Using ARC to Enhance Golf Sims and Multimedia Entertainment

A significant portion of people interested in setting up an indoor golfing simulator with a projector also prefer to use the same space as a home entertainment area. That means movies, TV streaming, and increasingly also gaming, as in video games with consoles such as PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

This trend enjoys support from the evolving design of golf simulator projectors, which now share many of the features and core technologies of home entertainment projectors. One key aspect is that your projector needs to be equipped with a feature that will make creating your own multimedia center and home theater an even smoother and more straightforward process, and by that we are talking about ARC.

ARC, or Audio Return Channel, is a smart protocol that works as part of the HDMI standard and helps simplify complicated audiovisual set-ups and reduces the number of cables you need.

To take advantage of HDMI ARC, usually you’ll need an audio processor (AV receiver or soundbar) with matching ARC-enabled HDMI ports and used as an HDMI switch. This is essential when you build a golf simulator that combines multimedia entertainment functions. You can connect your PC that has the golf sim software installed, streaming devices such as Apple TV, game consoles, and Blu-ray players to the AV receiver or soundbar, then run a single cable to a projector that supports ARC. Sound from all devices connected to the AV receiver then routes through the projector using just one cable.

With ARC, a single HDMI cable connected to the projector sends sound back to an audio system as a two-way street, allowing your projector to be connected to an AV receiver or soundbar and easily output audio for the projector’s native content. That is, a single connection between a projector and any compatible sound system delivers signals from all sources connected to the AV receiver or soundbar.

1. Connect your video devices to non-ARC HDMI in ports on your soundbar or AV receiver. You can also connect your video devices to non-ARC HDMI in ports on your projector if there aren’t enough HDMI ports on your receiver or soundbar.

2. Connect the HDMI port labelled “ARC” on your projector to the HDMI port labelled “ARC” on your soundbar or AV receiver.

3. Enable RAW+ in the settings menu of your projector.

*Note: Enable RAW on projectors that only support ARC audio compatibility.

• Open the Advanced Menu and select Display sub-menu
• Find HDMI Settings and make sure HDMI EDID and Electronic Control is on
• Go to Audio Return+ and switch to Raw or Raw+

4. Enable CEC/ARC on your sounbar or AV recriver.

BenQ 4K golf simulators LK936ST and TK700STi offer full support for ARC. They give users an immersive multi-dimensional experience with enhanced audio detail and depth for better golfing, home theater, and gaming experiences.