Of the VAX01201 is a special one HDMI splitter that can solve a common problem. Namely the distribution of 4K HDR video on the one hand and 7.1 audio on the other. There are very few sound systems that support 4K HDR. Even the good and expensive systems of recent years cannot do this. The VAX01201 removes the video signal and replaces it with a black screen. And the sound system can already process the signal from the 4k HDR HDMI source! The television receives the unadulterated 4K HDR audio and video signal on the other output.
The Audio Return Channel (ARC) is a bit tricky here. With ARC, the internal sound of the television is transmitted to the sound system. For example, sound from cable TV / satellite TV or the Smart TV app. Most televisions have an HDMI socket labeled "HDMI-ARC" for this purpose. The TV sound is only output here, the other HDMI connections cannot do this. ARC must be activated on the TV.
On some TVs (e.g. some from Sony), ARC cannot be used without HDMI-CEC. If you use ARC and the VAX01201 on such a TV, you will get a "Communication Error" message. The reason is that there is no direct HDMI connection. HDMI-CEC does not work from the TV through the VAX01201 to the AVR. Depending on the model, the ARC still works, but sometimes not.
Solution: If you have an available HDMI port on your sound system and TV, you can also make a direct connection.
If you still have free HDMI connections and would also like to hear the TV sound via your system, you should use option 1 for the connection. The sound system is connected to the TV HDMI ARC socket. The ARC button on the VAX01201 then has no effect. Advantage: You can then regulate the TV volume as usual with the TV remote control.
If you don't have any free HDMI ports, you can skip direct wiring and use an option 2 connection. The VAX01201 is connected to the TV HDMI-ARC socket. The volume control in ARC mode is then still possible with the AVR remote control.
These notes only refer to the ARC mode! If you only distribute the signal from your HDMI source, you don't have to take this into account.
With most televisions, digital stereo sound or 5.1 (AC3 / DTS) can be delivered via HDMI-ARC. The latest LG televisions can also output 7.1 sound in eAC3 / Dolby Digital Plus or Dolby Atmos via ARC. This requires a direct HDMI connection between the TV and the sound system, as shown above.
If you are using an older AV receiver that supports Dolby Digital Plus but no HDMI ARC, this will not work. When playing from the TV via HDMI ARC, a maximum of AC3 / DTS 5.1 is possible. However, you can operate such an AV receiver from an external HDMI source with the VAX01201 with higher-quality audio formats.