Dorian
Prominent Member
I've had a couple of (relatively) expensive Arcam AVR's in the past (and a Pioneer), but now have a Sony STR-DN1080. Every time I upgraded, it was due to needing newer video connectivity. To be honest, I got fed up with spending decent money on AVR's and them being made obsolete so quickly. As a projector user though, it was crucial to have video switching via the AVR so only one HDMI cable to the projector was needed.
Fast forward to today, and I've recently got an Xbox Series X and replaced the projector with an LG 65CX. Not wanting to miss out on the Xbox 120hz and VRR, I decided to connect the xbox directly to the TV, and then try eARC. I've been really impressed by how it all works e.g.
It seems faultless in operation, and (for TV users at least), the approach of putting the TV in charge of video and pushing audio to the amp would seem much more future-proof.
While I'm mostly happy with my 1080, it's always been weak on stereo compared to my previous AVRs. I am now starting to think about buying a higher end AVR, even without HDMI 2.1, because eARC works so well and removes the potential bottleneck of routing all video through the AVR.
What do people think?
Fast forward to today, and I've recently got an Xbox Series X and replaced the projector with an LG 65CX. Not wanting to miss out on the Xbox 120hz and VRR, I decided to connect the xbox directly to the TV, and then try eARC. I've been really impressed by how it all works e.g.
- Devices still connected to the AVR appear (with names) under a tree on the TV input selector, and can be selected directly
- TV picture settings are preserved per input, even on items connected via AVR
- No need to use the AVR remote - TV remote controls volume and CEC turns AVR on and off automatically
- Full video capabilities of Xbox working on TV, with uncompressed sound sent to the amp.
It seems faultless in operation, and (for TV users at least), the approach of putting the TV in charge of video and pushing audio to the amp would seem much more future-proof.
While I'm mostly happy with my 1080, it's always been weak on stereo compared to my previous AVRs. I am now starting to think about buying a higher end AVR, even without HDMI 2.1, because eARC works so well and removes the potential bottleneck of routing all video through the AVR.
What do people think?