Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsUse with 2015 Vizio M55-C2 4K as ARC is unstable
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 28, 2016
I purchased this product to use to replace the ARC (Audio Return Channel) of HDMI 1 on my 2015 Vizio M55-C2 55" 4K Ultra-HD TV. The ARC functionality worked for a while, and then when I switched cable companies, I had to do a Factory Reset on the TV to get the HDMI to go through. When I did that, it messed up the ARC. As the Vizio M55-C2, like most Vizio TVs, passes Dolby Digital Surround from the Optical to the receiver, this worked perfectly. Now, if I choose to use the Amazon, Netflix, or Vudu apps on the TV for the 4K functionality, the audio passes perfectly from the TV to my audio receiver via this TOSLINK cable.
Note that I am doing this setup to delay purchasing a new audio receiver that has HDCP 2.2 encryption functionality. The 15-foot length was perfect to run from the TV, down a cable hiding system, and to my receiver with some room to spare. While HDMI ARC functionality is great, you only need HDMI for audio purposes if you're passing Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, or another lossless audio from a Blu-Ray, Ultra Blu-Ray, or VUDU 4K stream that has Dolby Atmos. If you're only passing Dolby Digital 5.1 Plus or comparable, then a TOSLINK will work fine for your needs. If your goal is to have 4K functionality with lossless audio pass through an A/V receiver, then your receiver has to have the HDCP 2.2 encryption passing through HDMI 2.0 or better.
Other note from something I just recently learned. If you have a 6.1 or 7.1 setup and your audio feed is Dolby Digital 5.1 Plus, do not set your audio receiver to "AUTO." Check to see if you have the Dolby Digital Extended soundfield. I learned that even if it says Dolby Digital 5.1, there is a rear center channel encoded into the audio channel and if you set to EXTENDED, your rear center channel will activate and receive the sound. More can be learned here: [...]
Good luck!
