Help needed to connect my Sony Home Cinema System to my Sony TV & BT Youview Box

[EmmalLouise82]

Hi Guys, I have need some advice on best way to connect my new Sony Home Cinema System (Sony BDVE4100) to my Sony Smart TV and my BT You View Box. I have been told that HDMI ARC is the best way, and I have checked and both the Sony home cinema system and the Sony Smart TV are ARC enabled. So presumably I can connect the two pieces of kit together with an HDMI cable (does it need to be a special one for ARC?) and the TV & Home cinema should work together? What is confusing me is then what is then best way of connecting my BT Ultra HD YouView box to the TV, presumably I need a second HDMI cable which goes from the BT YouView box into a different HDMI input on the TV? So that would mean I have two HDMI cables going into my TV - is this the right way of doing it, or should I use an optical cable? Sorry if I sound a bit dumb, but this is the first time I have tried doing this (my ex used to take care of this), so please go easy on me. Thanks Emma xxx

 

[JayCee]

What's the model no of your TV Emma?

 

[[email protected]]

Hi Emma. Welcome to the forums. You've nailed it in one. ARC will pass audio from any device plugged into the TV to the sound bar. So yes, another HDMI from youview to TV. No 'special' HDMI is required.

 

[JayCee]

So yes, another HDMI from youview to TV. No 'special' HDMI is required.

But the model no of the TV will help ensure she plugs her Youview box into a UHD-enabled HDMI input.

 

[EmmalLouise82]

Hi, My TV (which is up & running on the wall) is a Sony KD-55XD7005 (on the inputs one of them says HDMI3/ARC), my Home Cinema is a Sony BDVE4100 (still in it's box as it arrived today, but the photo of the back shows an ARC HDMI socket) and I have a BT Ultra HD You View box. I always use the BT set top box to watch TV, Netflix etc and NEVER use the tuner built in the TV. From what you guys are saying it seems that I will need to pop out and get a second HDMI cable, is that right? So when I am watching TV using my BT Box, the TV signal (picture & audio) will travel on the first HDMI from my BT box to the Sony TV. And at the same time, the audio signal carried to the TV by the first HDMI will then (using the second HDMI which is plugged into the TV HDMI/ARC socket on the TV) carry the audio from the TV to the Home Cinema Box? Hope this all makes sense, I have have read it back to myself and I am confused LOL. Thanks Emma xxx

 

[JayCee]

Yes, you need another HDMI cable and connect it from your BT box to HDMI1 on the TV, get another HDMI cable and connect it to the HDMI3 ARC input and the other end to the ARC terminal of your Home Cinema.

 

[EmmalLouise82]

That's brilliant, so off to the shops I go then for a 2nd cable! I was getting confused, because I thought you could only select one HDMI input on the TV at any one time, so it seemed a bit strange having the two HDMI cables going into the TV, but I guess the ARC cable can work as the same time as the HDMI1 cable. Really impressed with how helpful people are on here, what a fab forum!!! Thanks ever so much Emma xxx

 

[JayCee]

You're welcome, just don't be talked into buying anything expensive or described as gold-plated etc.
As long as it's marked Hi-speed that's all you need.