Connecting Sony HT Rt3 sound bar to Himedia Q10

[cutefix]

Greetings guys.. Is it possible to use a Sony sound bar for my HI media Q10 pro.? I just want to boost the sound of my vedio to a home theater. This is the specs for the sound bar:https://www.sony.com.ph/electronics/sound-bars/ht-rt3/specifications. My problem is this ARC HDMI which is not found in my circa 2010 Sony TV. I  will attach a pics for your reference. I look for your valued opinions. BTW actually there are 4 HDMI slots in my TV. The HDMI #2 is on the side of the TV which I used to connect my previous DVD type home theater system.

[Mount81]

If you TV doesn't have ARC output, you best chance is to connect the Bar with the optical directly to the Box. You possibly only will have DD 5.1 and all other formats converted to 2.0 channel LPCM this way. For DD 5.1 set it the SPDIF to RAW, and for the rest set it to LPCM all the time in the Box's Settings->Playback menu. As your soundbar only supports these formats, so it might be a little inconvenient.

I would consider a newer soundbar or more preferably a meaner sound system that also supports at least both DD and DTS 5.1 on the SPDIF (optical or coax) or on a HDMI input. 

[cutefix]

I have never tweaked yet the Himedia Q10 for that Spdif Raw so it sound new to me. 😁So does it mean that the sound quality will not be optimized for the  Ht-rt3 sound barconnection.?
What can you recommend that is best for home theater sound aside from sound bar..?

[Mount81]

I would advise you to check out the AVS forum, and ask there regarding the options. You could get a relatively cheap used 5.1 AVR that supports at least DD and DTS formats, possibly with a set of corresponding speaker set, that's ain't a bad starting point at all as for Home Theater audio. 

But the limit is the sky both in quality and price, for HD 7.1 audio support you will need a much-much more pricey AVR and speakers.

Till, I would advice that you connect your current soundbar with the optical input to the Box and set the SPDIF to RAW in the Playback menu, this way you will have DD in 5.1 at least. So when playing a video (and there is such a track), always switch the audio track to DD (AC3) in the Player menu and you can still enjoy 5.1 surround.