Who processes the sound when SmartTV app is connected to a soundbar via HDMI-ARC?

[theandruu]

I use my TV's built-in apps to watch Amazon videos, Netflix, Spotify, etc.

If I connect a soundbar to it over HDMI-ARC and the soundbar supports DTS Virtual X but the TV doesn't, will I still get the full benefit of DTS Virtual X?

I'm curious to understand how the sound processing works in this case. Is the TV's sound decoding used at all? Is it passed straight to the soundbar for decoding in DTS Virtual X? Or are they both used somehow, meaning both the TV and soundbar need to support it together?

 

[kanewolf]

The audio is digital going to the receiver of the ARC channel. Whatever device receives that data is who processes it.

As to DTS, it would depend on what type of surround sound the specific source data has.

 

[theandruu]

The audio is digital going to the receiver of the ARC channel. Whatever device receives that data is who processes it.

As to DTS, it would depend on what type of surround sound the specific source data has.

Thanks, kanewolf! To help me be sure I understand, it sounds like the audio is being passed untouched directly from the TV's app to the receiver. Meaning that whether the TV supports DTS-Virtual X or not is immaterial, so long as the receiver does.

I drew this up if it helps explain the example:

https://postimg.cc/VS2G69MP

So even if my TV doesn't support DTS-VX, so long as the Netflix app does, and I use HDMI-ARC, it sounds like the receiver/speaker setup can still output it in DTS-VX. Right?

 

[kanewolf]

Yes, I believe so. I have "a room full of speakers" which is what Virtual X is supposed to avoid, so I have never used DTS VX so I can't say with 100% assurance.