Q Media M2/M3 - Q. My TV doesn't have an ARC (Audio Return Channel) HDMI. Does that mean I can't use my TV remote to control the M3?
Answer:
Not necessarily; our suggestion, if you cannot get audio via the HDMI connection on an
older TV, try adding an optical connection at the same time.
The key feature required to allow your TV's remote handset to control the M3 (including M2) is called CEC (Consumer Electronics Control). This started to appear in TV's from late 2006 with the introduction of HDMI v1.3, but many manufacturers chose to use their own proprietary name for it. The main practical difference compared to HDMI v1.4, (which started to appear in TV's from early 2010), is that a separate Optical digital cable is required to convey the audio, no longer required with HDMI v1.4 because of the integral Audio Return Channel (ARC).