Using the LG channels on CX55

GMcKeown

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I have just upgraded to modern equipment from a 2000-era Pioneer plasma screen to a 55in LG CX OLED and a Denon AVR-S960H.
I have set everything up such that my various inputs (Apple TV, Fire TV, BluRay, Media PC) all come though to the TV correctly and I did the room calibration on the 7.1 speaker set up.
My question is about eARC and how to use it properly. My understanding is that it's audio from the TV back to the AVR and it seems like this is what I need if I use the LG IP Channels that are included in the home menu on the TV. The trouble is I don't get any sound back when I turn those channels on. I could turn on the speakers in the TV, but I want it to be controlled and output by the AVR. Am I misunderstanding what eARC can do for me or am I doing something wrong? Do I maybe need to replace my in-wall HDMI cable to a 2.0 or 2.1 spec cable? I will have to do that once I start upgrading the sources to 4K I suppose, so I should probably start there.

Any advice on correct use & set up of eARC would be appreciated. Thanks
 
Have you got all the eARC / HDMI-CEC options enabled on both the TV and the AVR ?

Turning ARC on should allow you to switch between TV speakers and external speakers in the sound menu and enabling HDMI-CEC ensures that the AVR turns on and off with the TV, plus it allows the AVR volume to be controlled from the TV remote.

On my Yamaha AVR, you map the ARC connection to a chosen input as part of the process and labelling this as 'TV' helps to differentiate it from your other sources.
 
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Thanks mikej, I think that might be part of the problem. I didn't have eARC turned on on the TV side - now I have. The Denon setup assistant had turned it on at the AVR side under 'HDMI Control' which is the CEC part I think, but still no luck.
I can't assign TV Audio to an input when 'HDMI Control' is on and that seems to be the way to accept ARC signals coming back from the TV so I think I need to leave that on. I'm going to have to do a deeper dive into the Denon online manual...
I think I'll also try a different, more modern HDMI cable between the AVR and the TV. I hope I don't need to replace the in-wall run but I think I might have to. Is it even possible to get HDMI 2.1 cables that are 30ft long..?
 
Only HDMI input 2 has eARC

Are you using that to connect the the output on the Denon AVR?
That's really confusing me. HDMI input 2 is the one labeled 'DVD'. I thought (e)ARC was audio return along the same HDMI cable that is used to send the video to the TV, so it would be on the 'Monitor Out' HDMI port not in an input.

I did go back and RTFM more closely. There are two HDMI outputs on the AVR-S960H and it says that only 'Monitor1' has ARC/eARC which is the port I'm using to connect to the TV. It also says however that must use a "high speed HDMI cable with Ethernet" when using eARC. I'm pretty sure that didn't exist in 2001 when I set up my previous system, so I'm pretty sure it's the in-wall cable that's letting me down here.
 
Check you're using the ARC-enabled HDMI port on the TV, which is HDMI 2 by the sounds of it ;)
 
I did go back and RTFM more closely. There are two HDMI outputs on the AVR-S960H and it says that only 'Monitor1' has ARC/eARC which is the port I'm using to connect to the TV. It also says however that must use a "high speed HDMI cable with Ethernet" when using eARC. I'm pretty sure that didn't exist in 2001 when I set up my previous system, so I'm pretty sure it's the in-wall cable that's letting me down here.

If your HDMI cable dates back that far, then that will be a problem. Wikipedia has a useful history of the HDMI spec and as you'll see, ethernet and ARC were added with HDMI 1.4 in 2009 and eARC as recently as HDMI 2.1 in 2017, so earlier revisions won't support these features.

Replacing your old cable with a certified 'Ultra High Speed' (48Gbit/s) HDMI cable that meets the HDMI 2.1 specification would be the way forward.

You'd have to look into any length limitations first though. It's not a subject I'm familiar with but opinions seem to vary, with this link (for example) implying you might have problems pushing a 4K signal down a 30ft HDMI cable. Is relocating the AV gear nearer the TV an option ?
 
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Only HDMI input 2 has eARC

Are you using that to connect the the output on the Denon AVR?
Sorry! Misunderstood. If only the HDMI port 2 on the TV has eARC then that could be the issue too. I'll have to take it back off the wall to change ports though. Should have got one of those brackets that swings out, even though I'd never use it in a swung out position.
 
Mangaged to just sneak my hand behind the screen enough to change to HDMI input 2 on the LG CX. Still no sound from the AVR though. I'll get a new cable and see if that's the issue.
Thanks all for the help so far.
 
Yeah, 2001 cables will not have the bandwidth necessary!

HDMI was barely a thing 20 years ago.
 
Yeah, 2001 cables will not have the bandwidth necessary!

HDMI was barely a thing 20 years ago.
I know, right! :) I never had to deal with these issues with the plasma as it was just a dumb monitor, no tuner, no speakers built in. Now the LG has all sorts of internet-linked services available, though I'm not (yet) using them to replace things like my Apple TV box and Fire TV stick. Maybe one day...

Also I'm hoping for a new 4K or 8K Apple TV launch sometime soon. The one I have is pre-4K but I'm not going to buy the current 4K one which is from ~2017 and must surely be due for replacement. Maybe I'll try the LG built in Apple TV app until then if I can get eARC working.

New cables are inbound and will hopefully fix the problem.
 

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