AVPro Edge just added a product capable of extracting the audio signal from within the eARC channel of HDMI 2.1 and transmitting the data up to 100 meters (328 feet) over category cable to a centralized audio distribution system.

The AC-AEX-DEARC-KIT is a transmitter-receiver combo designed for audio signal codec transfer (no video data is processed) from a television to a centralized system distribution location using the eARC feature in HDMI 2.1. With “nearly 30 times the audio bandwidth capacity of optical connections,” eARC delivers onboard TV App high-bitrate lossless codecs, or ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV Dolby AC-4 tuner audio, to an AVR or Preamp-processor. The kit may also transmit TOSLINK or L/R analog audio through multi-use ports.

The overhead for eARC, nearly 37 megabits per second, provides a bandwidth rate equal to eight channels of 192 kHz, 24-bit uncompressed PCM audio. 3D immersive audio codecs such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X are precisely transported by the AC-AEX-DEARC-KIT using Category cable (Cat 6A recommended) for distances as great as 100m/328ft.

Using AVPro Edge’s AP-LINK technology, the AC-AEX-DEARC-KIT monitors and maintains precision audio-with-image synchronization at the display, ensuring an artifact-free presentation for all audio content. The AC-AEX-DEARC-KIT accurately manages the one megabit-per-second bidirectional data signal that is modulated on top of the eARC audio signal, responsible for synchronizing lip-sync correction data, while also handling transmission of the regularly timed “heartbeat” signal to the television (the heartbeat signal controls the muting of built-in TV speakers).