SKY Q/TV/Surround/ Blue Ray player connections

[JoeBlogger1]

Hi. I have an LG G2 tv and Panasonic 820 blue ray player. I am getting Sky Q installed in a couple of weeks. I am also collecting my new Sony HT A9 Atmos surround system. Can anyone guide me as to what is best to connect to what, in regard to connections.

If using the second earc hdmi connection on the tv, do I need to also connect the sky Q to the tv also with optical out to get surround sound through the HT A9.

Also is it worth or do I also need to separate the Blue Ray player sound with an HDMI going from the Blue Ray player to the HT A9.  This is what iam expecting connection wise.

Any help much appreciated.

[PandJ2020]

An ARC HDMI socket makes not sense for the Q.  (Audio Return Channel is a way of the TV sending Audio to the amp - no point sending it to the Q box...)

Personally, I'd avoid EARC for the Q as it's notorious for causing sound synchronisation issues.  Connect the Q to the Amp and then the Amp to the ARC on the TV.

For Q AV will flow through the amp to the TV.  Anything on the TV (e.g. native apps, aerial) will send audio to the amp.

I'd also pipe the BR through the Amp too.  EDIT: it seems the Amp has only 1 HDMI input - so you'll have to plug the BR into the TV after all.

[nigea99]

hi @JoeBlogger1 

Looking at the manual it does seem the Sony does have one separate HDMI input

As @PandJ2020 says the second eARC port on your TV has no bearing for SKY or your blu-ray player

ARC stands for Audio Return Channel is used from your TV to Audio equipment such as your Sound bar or an AV Amp.  Thus your Sound bar  must be connected to one of them .Many TVs only have one ARC/eARC enabled port.

Personally I would suggest you connect the blu-ray player to your Sony Sound bar - although this  may depend on whether you get lip-Synch issues with SKy Q or indeed the blu-ray player if going via the TV & using eARC

The reason I suggest plugging the blu-ray player into your Sound bar rather than the SKY Q box is that blu-rays have uncompressed sound usually DTS HD Master - although some have Dolby True HD and Atmos - bit rates for these often average around 2-4 Mbps (Some of my Atmos discs go up to around 8-9 Mbps) whereas SKY Q uses Dolby Digital + with a maximum of 1 Mbps  

Although eARC is designed for the higher bit rate (ordinary ARC  can't be used for such biitrates -i.e. above 1Mbps) , personally, I would use a direct route rather than going via the TV & relying on eARC

edit : In case you wondering SKY Q does not need an HDMI 2.1 port although it can use one

[nigea99]

oops @JoeBlogger1 

I forgot to say, no you don't use any optical connection - the Sony doesn't have one.

Optical is lower standard than HDMI & your TV will only have an optical out not an input, assuming it has one

[PandJ2020]

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@nigea99 wrote:

hi @JoeBlogger1 

Personally I would suggest you connect the blu-ray player to your Sony Sound bar - although this  may depend on whether you get lip-Synch issues with SKy Q or indeed the blu-ray player if going via the TV & using eARC

The reason I suggest plugging the blu-ray player into your Sound bar rather than the SKY Q box is that blu-rays have uncompressed sound usually DTS HD ...

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Good point - if the Q, TV and Amp all play nicely 😊

[JoeBlogger1]

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@nigea99 wrote:

oops @JoeBlogger1 

I forgot to say, no you don't use any optical connection - the Sony doesn't have one.

Optical is lower standard than HDMI & your TV will only have an optical out not an input, assuming it has one

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Hi. Thanks for your help. Much appreciated. I shall give this new layout a try. Hopefully no lip sync issues.

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