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The.316

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jul 14, 2010
1,401
165
25100 GR
I'm not exactly sure where to post this. I recently upgraded to a Samsung 4K TV. I saw that I could connect my soundbar to it, via ARC HDMI. My question is probably quite simple. ARC allows me to control the volume of my soundbar with my TV remote. Now by doing so, does that not allow me to use the soundbars controller, to raise/lower bass, or just turn on or off different functions in general? I'm going to run a channel inside my wall, for all the wires. I currently have the tv connected to the soundbar with an optical cable, so I thought maybe going the ARC way would be better, since I don't have to always use the soundbars controller to change the volume.
 
I have the same setup with my Samsung TV and Visio soundbar. The soundbar is plugged into my TV's ARC HDMI port. Whenever I turn on my Xfinity box or Apple TV, the TV switches inputs and pushes the sound out to the soundbar through the ARC port. I then control the volume through either the Xfinity remote (configured for TV volume) or my Apple TV remote. And yes, my soundbar's remote still works just fine and is unaffected by the ARC handoff. It's a quite elegant solution and works well. You do lose an HDMI port to the soundbar, though. Just a consideration.
 
I have the same setup with my Samsung TV and Visio soundbar. The soundbar is plugged into my TV's ARC HDMI port. Whenever I turn on my Xfinity box or Apple TV, the TV switches inputs and pushes the sound out to the soundbar through the ARC port. I then control the volume through either the Xfinity remote (configured for TV volume) or my Apple TV remote. And yes, my soundbar's remote still works just fine and is unaffected by the ARC handoff. It's a quite elegant solution and works well. You do lose an HDMI port to the soundbar, though. Just a consideration.

Yeah, I knew I'd lose the HDMI port on my TV, but all I have at the moment is my PS4 Pro, and my Apple TV. Appreciate the help. Just wanted to know what was up because I'm crazy with zip ties and keeping my wires hidden, so once I do this set up, this is how it's going to be for a while.
 
OP if you are doing in-wall work, may I suggest installing conduit so your wiring can more easily evolve in the future. Having been around for a while now, I've seen such wiring evolve over and over again. Anyone working in their walls should plan for both the present and the future. In short, I strongly discourage you from putting only exactly what you need now in the wall with no easy way to change it in the future. A little conduit plus maybe a few strong strings for pulling new types of cables through will likely get use in the next 5-10 or so years.
 
OP if you are doing in-wall work, may I suggest installing conduit so your wiring can more easily evolve in the future. Having been around for a while now, I've seen such wiring evolve over and over again. Anyone working in their walls should plan for both the present and the future. In short, I strongly discourage you from putting only exactly what you need now in the wall with no easy way to change it in the future. A little conduit plus maybe a few strong strings for pulling new types of cables through will likely get use in the next 5-10 or so years.

Ita only going to be about 2 feet max. I already got two wall plates for the wires, and I'm going to build my own channel in the wall, with some hard cable covers they have here in Greece. I did it in my other home. I'll post some pics.
 
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