Sony A1 and Denon x6400H Still having ARC issues

[paulgits]

Has anyone had any success with the Sony and Denon over ARC. Firmware on both is upto date. ARC is switched on on the amp but still unable to get sync to recognise the amp. Tried different HDMI leads and this is actually the second new amp as the first had network issues. Anyone using the same set up and managed to get Sync to recognise the amp.

Thanks

Paul

[kinggo01]

I don't have A1 and 6400 but I still have sony/denon combo and I'll just say that at the end I went back to optical. One cable more but 37 random issues less.

ARC/CEC is a mess and will forever stay that since manufacturers can mess around with implementation. In most cases it will, work. At least when it comes to transferring sound but that idea of one remote to rule them all just won't.

For me, once I found the cable that works, the biggest issue was that despite the fact that I switched all the controls OFF my AVR was still randomly switching input when TV was turned on or it was turning on the TV. But the most annoying thing was that in case of me listening some other than TV source and then my TV switched input, sound level was way lower than before. And switching back to previous input was the same. The only way to restore normal volume on certain position on the scale was to power cycle the AVR. ANd since that was happening a few times per day I gave up and I'm fine with it.

[paulgits]

Many thanks for thr reply. You begin to doubt yourself. I actually upgraded the Denon thinking that I would get Atmos over Netflix previously having the 6200 but sadly no. Stuck with optical then until eARC is released but if DV is anyting to go by which incidentally, I have got working , but had to do a manual upgrade as the automatic software update didnt recognise that there was a new update available

[dutchice · Accepted solution]

It took me 6 different cables before I finally got it working. But I got to admit that I have the A1 working with the STR-DN1080 100% flawlessly. To be honest I cannot be any more happy with the way they work together. Not a single random issue. But I suppose it was for a reason that you preferred the DENON.

1. In any case first thing is to make sure that you are using a cable which is known to work 100%. I recommend you buy the Belkin Ultra High Speed 4K cable that is also known as the Apple TV 4K Dolby Vision cable (AV10175ds2M-BLK). I know an expensive cable is not always the best or even necessary, but in this case you need to rule out it's not the improper shielding of the cable that is causing the fault. So just order it.
2. Second thing is to rule out any other device connected to your AVR is somehow interfering with the HDMI ARC handshake. So to test, connect ONLY the A1 from HDMI 3 ARC to your DENON on the HDMI MONITOR 1 ARC output. That means have all other HDMI inputs and outputs disconnected on the DENON.
3. Third is to reboot both devices and then enable ARC on both devices through the menu. Rebooting the devices prior to this step is often overseen by many. It clears out any previous connection faults or errors in both devices from the interfaces. So do it.

Also out of own experience, if you are managing your cables on the back, make sure that none of the power leads are binned together with any of the other A/V cables. Especially with HDMI or Ethernet cables. This can seriously cause wired undesired results due to interference, in particular when a device is turning on or off.

[paulgits]

Thanks Dutchie

Did as you said stripped it down, only connected the ARC HDMI cable and it worked. When I connected the SKY and Media box it disconnected straight away. From a process of elimination I suspect it was a ferrite block, connected to the mains adaptor connecting to the media player causing the problem as this was compressed through a small opening in the back of my cabinet along with the HDMI cables and mains connections. Although both were positioned on a different shelf to the amp it appears the block was touching one of the HDMI cables connecting to the amp. It was this that was causing me the problem and possibly had been my ARC issue with both this TV, and my previous one. I for one was sceptical ARC could be affected if this way so kudos the Dutchie for explaining how orther connected devices could be an issue.  Many Many thanks.

[dutchice]

Give yourself a pat on the back, you earned it!

[paulgits · Accepted solution]

Just a quick update. The problem was actually my Himedia Q5 media player but some reading further Humax players can also disable the ARC function for some TVs . It doesnt matter whether the player is switched on or not , as soon as its connected to the HDMI input on the amp it disabled ARC automatically. I was told to purchase a HMDI connector with pin 4 disabled. These are marketed as CEC less adaptors.

Connected this to the player and no issues whatsoever.

So my issue was not with the TV or amp it was with a totally seperate connected device. For those of you with ARC issues it might be also worth checking if a seperate device is causing similar issues so a CEC less adaptor might be worth trying. 

[dutchice]

Great to hear back from you and thank you for posting back your findings. It certainly helps many others in situations just like yourself.