What is CEC on a TV?

Let’s face it, HDMI has done a lot to curb AV connection issues experienced in the last decade. HDMI lets users enjoy Audio-Video connections over a single cable. Today, it’s the primary connection standard used in Audio-Video devices. Apart from HDMI-ARC, HDMI has another feature known as CEC (Consumer Electronics Control).

This feature can be found on many of the best TVs and Peripherals and makes it possible for devices to work better together. The Consumer Electronics Control feature is, however, disabled by default.

It’s pretty normal if you haven’t encountered this term. It’s because manufacturers don’t call this connection feature HDMI-CEC. Each TV manufacturer has its term to market the feature, even though it’s an interoperable standard. For example, Sony uses “BraviaSync,” LG uses Simplelink, Phillips uses Easylink, and Samsung uses Anynet+. Another thing you might be unfamiliar with are DLP TVs since they have been discontinued, however, the technology behind it is still in use.

What is CEC?

Well, CEC allows Audio-Video devices connected through HDMI to communicate with each other. It allows a limited amount of control from device to device. In addition, it lets commands be shared between devices over the same HDMI connection. The main advantage of this feature is that it enables the user to control common functions between different devices without switching between remote controls.

For instance, with your TV CEC feature activated, a viewer can use the TV remote control to adjust the volume level of a connected input device such as a Home Theatre system or a soundbar. It is also possible to turn your TV on and off with an input device’s remote control.

Please note that the HDMI-CEC feature will not support all the functions of every device. For some complex functions, you’ll want to use your individual device’s remote control.

How Does CEC work?

The HDMI-CEC feature uses any of your devices’ remote controls to control the entire system. Therefore, if you use your TV’s remote on your Blu-ray player, the TV remote will communicate with the TV to send an HDMI-CEC signal through the HDMI cable to the Blu-ray player.

Therefore, regardless of the device’s remote control used, it will still have control over peripheral devices that are connected via HDMI. It is even possible to control these devices when they are asleep, or the HDMI circuitry is disabled, or even when the device is turned off. A little confusing, right? Even though they are integrated into the HDMI cable, the CEC feature is a separate electrical signal from other HDMI functions. Talking about signals, it’s important to know what the OPC signal is on a TV since this can indicate some kind of error or problem with your TV.

Features of HDMI-CEC

The CEC feature offers several capabilities for your TV and connected peripheral devices. It’s, however, essential to note that not all the features listed will work on all HDMI-CEC enabled devices, and compatibility varies between brands.

• One-Touch Play: The HDMI-CEC feature makes it possible to playback devices, automatically switching the TV source on the play. Users don’t need to navigate input source menus.
• Remote Control Pass-Through: The feature makes it possible to use one remote to control commands on HDMI-CEC connected devices.
• Deck Control: Users can control common playback controls like Play, Pause, Rewind across CEC connected devices.
• Routing Control: Users can manually control the input source selection. For instance, use a TV remote to switch the input selections on a connected Blu-ray player.

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