Features, settings & updates

[jdrch]

For those who don't know, HDMI-CEC is an HDMI feature that allows a device in an HDMI chain to control other devices in the same chain. Roku claims to support the feature.

So, for example, my Xbox One S 2 TB connected to my Denon AVR-1909 which feeds my Samsung LN46A750 TV can turn on both devices on power on, automatically switch them to the correct inputs, adjust the AVR's volume, and then turn both devices off on power off. The Xbox One S uses HDMI-CEC to pull this magic off.

Unfortunately, I can't do the same with my Roku Ultra 4670R in the Xbox One S' place. Not only does the Roku fail to control either the TV or the receiver in any way, it can't even control a regular Sanyo 1080 LCD TV over HDMI either.

I don't know exactly how HDMI-CEC implementations vary, but it seems quite disappointing that Roku can't get this feature right while Microsoft knocks it out of the park with the exact same hardware attached.

[atc98092]

Roku only supports a limited number of CEC commands. They will command a TV and/or an AVR to change to the correct input. They can control the volume on either the TV or AVR, and they can power the system off. It will also power the TV/AVR on if the Roku is not powered by the TV USB port. This works just fine with my Ultra 4640, 4670, 4800, Premiere 3920, Express 4K+ and new Stick 4k+. Make sure One-Touch Play is turned on in your Roku settings menu.

That said, many devices over the years implement CEC differently, and when you mix brands the results are not always consistent. In most cases I've seen, it's not Roku that is at fault. It might be the way the Denon or Samsung implements CEC. But I've used an Ultra on a couple different Samsung TVs, and CEC control was never a problem. I have no experience with Denon equipment, but with my Yamaha AVRs they've also worked just fine with my Roku players. 

In theory, CEC is brand-neutral. In practice, unfortunately that's not the case. But I've never encountered any issues using CEC with any of my Roku players. 

[jdrch]

Welp, I'm demoting the Roku from its current home theater position as I don't want to juggle remotes just to watch something. Looks like the Xbox is going to do that job. Whatever excuses Roku has, if something doesn't work it doesn't work.

The Ultra is headed for a kid's room where the aforementioned Sanyo will be, but since he already has a PS5 it'll probably be forgotten there too.

[MilesT]

I have a cheap small TV made by UMC which doesn't implement CEC properly.  Streambar can control TV but TV can't control streambar volume.

(This is in the UK, UMC makes several brands: blaupunkt, sharp, Hitachi, and a few "supermarket" house brands like Technika)

[acrophile]

I can concur, using Roku with my Denon AVR and LG OLED tv is a nightmare. HDMI CEC was supposed to make all this easy for everyone but instead it just makes things more frustrating. 

[atc98092]

CEC is completely hit or miss between devices from different manufacturers. For whatever reason, I have been extremely successful using CEC with my Roku devices Nvidia Shield players, Samsung and LG TVs, and Yamaha AVRs. Others have reported poor functionality between Roku devices and Denon AVRs. There's simply no way to know how they will work together without actually trying them. 

Personally, I don't think it has anything to do with Roku's CEC implementation specifically. It's the fact that virtually no manufacturer is following the specifications exactly. Yamaha seems to be the most compliant, at least from my experience. What was funny (annoying) was that I had a Samsung BD player that would turn my Samsung TV on in the middle of the night, so even same brand doesn't always work right. Neither my Sony BD players, nor my Roku or Shield players did the same thing on the same TV. So it was their BD player.

[UserOfStreamers]

@atc98092 

Its fair to criticize Roku for its CEC implementation being  both limited AND unidirectional, so that is in fact "anything to do with Roku's implementation specifically". At the very least, they could (and should) make it (limited) bi-directional.

Like you, I've had no significant problems implementing CEC either, though I do limit the # of devices in a CEC chain to 4-5 or less and limit my "manufacturer diversity" as much as possible (for all sorts of reasons, including CEC).

Regardless, its otherwise fair to point out all the (other) inconsistent/incomplete/outdated CEC implementations from other manufacturers/products.

[jdrch]

@UserOfStreamersThis is my point exactly. As I said in my OP, I have Xbox One S 2 TB in the same position the Ultra was that does HDMI-CEC perfectly (the Xbox also upmixes Spotify to surround sound while the Ultra doesn't, but that's another story).

I also strongly disagree with the notion of HDMI-CEC being hit and miss as I've had other products that implement it just fine, such as PlayStations and TiVos, with even lower tier downstream components like Magnavox TVs. I just didn't mention those previously for the sake of brevity.

I guess I expected a product with "Ultra" in the name to at least be on par with consoles in media functionality. Turns out it's just a lowest common denominator product. The Ultra got moved to my home theater in the 1st place after it got displaced from the den by a Google TV Sony set. Since I removed it from my home theater I've pretty much forgotten about it, and it doesn't get much use in the kid's room since he has a PS5 that does everything the Ultra does and more.

Roku can be as lazy/sloppy as they want with standards/specs implementation thinking that they made the sale anyway, but if buyers wind up not using their products they won't get any viewing data from the units. Which of course is where the value (to Roku, Inc.) really lies. Good luck to them.