HDMI-CEC

[[EW] Mitsie]

Have the ability in the options me u to turn on HDMI-CEC, so when we dock our Deck, the TV turns on and switches to the correct channel automatically.

Also this would be beneficial if the device could wake via Bluetooth, when in sleep mode in the dock.

Resuming the Deck using your controller, would turn the deck on as well as the TV and auto change the channel. The same as Steam Deck hardware device, Nvidia Sheild and all other consoles.

The process is I have to get up and turn the deck on, find the TV remote, turn on the tv, then find the controller and turn that on too.

Would be better to walk into the room, pick up my controller, click the home button to instantly turn on everything and just play.

Obviously this in only beneficial for docked mode.

[MissingToken]

Also discussed here.

[Minneyar]

Consumer GPUs lack the hardware necessary to support HDMI-CEC. I don't know if the Deck's APU is different, but I suspect not, since it doesn't have support for HDMI-CEC out of the box.

So, while it would be nice, this is probably impossible without a hardware revision to the Deck (and/or the dock).

[[EW] Mitsie]

Yes since the Steam Link hardware device is 10 years old and Valve implemented HDMI-CEC. I was hoping they would have implemented the same HDMI hardware into the Dock. Because a Rasperry Pi Zero that costs £5 has HDMI-CEC onboard. To not copy the same tech into the dock seems like a big oversight.

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't USB-C have the correct headers as it's driving video output via the USB-C port?

https://www.hdmi.org/spec/typec

So if the USB-C via HDMI ALT mode is used and Linux supports HDMI-CEC out of the box, this should be possible with a firmware update..

[Mornack]

This would be a possible solution.
This would have to be implemented with a plugin in Decky.
https://www.pulse-eight.com/p/104/usb-hdmi-cec-adapter
https://github.com/Pulse-Eight/libcec

[[EW] Mitsie]

USB-C via HDMI Alt mode what the deck uses for video out supports HDMI-CEC as standard. So I'm guessing it will probably just be a matter for time for Valve to get round to adding it in the firmware.

[Renn]

Originally posted by Minneyar:

Consumer GPUs lack the hardware necessary to support HDMI-CEC. I don't know if the Deck's APU is different, but I suspect not, since it doesn't have support for HDMI-CEC out of the box.

So, while it would be nice, this is probably impossible without a hardware revision to the Deck (and/or the dock).

If Nintendo Switch (nVidia GPU) and Xbox Series X / PS5 (AMD GPU) can do that, so can Steam Deck. It's not about ability it's simply willingness.

[Keohookalani]

This is the biggest oversight so far in what I've experienced. I should be able to dock the thing and have it auto turn on my TV. My disappointment was great.

I then docked my Switch and presto. The TV turned on. Come on Valve... with such a great product, you should be getting some of the basic QoL things taken care of.

[Mornack]

#CEC-HDMI
lsusb -D /dev/bus/usb/001/005
sudo cec-ctl -d /dev/bus/usb/001/005

TV ON:
echo "on 0" | cec-ctl -s -d /dev/bus/usb/001/005
TV OFF:
echo "standby 0" | cec-ctl -s -d /dev/bus/usb/001/005

Other devices ON/OFF:
echo "scan" | cec-ctl -s -d /dev/bus/usb/001/005 #scan HDMI devices

echo "tx 2F:82:30:00" | cec-ctl -s -d /dev/bus/usb/001/005 #on other device example

[[EW] Mitsie]

what is that bash script for? is it just a test script to prove it works or to turn on CEC for HDMI permanently?

Do you need to install cec-ctl or is it included on the Deck by default..

You didn't provide much background..

Using the command "--image-view-on" wakes the display. so if we made a start up script that fired on boot or wake, that would wake the display using "cec-ctl"

if we created a file in "/etc/systemmd/system/cec-wake.service"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Unit]
Description=Turn on Display CEC on Device Wake
After=suspend.target hibernate.target hybrid-sleep.target suspend-then-hibernate.target


[Service]
ExecStart=/etc/systemmd/system/cec-wake.sh
#User=SteamDeck
#Environment=DISPLAY=:0

[Install]
WantedBy=suspend.target hibernate.target hybrid-sleep.target suspend-then-hibernate.target
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

then run:

sudo systemctl enable cec-wake

that would tie the cec-ctl script to wake the display to the hibernate and boot action using a service.

All we would need now is to wake the device via Bluetooth. but I've got a feeling that would need to be enabled on the chip-set by Valve.

[Archon810]

Come on, Valve, a modern console needs to have this feature in 2024. Are you trying to be competitive or nah?

[deaddoof]

Originally posted by Archon810:

Come on, Valve, a modern console needs to have this feature in 2024. Are you trying to be competitive or nah?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30870549

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30869140



I think the consensus is HDMI CEC is buggy unless you have either LG or Sony TV. Even with Sony or LG, many models have bugs because of conflicting implementations.

Do you believe your smart TV manufacturer is competent at writing reliable code? Steaming applications with good UX is easier to write than a good HDMI CEC implementation. I heard a common issue with CEC is handling device sleep.

I almost always hear bad things about smart TV software. I would not be surprise the feature is pretty much Q/A hell.

[HappySpaceInvader]

Other games console manufacturers seem to think it worthwhile to include CEC support nevertheless, so it still comes down to the question of why Valve haven’t bothered.

Also, it’s not just about the sleep/wake and switch input thing, but at the very least sending an ID to the TV so that it can tie that device to a particular set of video/audio settings on the TV.

EDIT: although, personally, I think a far higher priority than CEC would be for the SD Dock to reliably send a picture and sound to my TV without having to power-cycle it. More often than not, the picture and sound on the Steam Deck apparently go to /dev/null instead.

[deaddoof]

Originally posted by HappySpaceInvader:

Other games console manufacturers seem to think it worthwhile to include CEC support nevertheless, so it still comes down to the question of why Valve haven’t bothered.

Also, it’s not just about the sleep/wake and switch input thing, but at the very least sending an ID to the TV so that it can tie that device to a particular set of video/audio settings on the TV.

EDIT: although, personally, I think a far higher priority than CEC would be for the SD Dock to reliably send a picture and sound to my TV without having to power-cycle it. More often than not, the picture and sound on the Steam Deck apparently go to /dev/null instead.

Of course it is console makers want implement CEC. CEC is pretty awesome. All console manufacturers pretty much gave up and release half baked solutions. I can easily google people having CEC bugs all the time.

The question is whether Valve should implemented LG CEC, Apple and SONY CEC only and tell everyone else to get bent.

very least sending an ID to the TV so that it can tie that device to a particular set of video/audio settings on the TV.

You are describing Q/A hell which requires either TV manufacturer or user to work closely with gagdet that support CEC.

[[EW] Mitsie]

Originally posted by HappySpaceInvader:

Other games console manufacturers seem to think it worthwhile to include CEC support nevertheless, so it still comes down to the question of why Valve haven’t bothered.

Also, it’s not just about the sleep/wake and switch input thing, but at the very least sending an ID to the TV so that it can tie that device to a particular set of video/audio settings on the TV.

EDIT: although, personally, I think a far higher priority than CEC would be for the SD Dock to reliably send a picture and sound to my TV without having to power-cycle it. More often than not, the picture and sound on the Steam Deck apparently go to /dev/null instead.

That other guy doesn't have a clue about HDMI CEC, just ignore him.

Console Manufacturers send a HDMI CEC code along the HDMI cable. It's the TV that intperets that signal and decides what to do with it..

He says that you need a specific TV for it to work properly. Basically self explaining that the problem is the TV manufacturers implementation and not the Console itself.. as all the console does is send a code to the TV..

Valve hasn't implemented it yet, but others have proven it's possible by writing the code needed to do it. But you have to install the CEC control library for Linux manually and know how to code.. It would be easier for Valve to implement it as a feature..

[deaddoof]

Originally posted by EW Mitsie:

That other guy doesn't have a clue about HDMI CEC, just ignore him.

Console Manufacturers send a HDMI CEC code along the HDMI cable. It's the TV that intperets that signal and decides what to do with it..

He says that you need a specific TV for it to work properly. Basically self explaining that the problem is the TV manufacturers implementation and not the Console itself.. as all the console does is send a code to the TV..

Valve hasn't implemented it yet, but others have proven it's possible by writing the code needed to do it. But you have to install the CEC control library for Linux manually and know how to code.. It would be easier for Valve to implement it as a feature..

I am saying the elephant in the room. You are not talking about a coherent standard. TV manufacturers has shown they are terrible at power management and talkative protocols. HDMI CEC requires power management and talkative protocol. Even worse, the group that manages it are one of the most legal happy group in the world, so you will almost never have any agreement with everyone.