if you were hooking up a soundbar or AV receiver to your television, you would need to utilize HDMI for handling video data, along with either a digital or analog audio cable to direct TV and component audio back to your sound system. This was the case until 2009, when HDMI 1.4 was released, bringing HDMI ARC into the limelight.
Thanks to HDMI ARC, your television and audio system can manage both upstream and downstream video and audio signals using merely a single HDMI cable. In terms of television and device configurations, HDMI ARC is so widely adopted that it’s effectively plug-and-play in modern setups. However, it’s important to ensure you are purchasing the appropriate HDMI cables to enable ARC (or eARC), as only certain types of HDMI cables are compatible.
