video linked in the top right corner.
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Don't watch it yet, though. I'll remind
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you at the end. So, to wrap this up, no,
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you don't need E arc to enjoy Dolby
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Atmos, unless you're trying to pass
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uncompressed audio from a 4K Blu-ray
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player. For most people streaming
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Netflix or Disney Plus, HDMI RC works
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just fine. If this video helped clear
2:58
things up, give it a like. It helps
2:59
others find it, too. And don't forget to
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subscribe for more breakdowns like this.
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Thanks for watching, and I'll see you in
