Are you all ARC'd up and ready to sing!
It's common today to get calls from customers wanting to use their Smart TV to provide all the karaoke action either using a Karaoke App, Karaoke Streaming Service or good old YouTube!
That's the easy part, getting the sound out of the TV into something so you can sing-along with another issue altogether, unless your happy singing with a hair brush microphone of course.
Many newer TV's feature the HDMI ARC connection, the ARC stands for Audio Return Channel and now we can use this special connection to output the sound from your Smart TV into either a Karaoke Mixer or Karaoke Powered Speaker either unit also features 2 UHF Wireless Microphones.
The ARC connection is different from a standard HDMI port so much sure its labelled "ARC" else you will not be able to use it, that said if you don't have the HDMI ARC you will more than likely have a Optical Audio Output which can also be used to get the sound from the Smart TV into again either a Karaoke Mixer or Karaoke Powered Speaker.
I don't use the word "KARAOKE" loosely here as our Karaoke devices are especially designed for this purpose and for example a standard DJ mixer will not have either a Optical or the HDMI ARC input, this principal also applies to our range of specifically made karaoke powered speakers which have these unique inputs as well as karaoke music and vocal mixer in-built, these features are just not found on any powered speaker.
So we have two options and the first is the ACNOS Mi-30s Karaoke Mixer (by SoncaMedia), this device is designed to work with your Smart TV or Phone, Tablet and even your Laptop as it has various input modes (Bluetooth, Optical, AUX and HDMI ARC) to accommodate all these types of devices.
Simply connect a 4K HDMI Cable to the Mi-30s from the ARC port on the TV then we have two options to get the sound out of the Mi-30s to your Home Theatre System, Hifi System, Powered Speaker or Sound Bar being AUX Out or Optical Output.
So your sound system (Home Theatre System, Hifi System, Powered Speaker or Sound Bar) will need to have either AUX input (RCA or 3.5mm Inputs) or an Optical Input, then the sound will flow from the TV (via HDMI ARC) to the Mi-30s and back out to your sound system, and the Mi-30s will enable you to MIX your Vocals and the Music whilst you sing-along with the two UHF Wireless Microphones.
Pro-Tip: Make sure your sound system has the required AUX or Optical INPUTS before purchasing the Mi-30s, especially for some sound bars as they may only have the HDMI ARC meaning it cannot be used, as the ARC connection on the Mi-30s is to get the audio OUT of your TV INTO the Mi-30s as we still have to get the audio back out and into your sound system!
Now for the Karaoke Powered Speaker option KBEATBOX also produced by SoncaMedia has a model with the HDMI ARC input the FLAC 36 again so you can directly connect the Smart TV with this unique connection.
The FLAC 36 also features Bluetooth, Optical Input and AUX inputs again offering many ways to connect to your devices, in-built karaoke music and vocal mixer on top which also offers you in addition to the standard Echo control Delay and Reverb Level Controls. This model also has a separate volume control just for the music (source) level as well as a master volume control giving singers the ultimate control of the overall sound mixing output from this 200 Watts (RMS) power house with its timber road case (leather wrapped) descretely hiding a 8" Woofer and 2 4" Tweeters and 2 NEO Tweeters producing an sensational sound.
The FLAC 36 has proven to be a very popular choice in the compact line-up from KBEATBOX and you will be extremely impressed by its features and sound quality.
So there you have it two options for using the HDMI ARC for your karaoke experience!
Thanks for reading and if I can be of any help just reach out on 1300 550 630 or take a deep dive with my Best Practices Karaoke Guides, Volume's 1 & 2 which are dedicated to Karaoke Powered Speaker and Mixers and will tell you everything you need to know before you purchase anything, thanks again! Tim
Connectivity TIP: Now one thing to keep in mind when using either the HDMI ARC or OPTICAL connections from your TV is that, you'll need to change the TV's sound settings.
Simply adding either cable to your TV will not magically send the signal through the Mi-30s Mixer or any of the KBEATBOX Karaoke Powered Speaker Systems.
So firstly you'll need to change the MODE of operation for either the (Mixer or Karaoke Speaker) to that of HDMI ARC or OPTICAL as the default to BLUETOOTH when switched on.
Then we need to change the TV's audio output by selecting either HDMI ARC or the OPTICAL Output which may also be called (PCM or SPDIF).
Please Note: If the TV has these audio ports there will be a sound setting to select it, generally once selected the TV's speakers will stop working as the sound is being sent out to an external device (Mixer or Karaoke Speaker) so refer to the user manual if you’re having troubles or contact the retailer of the TV or manufacturer for assistance in order to activate it.
If you are using a Sound Bar already by HDMI ARC and want to use the OPTICAL Cable for your Karaoke, you will need to disconnect the HDMI ARC as it will overide the other, only one cable can be connected at anyone time.