HDMI · audio path planner
Where should the audio leave the route?
Match the content source, sound-system input, return channel, extractor output, and requested audio class.
Audio job
Connector class and codec support are separate
eARC has the transport capacity for high-bitrate formats, but every source, TV, router, extractor, cable, and sound system must still declare and negotiate the requested format. ARC and optical paths are more limited; analog extraction is stereo unless a separate decoder is explicitly involved.