The ports HDMI from your television are the great standard for connecting devices such as consoles, Blu-ray players or multimedia centers. However, not all connectors are the sameand some of them may hide advanced features that significantly improve your experience.
Therefore, today we are going to talk to you about two types of HDMI port that incorporate a series of additional features that you should know. Thus, depending on these characteristics you can decide what you connect to each of the ports.
HDMI eARC for audio
Nowadays, almost every modern TV you can buy includes at least one HDMI port that supports the eARC standard. This is the improved version of HDMI ARC, whose acronym means something like “Enhanced Audio Return Channel.”
What this technology does is allow you send TV audio to an external sound systemsuch as an AV player or a sound bar. Come on, you can send the audio using the HDMI cable instead of needing to use specific cables for audio.
The difference between the eARC that we find in HDMI 2.1 ports onwards and the old ARC of HDMI 1.4 or 2.0 is that while the old ARC only allows transmitting basic formats such as PCM, Dolby Digital or DTS, the eARC can send high quality audio such as Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Atmos or DTS:X.
Therefore, Your TV’s HDMI eARC allows you to stream high-fidelity audioand is appropriate for connecting your sound bar or speakers to the television. Always keep this in mind so as not to have it busy with other devices.
HDMI-CEC
The other connector that is worth knowing is the HDMI CECwhose acronym stands for “Consumer Electronic Control.” What this port does is facilitate the management of devices connected to the television. You can operate several of them with a single remote control.
This will allow you to use a single remote control, like the one on a TV, to control a sound system, a Blu-ray player, a game console, or other devices you have connected. And when controlled with a single command, it allows all devices turn on or off at the same timeor that you can control everyone’s volume with that single control.
The negative part of this function is that each manufacturer gives it a name commercial, so it can be a little confusing to find out if your TV has it or not. Here is a list of trade names by manufacturer, and remember that they all refer to the same technology:
- Samsung: Anynet+
- Sony: BRAVIA Sync
- LG: Simplink
- Panasonic: VIERA Link
- Phillips: EasyLink
- Toshiba: CE-Link or Regza Link
Here, one last thing you should keep in mind is that the brand of the connected devices does not mattersince regardless of the name, they are all usually compatible with each other.
Other things to look out for
To take advantage of these improvements, the most important thing is to make sure that Your television has HDMI 2.1 ports or higher, since it is the standard that allows you to use all these functions. In addition, not all HDMI connectors on your television will have the same standard or support the same technologies, you will have to pay close attention to each one.
And in addition to the eARC and CEC functions, these ports may also have others focused on those who play on console or PC. For example, there is the VRR, which synchronizes the refresh rate of the television with that of the GPU to avoid interruptions in the image. There’s also ALLM, which automatically activates low latency mode when it detects that a game is running.
In Xataka Basics | HDMI ports on your TV: how to distinguish them, differences and how to know which one to use
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