How to Connect a Yamaha RX-V685 to a TV With HDMI ARC

To connect a Yamaha RX-V685 to a TV with HDMI ARC, run one HDMI cable from the TV’s ARC port to the receiver’s HDMI OUT 1 jack, then press SETUP and set “Video/HDMI” > “HDMI Control” > “HDMI Control” to “On.” ARC is already on by default. Once your TV is also set to send sound to the receiver, TV audio plays through your speakers on the receiver’s “AUDIO1” input.

The step most people miss is that HDMI Control ships turned off on the RX-V685. Plug everything in correctly and you’ll get a picture but no TV sound until you switch it on. You also need a TV whose HDMI port supports ARC, and an HDMI cable that supports ARC. If your TV doesn’t have ARC, skip to the optical section below.

What you need

• A TV with an ARC port. Yamaha points out that not every HDMI jack on a TV supports ARC. Look for the port labeled “ARC” (on newer TVs it may say “eARC”). Your TV’s manual will say which one it is.
• An HDMI cable that supports ARC. You only need one. It carries the picture to the TV and brings the TV’s sound back to the receiver.
• The receiver’s HDMI OUT 1 jack. The RX-V685 has two HDMI outputs, but only HDMI OUT 1 accepts TV audio through ARC. Yamaha says HDMI Control doesn’t work on HDMI OUT 2 at all.
• Your TV remote and the receiver remote. You’ll change settings on both.

Step 1: Make the HDMI connection

1. Turn off the TV and the receiver.
2. Plug one end of the HDMI cable into the TV’s ARC (or eARC) port.
3. Plug the other end into HDMI OUT 1 on the back of the RX-V685.
4. Connect your other video gear (Blu-ray player, streaming box, game console) to the receiver’s HDMI 1-5 inputs, not to the TV. That way their sound goes straight to the receiver.

Step 2: Turn on HDMI Control and check the ARC settings

Turn on the receiver and the TV, and set the TV to the HDMI input the receiver is connected to so you can see the on-screen menu.

1. Press SETUP on the receiver remote.
2. Select “Video/HDMI” and press ENTER.
3. Select “HDMI Control” and press ENTER.
4. Set “HDMI Control” to “On.” More settings appear once it’s on.
5. Check that “ARC” is set to “On.” That’s the factory setting, so it usually is.
6. Leave “TV Audio Input” on “AUDIO1” unless you have a reason to change it. This is the input the receiver uses for TV sound, including sound that comes in over ARC.
7. Choose a “Standby Sync” option (explained below). “Auto” is the default and works for most people.
8. Press SETUP to close the menu.

Step 3: Set up the TV

Menu names are different on every TV brand, so check your TV’s manual for the exact wording. You’re looking for two settings:

• HDMI control (CEC). Turn it on. TV makers often give this feature their own brand name.
• Sound output. Change it from the TV’s built-in speakers to the receiver or external audio system. If ARC has its own on/off switch on your TV, turn that on too.

Step 4: Link the devices the way Yamaha recommends

Yamaha lays out a specific power sequence so the TV, receiver and players recognize each other. It’s worth doing once now, and again any time you add a new device that uses HDMI Control.

1. Make sure HDMI Control is on for the receiver, the TV, and any players that support it.
2. Turn off the TV’s main power. Then turn off the receiver and your playback devices.
3. Turn on the receiver and your playback devices. Then turn on the TV.
4. Switch the TV’s input so it shows the picture coming from the receiver.
5. On the receiver, check that the input for your playback device is selected. Select it yourself if it isn’t.
6. Check that the player’s picture shows up correctly on the TV.
7. Test the link: turn the TV off, or change the volume with the TV remote, and watch whether the receiver follows along.

Step 5: Test TV sound

1. Use the TV remote to switch to a TV program or a built-in TV app.
2. Look at the receiver’s front display. It should switch to “AUDIO1” on its own.
3. Listen for the TV’s sound through your speakers. If you hear it, ARC is working.

The automatic switch to AUDIO1 happens because HDMI Control is on. When you later go back to a player connected to the receiver, select that input again, or let HDMI Control switch it for you.

What HDMI Control lets you do

Turning on HDMI Control does more than enable ARC. According to Yamaha’s manual, your TV remote can then:

• Turn the receiver on and off (standby)
• Change the volume and mute
• Switch the receiver to TV audio when you use the TV’s tuner
• Switch between the TV’s speakers and the receiver for sound

“Standby Sync” decides what happens to the receiver when the TV turns off:

Standby Sync	What it does
Off	The receiver stays on when the TV turns off.
On	The receiver goes to standby whenever the TV turns off.
Auto (default)	The receiver goes to standby with the TV only when it’s playing TV audio or HDMI signals. If you’re listening to another source, such as the radio, it keeps playing.

No ARC on your TV? Use an optical cable

If your TV doesn’t support ARC, Yamaha’s answer is a digital optical cable. You still need the HDMI cable for the picture.

1. Connect the TV’s optical audio output to the receiver’s AUDIO 1 (OPTICAL) jack. Remove any protective caps from the cable tips first.
2. Keep “TV Audio Input” set to “AUDIO1,” since that matches the jack you used. If you plugged into a different audio jack, pick that one instead.
3. To hear the TV, select AUDIO1 on the receiver. With HDMI Control on, the receiver switches there by itself when you change to the TV’s tuner.

What about eARC?

Yamaha’s current RX-V685 spec sheet lists “HDMI eARC: Yes (via firmware update).” The online owner’s manual only covers ARC, and it doesn’t describe a separate eARC setting. The hookup and settings above are what Yamaha documents. If your TV’s port says eARC, use that port. Keeping the receiver’s firmware current is the other half, and our RX-V685 firmware update guide covers how. For what the two standards actually carry, see ARC vs. eARC explained.

Troubleshooting: no TV sound through the receiver

Work through these in order. Most come straight from Yamaha’s own troubleshooting pages for this problem.

1. The TV is still using its own speakers. Change the TV’s audio output setting to the external audio system or receiver.
2. ARC is turned off somewhere. Set “ARC” in the receiver’s Setup menu to “On,” and turn ARC on in the TV’s settings too.
3. The cable is in the wrong TV port. Move it to the port marked “ARC.” Also confirm it’s in HDMI OUT 1 on the receiver, not HDMI OUT 2.
4. The TV doesn’t support ARC. An HDMI cable alone won’t carry its sound. Use the optical connection above.
5. TV Audio Input doesn’t match an optical hookup. If you’re using an audio cable, set “TV Audio Input” to the jack it’s actually plugged into.
6. HDMI Control is still off. Check it under SETUP > “Video/HDMI” > “HDMI Control.” It’s off from the factory, so a full factory reset puts it back to “Off.”

The sound cuts in and out, or you hear noise

Yamaha’s fix for dropouts is to set “ARC” to “Off” and bring TV sound in with a digital optical cable instead. If the speakers make noise because the TV is sending an audio signal the receiver can’t handle over ARC, Yamaha suggests turning ARC off and using the TV’s speakers for that content.

The receiver doesn’t turn on or off with the TV

• Check that HDMI Control is on in both the receiver and the TV.
• Check the TV’s “audio output priority” setting, which Yamaha names as a possible cause.
• Too many connected HDMI Control devices can confuse the link. Turn off HDMI Control on devices you don’t need it for.
• After a power outage, the link can fall out of sync. Yamaha’s fix: disconnect the HDMI cables and power cables, wait five minutes, then reconnect the playback devices first, then the receiver, then the TV.

Picture is missing on the TV

Press HDMI OUT on the remote to cycle through the output choices. You need “HDMI OUT 1” or “HDMI OUT 1+2” selected for the TV on HDMI OUT 1. “HDMI OUT Off” sends nothing to either jack. If you use both outputs at once, Yamaha notes that the receiver sends the highest resolution both screens can handle, so a lower-resolution second screen can hold back your main TV.

Quick answers

Can I use HDMI OUT 2 for my main TV?

You can get a picture there, but you lose HDMI Control, and ARC comes in through HDMI OUT 1. Put the TV you watch most on HDMI OUT 1.

Why does the input keep jumping to AUDIO1?

With HDMI Control on, the receiver switches to TV audio whenever the TV switches to its built-in tuner. That’s how ARC is meant to work. To play something else, select its input on the receiver.

Do I have to redo this if I add a new player?

Yes. Yamaha says to repeat the link-up sequence in Step 4 every time you add a new device that uses HDMI Control.

Yamaha’s manual has the full details on the Audio Return Channel (ARC), HDMI Control and synchronized operations, and the no TV sound troubleshooting pages.