Thanks to satellite guru “Doctor J” for this suggestion!
I’ve talked about HDMI control several times on this blog, including last month when I did a whole tutorial about it. HDMI Control, also known as HDMI-CEC, Anynet+, and a bunch of other manufacturer-specific names, is a technology which lets you use a single remote to control more than one component. The device (for example a DIRECTV Gemini for Satellite) sends a control signal over the HDMI cable which, ideally, powers up devices like a TV or audio/video receiver, switches inputs, and then lets you watch. It’s even possible to send volume control signals over HDMI so that the remote doesn’t need to control other devices.
Most of the time it works as promised. But, as I tell you in this older article, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it causes problems and that’s when you’ll want to turn it off. There’s only one thing that you should know if you’re a user of DIRECTV’s Gemini for Satellite:
You can’t turn off HDMI Control on a DIRECTV Gemini.
That’s right, it’s on permanently. This seems to be due to the way the basic Android TV operating system is set up. Remember, your Gemini may look and act like a DIRECTV box but in reality it’s a general-purpose streaming box. It runs an operating system called Android TV and one of the apps on it is called “Gemini.” That app is a perfect recreation of the DIRECTV user experience. and it launches when you start the box up. This makes your device look and feel to you like a DIRECTV box. But, unlike other DIRECTV boxes, it uses a completely different system behind the scenes. It seems that this is the reason you can’t turn off HDMI Control – it’s just baked into the system.
I’ll admit that HDMI Control has gotten pretty good since the first time I heard about it over a decade ago. DIRECTV’s implementation works for me, although I’ll admit sometimes it misses changing the TV input. It’s rare that I have to point people to that article about disabling it. But in the case of Gemini, it can’t be disabled and for some people, that might be a problem.
You should be able to disable HDMI Control
Most of the time, it’s possible to turn off HDMI Control on the TV or A/V receiver. The key is finding out what specific name they’ve given it. Here’s a short list of what different manufacturers call HDMI-CEC. I don’t know why we all don’t call it HDMI-CEC, but whatever.
- Anynet+: Samsung
- Aquos Link: Sharp
- BRAVIA Link and BRAVIA Sync: Sony
- CE-Link and Regza Link: Toshiba
- SimpLink: LG
- HDAVI Control, EZ Sync, or VIERA Link: Panasonic
- EasyLink: Philips
- CEC: Roku TV, Vizio
- HDMI Control: DIRECTV
Look for something on your TV or audio receiver that turns this technology off, and you should be able to disable it from there if it’s giving you problems.
The post How can you turn off HDMI Control on a DIRECTV Gemini? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.