Inter-IC Sound (I2S) via High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) offers an alternative method for transmitting digital audio signals compared to Audio Return Channel (ARC). ARC is a feature of HDMI designed to send audio from a display device, such as a television, back to an audio receiver or soundbar using a single HDMI connection. I2S over HDMI, on the other hand, utilizes the HDMI cable to transmit raw digital audio data in the I2S format, potentially bypassing the limitations of ARC’s compressed audio transmission in certain implementations.
The potential advantages of I2S over HDMI lie in its capacity to transmit uncompressed, high-resolution audio. This can result in a superior audio experience, particularly when dealing with high-fidelity audio sources. Furthermore, I2S bypasses the need for encoding and decoding, which may introduce latency or signal degradation. ARC’s historical development was motivated by simplifying cabling and reducing the number of connections required between devices.