TV with CEC control of Kodi (CoreELEC/OSMC)

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SirHumphreyAppleby

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#248995 18-Apr-2019 18:12

I have been ordered to obtain a new TV to replace an old analogue unit before the next e-waste collection. I am looking for options at the Easter sales, but there isn't a huge number of options in the 40-55" range.

I have used LG TVs in the past for displays and neither their CEC nor USB serial ports control provided everything I needed in that case. As a result I am keen to get feedback from users before buying anything.

Does anyone have experience with the Panasonic, Sony, Samsung or Philips brands and using CEC to control Kodi? Basically, I want a single remote to control the TV and Kodi, and that remote to be the TV remote.

This setup works brilliantly with our old Sony TVs, where the volume buttons control the TV, and Kodi handles pretty much everything else. The newer Sony TVs don't have an 'Options' button, but as I only need that to delete recordings, it's not a deal breaker. It's pitfalls like that which only become apparent with use, hence why I'm asking for feedback here and not just taking a box along to the shop and asking to plug it in (which I probably will do).

Handle9

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#2220779 18-Apr-2019 18:15

Sony Android based TVs run Kodi natively so no external box is required. I'm very happy with mine, it's not super fast (which is pretty normal for Android TV) but does what it says on the can.

lchiu7

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#2226447 27-Apr-2019 16:45

I used to use a Panasonic TV remote to control Kodi (running on a Pi) and that worked well. But when I moved to a HDMI input selector it broke it as the input selector appears to filter out the signalling protocol. Whenever I boot Kodi I receive a message saying failed to initialise CEC or something so it is trying. If your Kodi is connected to your TV it should work fine.

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allio

885 posts

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#2227310 29-Apr-2019 13:07

I'm confused - are you running Kodi on a device (in which case, which one?) or wanting to run it directly on the TV itself?

SirHumphreyAppleby

2849 posts

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#2227313 29-Apr-2019 13:13

allio:

I'm confused - are you running Kodi on a device (in which case, which one?) or wanting to run it directly on the TV itself?

CEC doesn't apply to apps on the TV. I do not wish to run Kodi on the television.

I am currently running Kodi under CoreELEC and OSMC. One device is an OSMC Vero 4k, the others are generic S905W boxes.

This setup works well on our Sony televisions, with some minor limitations and doesn't work at all on our old Panasonic. Seems to work newer Panasonic units.

djtOtago

1153 posts

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#2227319 29-Apr-2019 13:26

allio: I'm confused - are you running Kodi on a device (in which case, which one?) or wanting to run it directly on the TV itself?

As already stated, Kodi will be running on a separate box.
CEC stands for Consumer Electronics Control. Basically it is a feature of HDMI that allows commands from the remote control of one device to be sent to another device via HDMI.

see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Electronics_Control for a basic introduction and explanation.

allio

885 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2227321 29-Apr-2019 13:28

SirHumphreyAppleby:

CEC doesn't apply to apps on the TV. I do not wish to run Kodi on the television.

I am currently running Kodi under CoreELEC and OSMC. One device is an OSMC Vero 4k, the others are generic S905W boxes.

This setup works well on our Sony televisions, with some minor limitations and doesn't work at all on our old Panasonic. Seems to work newer Panasonic units.

Gotcha.

I have a recent-ish (2016) Panasonic but don't use CEC for my Kodi setup, so can't report on how well it works. Would be interested in any user reports, actually, as I'm considering picking up an ODROID N2 to replace my HTPC.

Would you consider investing in a more capable remote which can be programmed to make up for any shortcomings in the OEM one? This would mean you can consider any brand of TV, and probably get a better picture quality for your money.

Even when the CEC implementation is perfect, OEM remotes have so few buttons in comparison to what Kodi can do. I use a FLIRC + universal remote and have so many features mapped that wouldn't have a button equivalent on my Panasonic - aspect ratio, audio delay, switch audio track, delete recording, statistics overlay, etc. I even set a custom button to skip 3:45 ahead in recordings - handy for ads.

djtOtago:

As already stated, Kodi will be running on a separate box.
CEC stands for Consumer Electronics Control. Basically it is a feature of HDMI that allows commands from the remote control of one device to be sent to another device via HDMI.

see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Electronics_Control for a basic introduction and explanation.

Thanks for that. I know exactly what CEC is. The first post didn't mention anything about a separate device (edit: yes it did, it was snuck into the final line and I missed it!). The fact that Sony TVs are well known for being one of the only brands to run Kodi natively (as has already been pointed out in this thread) meant there was an alternative explanation of what OP wanted, so I asked for clarification.

SirHumphreyAppleby

2849 posts

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#2227370 29-Apr-2019 13:45

allio:

Would you consider investing in a more capable remote which can be programmed to make up for any shortcomings in the OEM one? This would mean you can consider any brand of TV, and probably get a better picture quality for your money.

I've used a range of remotes with Kodi previously, and Logitech Haromany remotes in the pre-HDMI days. A single remote solution, always pointed at the television, is much simpler for the less technically inclined people in the house.

Even if IR based, I definitely prefer CEC over the other solutions, and from what I've been able to find, I should expect it to work with most newer televisions.

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lchiu7

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#2227522 29-Apr-2019 17:16

SirHumphreyAppleby:

Even if IR based, I definitely prefer CEC over the other solutions, and from what I've been able to find, I should expect it to work with most newer televisions.

As I mentioned earlier CEC worked fine with my Panasonic Plasma when the Pi was direct connected. But the CEC signals get lost via a HDMI hub. So I had no choice but to pick up a cheap IR keyboard from AliExpress and program my Harmony remote to learn the basic up/down/left/right/Enter/Exit which is about you need for Kodi

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

allio

885 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2228047 30-Apr-2019 15:58

lchiu7:

As I mentioned earlier CEC worked fine with my Panasonic Plasma when the Pi was direct connected. But the CEC signals get lost via a HDMI hub. So I had no choice but to pick up a cheap IR keyboard from AliExpress and program my Harmony remote to learn the basic up/down/left/right/Enter/Exit which is about you need for Kodi

What exactly is your HDMI hub? Is it an AV receiver or something different?

lchiu7

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#2228152 30-Apr-2019 19:31

allio:

lchiu7:

As I mentioned earlier CEC worked fine with my Panasonic Plasma when the Pi was direct connected. But the CEC signals get lost via a HDMI hub. So I had no choice but to pick up a cheap IR keyboard from AliExpress and program my Harmony remote to learn the basic up/down/left/right/Enter/Exit which is about you need for Kodi

What exactly is your HDMI hub? Is it an AV receiver or something different?

It's just a box that allows me to have 5 HDMI signals going into one input on the receiver. One of them is the output from Kodi and so the CEC gets stripped off I think before it hits the TV (Via the receiver)

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

allio

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Ultimate Geek

#2228181 30-Apr-2019 20:24

lchiu7:

It's just a box that allows me to have 5 HDMI signals going into one input on the receiver. One of them is the output from Kodi and so the CEC gets stripped off I think before it hits the TV (Via the receiver)

Cool. Guess that makes sense - every step in the chain has to support CEC and I'm not surprised a splitter/selector doesn't pass it through.