CEC, I hate you
CEC lets me control devices connected via HDMI, such as TVs and set-top boxes, with a single remote control – in theory. This standard has been driving me up the wall for years.
My coffee table looks like mission control at NASA: crammed with game controllers and remote controls. One for the TV, another for the soundbar and a third for the set-top box. That’s at least two remote controls too many. Operating my system has become an Olympic juggling event, with clickers often disappearing completely, either lost between sofa cushions or because of me sitting on them. It’s why HDMI 1.0 introduced the CEC communication protocol more than 20 years ago. It stands for Consumer Electronics Control, allowing devices connected via HDMI to send and receive information. Ideally, you’ll be able to turn all your devices on and off, adjust the volume and switch between inputs using a single remote control.
Maybe you’re one of those lucky few for whom this actually works perfectly. But after looking through countless Reddit threads with titles like «Can we confirm that HDMI-CEC is just flat-out broken on the C3?» I know for sure I’m not the only one having these problems. Hey, at least this digital scourge on humanity is blind to brands, sowing anger and rage across platforms. Depending on the system, it hides behind cryptic names such as Simplink (LG), Bravia Sync (Sony) or Anynet+ (Samsung) – titles that reveal as little about the feature as a weather report does about the moon landing. It almost seems as though manufacturers are actively trying to use these pseudonyms to prevent you from connecting your home theatre to competing third-party products. They’d certainly never do that, not at all.
Logical technology? I wish
Broken down, CEC works very simply. Just enable the option for the devices you want and all remote controls will be able to control all devices. If that works for you: congratulations! Not only did you catch Moby Dick, you also found the Holy Grail of home theatre harmony. Yet I, much like Captain Ahab, have long since succumbed to madness and am waging a hopeless war against a rebellious plastic box.
CEC communication is just like my kids – only listening when it feels like it and ignoring instructions it doesn’t vibe with. Common workarounds include disabling CEC everywhere and re-enabling it on each device individually. You’ll waste hours on this, and in the end, it still won’t work. At some point, you’ll throw in the towel in frustration. Yet, lo and behold: a few days later, it’ll suddenly work. As if by magic. Logical technology? That’d be nice, yeah!
The most annoying thing is that CEC works perfectly at times. My setup consists of an LG TV, a Denon receiver and a Google Streamer. I mainly use the Google Streamer’s remote control. It’s where I consume all my content, so it’s essential that navigation works there. The volume adjusts reliably. A power-on command is also usually transmitted to TVs and receivers without any problems.
Problems usually start when I want to turn it off. At first, all devices shut down properly. But no sooner do I turn around than a light suddenly flashes behind me and I hear mocking laughter – okay, maybe that’s just in my head. What truly drives me crazy is when these devices turn themselves on as if they had a mind of their own. It’s as if they were saying, «Thanks for trying to turn us off. But we decide when the workday ends.»
And don’t think for a second you’re safe either – CEC will strike immediately. Lately, CEC has been bothering me first thing in the morning. I use a smart plug that cuts off power to appliances in the living room overnight. This worked perfectly for months. But these days, the TV’s already on by the time I get up. To prove who’s really in charge, simply to waste electricity or out of pure malice – I don’t know.
With CEC, I could also switch between the HDMI inputs on my receiver without using a dedicated remote control. My small white Google Streamer box has a dedicated button for this. It worked perfectly with my old Onkyo receiver, and I was able to easily switch back and forth between the connected PS5, my PC and Google TV. Mind you, only after I found a workaround.
The trick was to select Soundbar instead of Receiver for the connected device during setup. For some reason. Sadly, the new Denon receiver isn’t fooled by this, so I’m back to using two remotes. The only constant CEC offers is absolute inconsistency.
As if all that weren’t complicated enough, there are often separate options for each device. Should CEC control just one device or all of them? Should it just turn on or just turn off? Via infrared or radio? In the end, it’s always the least intuitive thing you could imagine.
By now you’re probably thinking, «If CEC annoys you so much, why don’t you just turn it off?» Yes, I have passed this point several times already on my Sisyphean journey. But CEC is more persistent than calls from health insurance companies in autumn. Even if I turn off the feature on all devices, some traces remain. As a result, the receiver’s input still switches automatically as soon as a connected device sends a signal. Even though I explicitly disabled this feature on the receiver.
No CEC isn’t a solution either. So here I am again, juggling three remote controls like a circus clown. I’m the laughing stock, and CEC is the raucous, sadistic audience that doesn’t even clap. CEC, I hate you.
As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.
This is a subjective opinion of the editorial team. It doesn't necessarily reflect the position of the company.
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