GEOSATpro HDMI - CEC Compliance Question

[gls01]

I recently got a MicroHD receiver, and have updated the firmware to the 1/30 release. I'd like to get a clarification of some information I ran across. I've noticed several descriptions on the web that say the receiver is "CEC Compliant". Are these referring to: 1) Canadian Electrical Code or 2) Consumer Electronics Control, a part of the HDMI spec. I ask because I have a problem that may be related to item (2). I have a Sharp 70" LED TV, that's CEC compatible, and a Pioneer VSX-1022 Stereo Receiver that's also CEC compatible. I have CEC set up so the Sharp TV Remote turns the Pioneer ON and OFF, and controls the Pioneer Volume. The TV audio is routed through the Pioneer, and all external HDMI sources are connected to and switched by the Sharp TV. All is well until I plug the MicroHD receiver HDMI cable into the Sharp TV. After that, I can no longer turn the Pioneer ON and OFF with the Sharp remote via CEC. I've also tried connecting the MicroHD to one of the Pioneer's HDMI inputs. Same thing - I can no longer control the Pioneer with the Sharp remote. It's almost as if there is a conflict between two CEC devices trying to assert control over the Pioneer, and it just gives up in confusion. Any suggestions? Gary Sanders

 

[SatelliteAV]

The microHD is manufactured and licensed to be HDMI CEC standard compliant.

Not familiar with the particular implementation and routines of the microHD CEC control as it is a hard coded feature included in the HDMI license and certification.

On the Sharp TV, are you able to enable specific input for CEC control? Is it possible that both HDMI ports are CEC enabled? How does the Sharp TV prioritize the CEC inputs if multiple CEC devices are connected?

One of our staff has a Panasonic TV that allows each HDMI input to be individually configured for CEC. In his set-up, input #1 from the Xbox is CEC enabled and controls the TV. The microHD is connected to input 2 with CEC disabled.

The TV is only turned ON/OFF with the XBox. The microHD does not control the TV ON/OFF.

 

[gls01]

Thanks for the quick reply, and the clarification that it's HDMI CEC. Unfortunately, it's apparently not possible to specify the port that should be CEC enabled. I say "apparently", because there is one menu prompt concerning so-called "Aquos Link" (Sharp-speak for CEC) that's written in semi-english, pertaining to "Setting Channel Select key for Aquos LINK compatible device via HDMI input". Real clear, eh? Anyway, all four ports are set to "OFF" (including the one used by the Pioneer stereo). I'll dig out the Operators Manual and try to determine what they're trying to say, but my last several trips to the manual ended in frustration, so I don't hold much hope. I may just call their tech support, which is actually pretty good. If the TV doesn't provide for disabling CEC on individual ports, or lacks any prioritization, would it be feasible to allow menu selection of CEC Enable/Disable in the microHD in some future firmware release? (If you've gotten this far, it should be obvious that I haven't a clue how to create proper paragraphs in this forum. What am I doing wrong?) Gary Sanders

 

[SatelliteAV]

I'll have to read up on this before attempting any additional support.

Tested on my Samsung TV at home and the HDMI ports AnyNet+ (CEC) feature can be enabled or disabled in the TV menu.

Google yielded many CEC questions and issues. Based on that alone, probably best to be able to disable in the microHD menus. Will have to check with ALI to determine our options.

 

[gls01]

I did some further testing/googling last night also. Through testing I found that neither the Sharp TV nor the Pioneer Stereo have any way to disable CEC on individual HDMI ports. The only option available on both was the ability to turn it off entirely, which addresses the problem with a sledgehammer when a scalpel would be appropriate. And the manuals on both products specifically say they only guarantee functionality when using products from their respective brands. So, if I choose to mix vendors, I'm on my own. Based on my googling, it looks like CEC is a real quagmire, with a number of reports similar to mine (not specifically with the microHD, but with DVD players and other boxes from mixed vendors doing various weird things). I tend to agree with you - the ability to turn off CEC at the source when necessary would be a benefit to the end user, and could potentially reduce your support costs by some small amount as CEC gains wider acceptance. Gary Sanders

 

[SatelliteAV]

Short term solution is to disable pin 13 or cut the connecting wire in a donor HDMI cable.

http://www.hdmi.org/installers/insidehdmicable.aspx

Found this via Yahoo Answers for a problem similar to yours:

"Nobody makes one without CEC, but there is a simple workaround. A DVI cable contains the same conductors as an HDMI cable but has no CEC. If you take an HDMI-to-DVI cable, and then mate that with a female DVI/male HDMI adapter, the result is an HDMI-to-HDMI assembly which has no CEC connection. All of the other HDMI features (including embedded audio) will work just fine."

 

[gls01]

GREAT FIND! I dug up a flexible HDMI adapter - it's a male to female flex adapter made to allow you to plug in HDMI cables in tight places. It's a couple of inches long, with a flexible joint in the middle and, fortunately, the plastic cover pops right off with a little convincing with a razor knife, and can be popped right back on. Inside, each individual pin is wired from male to female, so it took all of a couple of minutes to make the mod and heat shrink protect the loose wire. I plugged it in, and it completely solved my problem! I'm a happy camper, and this certainly serves as a work-around if anyone encounters this issue in the future. Thanks again for your support. Gary Sanders

 

[SatelliteAV]

Great to hear that the fix works for you!

We have contacted ALI and our PCB builder to evaluate the possibility of a software solution.

 

[Babadem]

Great to hear that the fix works for you!

We have contacted ALI and our PCB builder to evaluate the possibility of a software solution.

Was this issue ever resolved? My MicroHD switches the input on my Yamaha Home Theater as soon as I power on the MicroHD. I'm using the latest Firmware release.