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how to connect apple tv 4 to philips home theatre(having 1 HDMI ARC port only) and to tv 3 HDMI po
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HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G4
Do you have any ARC port on the TV? If so, it's 
TV to TV, ARC or ARC out to Phillips home theater. Or if your TV has an HDMI port labeled "OUT", that could be the one to link to the Phillips.
If neither of those options exist and you basically need to "split" video & audio, there are plenty of HDMI splitter devices for sale on places like Amazon. It sounds like you need one that is at least 1 HDMI "in" to 2 HDMI "outs." So just search for that or HDMI Audio Splitters.
If your TV and Home Theater system are simply not configured for this, another option would be to go with a dedicated AV receiver and perhaps allowing it to take over the the amplifier for the Phillips device? AV receivers are made for these very kinds of issues.
If none of those options appear to do the trick, I suggest scanning the port images in the TV and Phillips Home Theater manuals and posting them here. That way we can see what specific ports you have on both devices.
TV to TV, ARC or ARC out to Phillips home theater. Or if your TV has an HDMI port labeled "OUT", that could be the one to link to the Phillips.If neither of those options exist and you basically need to "split" video & audio, there are plenty of HDMI splitter devices for sale on places like Amazon. It sounds like you need one that is at least 1 HDMI "in" to 2 HDMI "outs." So just search for that or HDMI Audio Splitters.
If your TV and Home Theater system are simply not configured for this, another option would be to go with a dedicated AV receiver and perhaps allowing it to take over the the amplifier for the Phillips device? AV receivers are made for these very kinds of issues.
If none of those options appear to do the trick, I suggest scanning the port images in the TV and Phillips Home Theater manuals and posting them here. That way we can see what specific ports you have on both devices.
Alternatively, the TV probably has an optical or headphone jack out. You should be able plug the audio out into the soundbar and all of your HDMI devices into the TV and get audio out through the sound bar for everything you plug into the TV.
You don't need a port with ARC.
ARC mean "Audio Return Channel". It is for connecting your receiver output to your TV. It allows the TV to send audio back to the receiver when you watch TV broadcasts on the TV's internal tuner or (if smart TV) watch online content using the TV's Internet connection.
Just plug the Apple TV into any receiver input, and it will send both video and sound. Connect a receiver output to the TV. You use the receiver to switch inputs. It doesn't make any sense to connect the Apple TV to the TV.
Check the receiver/TV manuals, or post model numbers.
If the TV does not have an ARC port, you need to use an optical cable to get sound back from the TV to the receiver. Again, ARC is only for when using the TV as a source.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G4
Presumably OP has surround sound because he references Phillips Home Theater. Optical out usually doesn't preserve 5.1 surround (though there are select exceptions), instead outputting only stereo sound even if it is a 5.1 program.
Based on very little information from OP, I'm still guessing an HDMI splitter is going to be the way to go: HDMI video to TV, HDMI audio to Phillips HT equipment. OR if OP has or buys a receiver, it will likely cover the same base even better.
I made an assumption that "Phillips Home Theatre" was a receiver. From your comment, maybe it is a sound bar that takes an HDMI input and it's connected directly from the TV.
I have a more conventional setup with a Denon receiver/amp acting as an HDMI switcher, with outputs to the TV, passive sound bar, and passive rear speakers. I use an optical cable to get sound back to the Denon from the TV on the rare, rare occasion that I use the TV as a source. It's a "smart TV" but not very new - it's one of the last of the Samsung plasmas. I don't watch on-air, and I don't use it to watch Netflix, etc. as I use Apple TV instead. I honestly don't remember why I used the optical cable instead of ARC as it was so many years ago - oh, maybe the active HTMI cable I used to connect the receiver to the TV doesn't support ARC.
If it's one of those new-fangled HDMI sound-bar thingies, I don't know why you wouldn't just use the TV as an HDMI switcher, plug the Apple TV into any available HDMI input on the TV, and the TV will pass sound on to the speakers. Again, you don't need an ARC port.
Make/model of TV, model of "Phillips Home Theatre", and how you currently have them hooked-up, so that we aren't guessing.