Review on OREI eARC 4K 60Hz Audio Extractor Converter - HDMI 2.0 ARC Support - HDCP 2.2 - Dolby Digital/DTS Passthrough - HDR, Dolby Vision HDR10 Support by Mark Greenwood

My Pioneer receiver is a few years old and doesn't support HDMI 4K so I bypassed it with a PS4 Pro with direct HDMI connection to my display Then got it I used the PS4's optical output to reconnect my receiver to the system. The PS5 doesn't have an optical audio output, oops. So now I needed such a box. I felt that this product currently costs a little more - $55 for an "only" audio extractor. I was seduced by Orei's 1x2 HDMI splitter with the same built-in audio extraction capabilities, which was actually cheaper. However, this device's unique ARC support told me it was cutting edge (and these days, format compatibility depends on "bandwidth"). And I've had terrible luck with HDR10 HDMI splitting, so I went for it. I'm glad I did. After a full day of use, I had no video artifacts, clipping, or anything negative that is all too common with HDMI cables and accessories like this. I also use Hue Sync, and if you do a lot of HDMI work, you know that every extra cable connection (I call it a "crossover") increases the chances of things going wrong. As I said, not my case with this device. In the last jump, I switched this built-in between the Hue Sync output and before the display input. This allowed me to use any of Hue Sync's 4 inputs to send high quality audio to my receiver, with Hue Sync acting as an HDMI switch. So, for those looking for confirmation before buying, my setup looks like this: PS5 HDMI out to PSVR in, PSVR out to Hue sync in, Hue sync out to Orei Audio Extractor in, Orei HDMI output to display input (and optical audio on the receiver course). I switched the EDID setting accordingly, and voila! I have full DTS audio from my PS5 receiver and 4K (2180p) HDR10 on my display. One thing to note: this is not an HDMI splitter, despite the two outputs. ports. The second HDMI port is for audio only and outputs a 720P black screen. However, you can use this connection with another HDMI-capable device, e.g. a soundbar, when you need flexibility. The only downside is that the guide is very small (actual text size requires a magnifying glass) and very basic. It doesn't really explain the function of using the EDID or ARC selection buttons. I'll try to check the Orei website, but I found it pretty silly, especially for those less familiar with "technical stuff". The rest of the device is physically plug and play (and yes, it requires the included power adapter). One last note: I don't need ARC so I haven't tested this functionality. I know this may sound silly, but I didn't want to buy this device. Knowing it might support ARC I figured it was most likely using the latest standards, and that assumption seems to have worked out for me. However, I have no reason to assume that it doesn't support ARC properly as it looks like a very well built device that just lacks a decent manual.