You’ve just settled into your couch, ready to enjoy that blockbuster movie with immersive surround sound through your soundbar. But instead of cinematic audio, you’re stuck with your TV’s tinny speakers. Your Hisense TV’s ARC connection has decided to take a break, and it’s frustrating.
This happens more often than you’d think, and the good news is that most ARC issues aren’t permanent hardware failures. They’re usually software glitches, connection hiccups, or settings that need a bit of tweaking. By the end of this guide, you’ll know exactly what’s causing your ARC troubles and how to get your audio flowing again.
What’s Really Happening When ARC Stops Working
ARC stands for Audio Return Channel, and it’s basically a two-way audio highway built into your HDMI cable. Instead of running separate audio cables from your TV to your soundbar or receiver, ARC lets you use just one HDMI connection for both sending video to your TV and sending audio back out to your sound system. Pretty clever, right?
When ARC stops working, your TV can’t communicate with your external audio device anymore. You might notice your soundbar staying silent while the TV speakers play, or maybe you see error messages popping up on screen. Sometimes the TV doesn’t even recognize that anything’s plugged into the ARC port at all.
The tricky part is that ARC relies on a handshake between your TV and audio device. Both need to speak the same language, follow the same protocols, and agree on audio formats. If anything disrupts this conversation, the whole system falls apart. Your TV might revert to its internal speakers, or you might get no sound at all.
What makes this especially annoying is that ARC can work perfectly for weeks or months, then suddenly stop. A firmware update, a power surge, or even just unplugging the wrong cable can break the connection. That’s why understanding the common culprits helps you fix things faster.
Hisense TV ARC Not Working: Common Causes
Several factors can disrupt your ARC connection, and identifying the right one saves you time and frustration. Let’s look at what usually goes wrong.
1. HDMI Cable Quality Issues
Your HDMI cable might look fine on the outside, but not all cables support ARC properly. Older HDMI cables or cheap knockoffs often lack the wiring needed for the return audio channel to function. Even if the cable works for regular video, it might not handle the bidirectional communication that ARC requires.
Cable damage is another sneaky problem. If you’ve bent the cable sharply, pinched it behind furniture, or yanked it out by the cord instead of the connector, you might have damaged the internal wiring. These tiny breaks aren’t visible, but they’re enough to kill your ARC signal.
The cable connectors themselves can also corrode or collect dust over time. This creates resistance in the connection, which interferes with the delicate ARC signals trying to pass through.
2. Wrong HDMI Port Selection
This one trips up a lot of people. Not every HDMI port on your Hisense TV supports ARC. Usually, only one specific port has ARC capability, and it’s typically labeled “HDMI ARC” or “HDMI 1 (ARC)” right on the TV’s back panel or side.
Plugging your soundbar into HDMI 2 or HDMI 3 won’t work, no matter how much you fiddle with settings. Your TV simply isn’t listening for ARC signals on those ports.
3. CEC Settings Disabled or Misconfigured
HDMI-CEC is the control protocol that lets your TV and soundbar talk to each other. Different manufacturers call it different things. Hisense calls it “CEC” or sometimes “Anynet+,” while your soundbar might call it something else entirely.
If CEC is turned off on either device, they can’t establish the handshake needed for ARC. Your TV won’t recognize the soundbar, and the soundbar won’t know it’s supposed to receive audio from the TV. Both devices need CEC enabled and working properly.
Sometimes CEC gets disabled accidentally through a settings reset, firmware update, or even just by scrolling through menus and changing options without realizing what they do. Other times, there’s a conflict between multiple HDMI-CEC devices connected to your TV, confusing the whole system.
4. Outdated Firmware
Firmware is the software that runs your TV and soundbar. Manufacturers regularly release updates to fix bugs, improve performance, and add compatibility with new devices. If your Hisense TV is running old firmware, it might have bugs that prevent ARC from working correctly.
These updates sometimes specifically address HDMI handshake issues or improve ARC stability. Missing out on them means you’re dealing with problems that have already been solved.
Your soundbar also needs current firmware. If your TV updated but your soundbar didn’t, or vice versa, they might not communicate properly anymore. Compatibility issues between different firmware versions cause more problems than you’d expect.
5. Power and Initialization Problems
Electronic devices can get confused, just like computers that need rebooting. Your TV and soundbar go through a specific startup sequence when powered on, establishing connections and checking what’s plugged in where. If something interrupts this process, ARC might not initialize properly.
Power-saving modes can also interfere. When your TV goes into standby, it might not wake up the ARC connection correctly when you turn it back on. The same goes for your soundbar if it has its own sleep mode.
Electrical interference from other devices, power fluctuations, or even static buildup can disrupt the connection too. These invisible problems create real-world headaches.
Hisense TV ARC Not Working: How to Fix
Ready to get your audio working again? These fixes tackle the most common ARC problems, starting with the simplest solutions.
1. Verify Your HDMI Cable and Port
Start by checking your HDMI cable. Look for any obvious damage like kinks, cuts, or loose connectors. If your cable is more than a few years old or came free with another device, replace it with a certified High Speed HDMI cable that explicitly supports ARC. These cables aren’t expensive, and they make a huge difference.
Next, confirm you’re using the correct HDMI port on your TV. Find the port labeled “HDMI ARC” on your Hisense TV. It’s usually HDMI 1, but check your TV’s manual if you’re not sure. Unplug your soundbar’s HDMI cable from wherever it is now and plug it firmly into the ARC port.
While you’re at it, clean both the cable connectors and the HDMI ports themselves. Use a can of compressed air to blow out any dust, and gently wipe the metal contacts with a clean, dry cloth. Reconnect everything and test your audio.
2. Power Cycle Everything Completely
This sounds too simple to work, but it fixes ARC issues more often than any other solution. Turn off your TV and soundbar using their power buttons, not the remote. Unplug both devices from the wall outlet and wait a full 60 seconds. This drains any residual power and clears their memory.
While everything’s unplugged, disconnect the HDMI cable from both ends. After the minute is up, plug your TV back in first and turn it on. Let it fully boot up and reach the home screen. Then plug in your soundbar, turn it on, and finally reconnect the HDMI cable to both devices. This forces them to rediscover each other and re-establish the ARC connection from scratch.
3. Enable HDMI-CEC on Both Devices
Grab your Hisense TV remote and navigate to Settings. Look for a section called “System,” “External Inputs,” or “Connected Devices.” Find the HDMI-CEC option, which might be labeled as “CEC,” “Anynet+,” or “Device Control.” Turn it on if it’s off.
Now do the same on your soundbar or receiver. Check its settings menu for CEC, HDMI Control, or whatever your brand calls it. Enable that option too. Some soundbars have a dedicated button on the remote for this.
Once both are enabled, turn off both devices again, wait 10 seconds, then power them back on. They should now recognize each other and establish the ARC connection automatically.
4. Configure Your TV’s Audio Output Settings
Press the Settings button on your Hisense remote and go to “Sound” or “Audio” settings. Look for an option called “Audio Output,” “Speaker Settings,” or “Sound Out.” Change this setting from “TV Speakers” to “External Speaker,” “ARC,” “Auto,” or “HDMI ARC,” depending on what options your TV shows.
Some Hisense models also have a “Digital Audio Out” setting that needs to be set to “PCM” or “Auto” rather than “Pass Through” or “Bitstream” for basic ARC functionality. Try different combinations if one doesn’t work.
Save your settings and test your audio with different sources like Netflix, YouTube, or a connected game console. Different apps and inputs sometimes behave differently, so testing multiple sources helps confirm everything’s working.
5. Update Firmware on Both Devices
For your Hisense TV, go to Settings, then “System” or “Support,” and look for “Software Update” or “System Update.” Select “Check for Updates” and let the TV search. If an update is available, download and install it. The TV will restart automatically when done.
Updating your soundbar varies by brand, but most have a similar process in their settings menu. Some require you to download firmware to a USB drive from the manufacturer’s website, then plug the drive into the soundbar. Check your soundbar’s manual or the manufacturer’s support site for specific instructions.
After both updates complete, power cycle everything again using the steps from Fix #2. Fresh firmware combined with a clean restart often resolves stubborn ARC issues.
6. Try Different Audio Format Settings
Some ARC connections struggle with certain audio formats, especially when trying to pass through Dolby Atmos or DTS formats. Go into your TV’s sound settings and look for “Audio Format,” “Digital Audio Format,” or similar options.
Switch from “Auto” to “PCM” or “Stereo.” PCM is a basic audio format that nearly all devices support without issues. Yes, you’ll lose surround sound capabilities temporarily, but this helps you figure out if format compatibility is your problem.
If audio starts working with PCM, your soundbar might not support the advanced formats your TV is trying to send. You can either keep using PCM or check if your soundbar has a firmware update that adds support for more formats.
7. Contact a Professional Technician
If you’ve tried everything and your ARC still won’t work, there might be a hardware problem with your TV’s HDMI board or your soundbar’s input circuitry. At this point, you should reach out to a qualified TV repair technician or contact Hisense support directly.
Don’t attempt to open your TV or soundbar yourself unless you have electronics repair experience. Modern TVs contain components that can hold dangerous electrical charges even when unplugged. A professional can diagnose whether you need a simple repair, a board replacement, or if it’s time to consider a different audio connection method like optical cable.
Wrapping Up
ARC problems with your Hisense TV usually come down to connection issues, settings misconfigurations, or devices that need a fresh start. Most of the time, you can fix these yourself in just a few minutes without any special tools or technical knowledge.
Start with the simple stuff like checking cables and ports, then work your way through the settings and updates if needed. The key is being methodical and testing after each change. Your movie night audio will be back to spectacular before you know it.