HDMI-CEC question: Can an AVR reliably turn on a TV - or vice versa?

Once you have determined the correct code that works for power, volume and mute. After programming with the usual process (Think it is Hold Tivo + Mute), you use the same code as for program the TV code (Hold Tivo + power) and it should power on/off the TV and AVR.

 

Funny: reliable and CEC in the same sentence. But anyhow, I have an older Yamaha. I hit the TV scene button. That might wakeup the TV but I have CEC disabled on everything. The TiVo remote turns on my Sony TV. It might work with the new CEC stuff, but I'm using TE3. I think there's a good chance your scenario will work. Since the TiVo is always on, there's nothing to do there. I'm sure you will get more help.

I wish there were six scene buttons. One button powers on the AVR and changes input. Nice.

 

I'm with @JoeKustra
HDMI-CEC and reliable are not a phrase I would ever use to describe CEC, it will work fine until one day it no longer works and nothing you do will fix it, and then one day 6-8 months later for no reason at all it will start working again.

 

A team of experts spent thousands of man years designing HDMI-CEC so it would always do the wrong thing . I use my harmony remote to always do the right thing (which sometimes requires wrestling with the harmony software for a few hours) and turn off HDMI-CEC on everything.

 

It has been my experience that the only time a receiver breaks is when it is powered on...or off..most of the time. My receiver stays on all the time.

 

Yes, you can have multiple activities and insert delays. You need to do this if you let it put your TiVos into Standby, of course.

 

For what it is worth, here's my review of my Harmony Elite: My Harmony Elite I can get it to do everything I want, but it was a struggle.

 

My TV turns my AVR on and off via CEC 100% of the time.

 

Guess I'm one of the lucky folks too. Any key on my peanut remote wakes up my TV, which in turn wakes up my AVR and switches it to the correct input.

Bolt Vox > Yamaha RX-V483 > Sony 930E

My peanut is programmed to control TV volume, and the TV knows when the AVR is on to use it for audio.

That said, nothing in my TiVo>AVR>TV chain is older than 2017, so shame on the industry if my CEC chain doesn't work properly. Just my .02.

 

I am running Hydra. I was running Hydra when CEC support was added, so I don't know if how well it works with TE3.

My guess is if it doesn't work, it's not because of TiVo's implementation. It may be one of the other devices in the chain is running an older version of CEC. Just a thought.

 

Unlike some of the others here I've had no issues with CEC.

My TiVo remote is programed to control the power only to the TV and the volume only to the AVR. I got my Onkyo TX-SR607 ages ago (Amazon tells my '09) and immediately set up CEC between it and my Samsung LN52A650. The receiver reliably turns on, and back off, a second or two after the TV turns on/off.

Now turning the AVR on and off from the TV is the only thing I'm using CEC for. (I don't have it set to run the other way, if I turn the AVR on the TV doesn't automatically turn on) But for me it's be dead reliable for that.

 

I have a Sony 900f TV and Yamaha RX-V485 receiver and CEC between the two has been 100% reliable. After programming the Tivo peanut remote with the Sony TV code, the remote sends power and volume commands to the TV which passes those on to the receiver via CEC. In the year that I've had this setup, I've updated the firmware on the TV three times and the receiver firmware twice. Each time I cross my fingers that CEC will continue to work, and so far it has.

 

As you already know, using a TiVo remote to power on/of both a TV and AVR in unison is prone to getting the two boxes out of sync - no way around that. I have one pair that is MOSTLY reliable (only out of sync maybe once a month or less), but my main system with Samsung TV and older Yamaha AVR is out of sync at least 50% of the time (a problem being in sync at least every other day!). I think that system has more problems partly because the Yamaha uses DIFFERENT signals for On vs Off, but kudos to TiVo that it can even work with that Yamaha at all - many universal remotes simply cannot.

As for CEC - the reliability of that technology is TOTALLY dependent on just how well the individual boxes work together. CEC is a "standard" in name only; there is NO standard implementation of the technology. Having all boxes from the same brand is the best way to ensure CEC works properly, but few of us want to be forced into doing that. I do not think there is any way at all to tell in advance if two boxes will work properly together with CEC until you actually try it.

Sometimes you get lucky. I have a very old Pioneer Blue-ray player that works PERFECTLY with CEC and my newish Samsung TV - inputs automatically switch, either box properly turns on or off the other one, turning off the player tells the TV to automagically switch back to the TiVo input, etc. It is nice when they do work together like that. Good luck.

 

I've had a lot of luck with the Yamaha receivers in getting CEC working properly in multiple different setups. Also their standby HDMI switching when they are powered off and you are only using the TV speakers works great.

But honestly, eventually, the CEC stops working properly. I think I had one setup working for two years and then suddenly I couldn't get it configured properly without a lot of setup hoops on the Reciever and TV. I've reverted to using the simple and cheap harmony remotes with four LCD device buttons like the Harmony 700 or the now Harmony 665 to program the configuration sequences. The watch TV sequence is simply, power on TV, select Tivo HDMI on receiver, and then send the Tivo button press to the Tivo. Then I can watch TV without the reciever on. If I want to use the receiver speakers, I press the power on receiver button noted on the LCD and the Receiver powers up, and the TV speakers turn off and I'm good to go. I own six of the Harmony 700's for various TVs and houses, and there simply isn't anything cheaper and better.

Like you, I was a die hard MX remote user. The new Harmony remotes are simple and fully programmable, lighter, and better than the old MX remotes. Now I don't have a solution for your VOX problems personally, but the Yamaha receiver will solve a lot of problems.