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Originally Posted by retiredguy123
Correcting your second paragraph about optical cables, I control both the TV and the soundbar using one remote, which is the Xfinity remote. One button turns on the TV and the soundbar and the same remote also controls the soundbar volume. No need to use the soundbar or the TV remotes.
Also, regarding HDMI ARC or eARC for audio sound. I tried using an HDMI cable from my TV to my Pioneer receiver to get the best sound. Every time I turned on the system, it made a loud noise, and there was a delay while the audio signal was redirected to the HDMI cable. And, sometimes the connection failed altogether. So, I connected the TV audio output directly to the receiver using an optical cable, and everything worked great. I found that the sound quality with an optical cable is virtually identical to the HDMI ARC sound quality for almost every digital format, including Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS, and other formats. There may be a slight difference if you are using one of the latest high end audio digital formats, which are basically unavailable in today's audio content for movies and music. I would not recommend using an HDMI (ARC or eARC) cable to deliver audio to a soundbar or a receiver.
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On your 1st point, optical is very probably not what is controlling your soundbar. Your remote is likely set up to do so via IR. While that works for many bars, some use RF to control them. I was a little strong in my words, many soundbars will require a seperate remote to operate, but if you make sure you get one compatible with existing IR remote you can map it to it. But the TV itself will not control any soundbars through optical. 100% true for volume, and a very high percentage true for power on/off. I just got rid of a soundbar with optical only, and RF remote, because it did not work with remotes like Spectrum etc.
I stand by eArc being the way to go. You get the control functionality, and the best sound available. For example, optical does not do Dolby Atmos. In most case I agree optical sounds as good, but is the dated and losing allot of ground (aka Atmos). Dolby Atmos is available through Amazon Prime, Apple, and others on a limited basis already. A simple Google search confirms this point......eArc HDMI first.