I need to pick your brains.
Currently my setup is fairly simple:
- XBMC PC (connected to TV via HDMI and audio from soundcard to amplifier using analog out)
- Cable box (poprietary from local cable company called Telenet, connected to TV via HDMI only. Audio goes to amplifier using the TVs analog out)
- Philips LCD TV (analog audio out connected to amplifier)
- old analog amplifier with decent speakers.
Im using analog audio out on my tv because my current amplifier doesnt handle digital and because using HDMI audio on the PC caused problems. The amplifier is set to a fixed volume level, and volume control is done using XBMC (movies/music) or the cable box (TV) using their respective remotes. I dont ever use the TV remote.
AFAICT, my TV has only very limited support for CEC. I think its HDMI 1.3 as I only seem able to turn the devices on/off automatically, nothing else. I cant change channels on the cable box using the TV remote, let alone do anything more fancy. Moreover, there are problems when CEC is turned on, like not being able to switch inputs to the XBMC box, so CEC is turned off for now.
I ordered and am about to receive:
- HDMI 1.4a capable AV receiver (yamaha rx v367)
- Pulse-eight USB HDMI adapter
My goal is to use as few remotes as possible and needing at most 1 remote at a time for a given activity. Eg, when watching TV, I dont want to have to use the AVR remote to change volume.
Im breaking my head on how to set this up best.
The most obvious scheme: I connect everything via HDMI to the AVR, the AVR to my TV and I run all the audio over it. Thats how it should be. But given the fact my TV most likely doesnt support HDMI 1.4 CEC, this may not work. Since the latest update, my cable box is able to adjust its own volume over HDMI (even without CEC), this is something I didnt know was possible. But can XBMC do this too? If not, HDMI audio from XBMC will have a fixed volume that needs changing on the AVR. Will this be possible with the Pulse-eight adapter? Or would I be able to use the Yamaha AVR remote to control XBMC, and perhaps even my cable box, regardless of the capabilities of my TV ? Or even when the TV is turned OFF when listening to XBMC music?
An alternative solution would be to keep using analog audio for XBMC, and connect the system as it is now. I dont have a 5.1 speaker setup yet anyway, so its not a major loss (although the audio out of my PC is probably not on par with the new receiver and speakers I have), and I would have to set a fixed volume on the AVR like Im doing now, which is not ideal with a 500W amp.
The last solution I see is using a universal remote. I dont want to use a Harmony remote that can get “out of sync” when using one of the original remotes. Instead I want a remote that I can program in such a way that when I press an activity button for, say, “XBMC” that it does two things: switch the AVR (or TV) to the xbmc input, and switch the remote control functions so that they control XBMC. More over, volume should always controls the AVR, regardless of the mode its in.
The latter (“unified” volume control) is relatively common I think, at least I had it on a all-in-one remote a decade ago, but I have yet to find a universal remote that does the former (one button to switch inputs and switch the controls of the remote control) and has a convenient layout. While Im being picky, Id like the remote to have backlight, though thats not a must have. Assuming no other solution will work, can anyone suggest me a remote that would work for me?
Currently my setup is fairly simple:
- XBMC PC (connected to TV via HDMI and audio from soundcard to amplifier using analog out)
- Cable box (poprietary from local cable company called Telenet, connected to TV via HDMI only. Audio goes to amplifier using the TVs analog out)
- Philips LCD TV (analog audio out connected to amplifier)
- old analog amplifier with decent speakers.
Im using analog audio out on my tv because my current amplifier doesnt handle digital and because using HDMI audio on the PC caused problems. The amplifier is set to a fixed volume level, and volume control is done using XBMC (movies/music) or the cable box (TV) using their respective remotes. I dont ever use the TV remote.
AFAICT, my TV has only very limited support for CEC. I think its HDMI 1.3 as I only seem able to turn the devices on/off automatically, nothing else. I cant change channels on the cable box using the TV remote, let alone do anything more fancy. Moreover, there are problems when CEC is turned on, like not being able to switch inputs to the XBMC box, so CEC is turned off for now.
I ordered and am about to receive:
- HDMI 1.4a capable AV receiver (yamaha rx v367)
- Pulse-eight USB HDMI adapter
My goal is to use as few remotes as possible and needing at most 1 remote at a time for a given activity. Eg, when watching TV, I dont want to have to use the AVR remote to change volume.
Im breaking my head on how to set this up best.
The most obvious scheme: I connect everything via HDMI to the AVR, the AVR to my TV and I run all the audio over it. Thats how it should be. But given the fact my TV most likely doesnt support HDMI 1.4 CEC, this may not work. Since the latest update, my cable box is able to adjust its own volume over HDMI (even without CEC), this is something I didnt know was possible. But can XBMC do this too? If not, HDMI audio from XBMC will have a fixed volume that needs changing on the AVR. Will this be possible with the Pulse-eight adapter? Or would I be able to use the Yamaha AVR remote to control XBMC, and perhaps even my cable box, regardless of the capabilities of my TV ? Or even when the TV is turned OFF when listening to XBMC music?
An alternative solution would be to keep using analog audio for XBMC, and connect the system as it is now. I dont have a 5.1 speaker setup yet anyway, so its not a major loss (although the audio out of my PC is probably not on par with the new receiver and speakers I have), and I would have to set a fixed volume on the AVR like Im doing now, which is not ideal with a 500W amp.
The last solution I see is using a universal remote. I dont want to use a Harmony remote that can get “out of sync” when using one of the original remotes. Instead I want a remote that I can program in such a way that when I press an activity button for, say, “XBMC” that it does two things: switch the AVR (or TV) to the xbmc input, and switch the remote control functions so that they control XBMC. More over, volume should always controls the AVR, regardless of the mode its in.
The latter (“unified” volume control) is relatively common I think, at least I had it on a all-in-one remote a decade ago, but I have yet to find a universal remote that does the former (one button to switch inputs and switch the controls of the remote control) and has a convenient layout. While Im being picky, Id like the remote to have backlight, though thats not a must have. Assuming no other solution will work, can anyone suggest me a remote that would work for me?
