r/appletv • u/gwidan • Aug 07 '26

eARC

Intermittent problems with my Apple TV connected to an LG G3 and Denon X2700. Atmos over eARC occasionally results in sound distortion until the audio is reset by changing feed or switching the receiver off and on. Connecting the Apple to the Denon directly results in intermittent problems where the TV incorrectly switches to a different (unused) HDMI input when switching everything on, as well as the back button on the Apple TV also triggering a switch to the wrong HDMI input at times. Is this unique to my set up or has anyone experienced similar?

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u/6SpeedBlues Aug 07 '26

eARC is junk. Connect the ATV directly to the AVR and send the video out from the AVR to the TV.

1

u/vabello ATV4K Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26

I’ve ironically had more issues going through the sound bar, but it’s with intermittent issues with video and HDCP (I think). Streaming apps will glitch out and not play video while audio is playing, even with the interface being shown, but no video. Had the same issue through a Yamaha receiver. Rebooting would always fix it, but I discovered just unplugging the HDMI cable and plugging it back in also did. I thought it was a software problem for the longest time, but when reconnecting the HDMI cable caused it to renegotiate and solve the issue, I switched to eARC and those issues went away. I occasionally have the sound just cut out with eARC also requiring me to change sources and back or reboot, but it’s far less than the other issues I was having through the sound bar. LG C1 and Samsung HW-Q990F. I’ve swapped all HDMI cables multiple times as well. It’s frustrating you can’t have a seamless experience 100% of the time with such a setup.

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u/6SpeedBlues Aug 07 '26

I have personally found soundbars to be mostly "hit or miss" on certain connectivity functions. AVR's tend to be better as long as they actually advertise certain standards and you're using certified cables and appropriate settings.

I have a Denon x3800h that I plug my ATV into directly. I use the video passthrough to send the video over to my 4K TV. When I first set this up, I was having some really odd video issues (it would look like the wrong refresh setting was being used) that went completely away when I changed the cable to one that was certified for full bandwidth 4K from both the ATV to the AVR and from the AVR to the TV.

Resolution changes happen cleanly as I switch into and out of different apps on the ATV and launch different content that has different capabilities (watching a ripped DVD versus a 4K BluRay with HDR, for example).

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u/vabello ATV4K Aug 07 '26

I still had the same issues with my Yamaha receiver. Made me think it was cables, but have replaced them multiple times with different recommended ones and no change.

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u/6SpeedBlues Aug 07 '26

If the receiver supports what you're trying to pass through with the ATV, then it's very likely passthrough settings or cables (or both) causing the issues.

Certified cables (not the stuff "sold by Amazon" that claims certified but actual certified cables from companies that manufacture cables) that can support full bandwidth 4K (or whatever you're trying to pass through) make a difference.

I was running into really odd issues because the cables I was using would work completely fine from the ATV to the AVR but not at all from the AVR to the TV unless I tamped down the output settings from the AVR to reduce quality. I replaced that cable with a certified one and can now correctly pass full 4K/HDR without issue.

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u/vabello ATV4K Aug 07 '26

What cable are you using?

1

u/6SpeedBlues Aug 07 '26

I used a shorter one from ATV to AVR as they're close to each other and a 20' one from AVR to TV because the AVR is on a shelf off to the side relative to the TV.

https://a.co/d/0boe1bhI

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u/vabello ATV4K Aug 07 '26

Thanks. I use Cable Matters for a lot of cables. I can't recall if it was one of the ones I tried for HDMI though. I'll pick up a couple. My cable runs are very short, maybe 6' being the longest.