Sony Soundbar HDMI ARC Not Working — Fix

What it means

Sony soundbar HDMI ARC not working is caused by HDMI Control (Bravia Sync) being off on the TV, the wrong HDMI port being used, or a standard cable that does not support ARC.
Enable HDMI Control and use the ARC-labelled port.

How to Fix It

Use the HDMI ARC port on the TV

The ARC port on Sony Bravia TVs is typically HDMI 3 and labelled ARC next to the port.
Using any other HDMI port will not carry audio back to the soundbar.
Enable HDMI Control on the TV

On Sony Bravia: Settings > External Inputs > HDMI Settings > HDMI Control > On.
Also enable Audio Return Channel in the same menu.
Without both enabled, ARC cannot function.
Set TV audio output to HDMI ARC

Go to TV Settings > Sound > Audio Output > HDMI ARC (or External Speakers on older models).
If set to TV Speaker, the soundbar receives no audio even with ARC active.
Use a High Speed HDMI cable

ARC requires a High Speed HDMI cable or later standard.
Standard HDMI cables may not carry the audio return signal reliably and cause silent ARC failures.
Reset the HDMI device list on the TV

On Sony TV: Settings > External Inputs > HDMI Settings, look for Reset HDMI Connections or Clear HDMI devices.
Confirm, then reboot both devices and test ARC again.
Update TV and soundbar firmware

ARC issues are sometimes caused by firmware bugs.
On Sony TV: Settings > System > Software Update.
For the soundbar, use the Sony Music Centre app to check for available updates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sony soundbar shows ARC connected but no sound?

The ARC link is established but the TV is still routing audio to its own speakers.
Set Audio Output to HDMI ARC in TV sound settings.

Sony soundbar ARC drops connection every few minutes?

This is usually a cable quality issue.
Try a new certified High Speed HDMI cable.
Also update both TV and soundbar firmware, which often fixes ARC stability issues.

Non-Sony TV with Sony soundbar — ARC not working?

Enable HDMI-CEC on your TV (called Anynet+ on Samsung, SimpLink on LG).
If CEC is unavailable, switch to Optical audio, which does not require CEC.