Does ARC work for internet features on TVs?

[Frag_Maniac]

Hey guys, I have a neighbor friend with Cerebral Palsy I'm helping source a new TV. His old Vizio plasma conked out on him.

The TV we're currently looking at is the Samsung UN32H5203. My question is, does ARC (HDMI Audio Return Channel) work for internet features on SMART TVs like it does for TV broadcasts?

I'm sure this TV will have ARC, as pretty much all modern TVs do, but will it send the sound for instance from Pandora or Hulu to his AVR via the ARC like it would for TV shows?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K4UIO9K/?tag=tec06d-20

[Edited]
Sorry guys, it appears I acted in haste and should have just Googled first. I didn't know the answer would be so easy to find.

"What is Audio Return Channel (ARC)?

...This is great for smart TVs, where the TV itself is creating the audio (via apps like Netflix and Pandora). Instead of suffering through a TV's terrible speakers, the audio gets sent to the receiver/sound bar for a massive improvement in sound quality."

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

 

[Frag_Maniac]

Hey guys, just an update on this. My friend decided on the Vizio E400i-B2. It's not bad as far as PQ and resisting motion blur for a VA panel, but still having issues with ARC. I've got it connected to a Pioneer VSX-822k, and have followed all the instructions for both the TV and AVR for ARC.

With the AVR's HDMI Setup at Control and ARC On, the TV still won't detected it when we activate the Detect button in it's CEC menu. The result is we actually have to turn ARC off, and use the optical audio cable. We can get Dolby Digital 5.1 that way, though it would probably sound better over HDMI.

Note that I have also turned off the TV speakers in it's Audio menu, and turned CEC and Audio Control to On. I've also turned off and on both TV and AVR several times to get them to handshake, but no go. I'm beginning to think the combo of these two brands/models won't work in ARC, even though both are supposed to support it.

On a side note, the Vizio manual doesn't even refer to ARC anywhere, only CEC. I Googled and found a page on their support site that does take you through the steps though. The only strange part is under the Audio settings, it describes a Dolby Digital setting for Digital Audio out, but it only shows PCM and Bitstream.

I set it to Bitstream because the TV menu describes that as the one to use for more than two channels, but it still won't send audio over the HDMI cable. I'm thinking maybe they changed the menu from saying Dolby Digital to Bitstream , since they now advertise their TVs as supporting both DD and DTS.

I'm pretty sure the HDMI cables my friend just bought are also adequate to handle ARC, and it's connected via the TV's HDMI 1 and AVR's HDMI Out like it's suppose to be. I even tried in on the TV's HDMI 2 as well. The AVR's display also verifies it detects a TV connected via HDMI.

VSX-822k Manual - http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/StaticFiles/Manuals/Home/VSX-822-K_OperatingInstructions062612.pdf
E400i-B2 Manual - http://cdn.vizio.com/documents/downloads/hdtv/E400iB2/UM_E400iB2.pdf
HDMI Cables - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BEWF4R2/?tag=tec06d-20

 

[Frag_Maniac]

Holy crap, just saw this in the reviews for the cables.

"Do NOT buy if you want Ethernet / ARC support even though the product title says it supports this functionality.
By P-nut on January 12, 2015
Verified Purchase
The product title says it supports Ethernet and ARC but couldn't for the life of me get it to work. Bought the Pyle HDMI tester (PHCT85) and spotted that the pins required for this are not wired. Basically the title for this product is a lie - do NOT buy if you want Ethernet or ARC. For the misrepresentation, I would have liked to have given a zero rating.

Frustrating thing is I only have one box left as the recycling has picked up the others and will probably not be able to return the faulty items."

Not only that, these cables are only 30AWG! Pretty sure the HDMI standard for anything up to 5m length is 28AWG. I know the 6' ones I get from Monoprice are 28AWG and have ferrite cores and are only $6 a pair vs $10.

Well, going to try to talk him into returning these "Twisted Vein" cables. Seems more like twisted advertising. At first I thought it might have been Amazon's slip up on th edescription, but why make cables that are v1.4, high speed, and come with right angle adapter, keychain flashlight, velcro wraps, and screen dust cloth swag if they aren't even 28AWG or ARC capable!? What a load of crap! I can't believe how many positive reviews these have.