This topic

Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

naylor2006 — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 13:07:49 GMT

Hi all.

I have the new BT EE TV Box Pro which is pretty nice to be honest but it does seem to lack some real CEC support.

It is connected to my AV Receiver which handles all my gear and it takes the DD+ signal from the EE Box and presents it, all good. But to get surround sound you need to select HDMI output to surround sound but then this fully disables the volume control on the remote. Generally for my other devices the associated remotes will still volume control the amp.

Its not a huge deal for me but I thought I would check in case ive done something wrong.

Re: Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

SoupDragon57 — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 08:52:40 GMT

@naylor2006 You're not doing anything wrong. This is a known issue. The volume control just doesn't work in surround sound mode. In stereo mode, I think it might actually be driven by the output levels from the box, rather than using HDMI CEC to control your TV or AV Receiver.
I've used a Logitech remote and hub now for years, so that I can configure how the controls work, depending on which devices are in use. There are a number of similar ones on the market today, as sadly Logitech discontinued their product. Means you can have one remote intelligently running everything.

Re: Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

naylor2006 — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 09:03:51 GMT

Yeah I used to have a OneForAll Remote which was great. The volume controls could always be isolated to the amp no matter what device you were using. It’s probably lying around somewhere, maybe I could get it working if it supports this box.

I’ve not had a tv box in ages and just had Apple TV so the Apple Remote has proper integrating with everything.

You’re right, stereo mode the volume controls the box output itself. So if you didn’t have an amp and the box went direct into a TV you’d have to turn the box up and the separately? Or does it control some TV’s?

Does seem a little strange as these boxes are quite new I think, I’d have expected it to have the volume support or even IR.

Oh well thanks for confirming.

Re: Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

watttwo — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 09:06:36 GMT

can bt/ee not fix this every other device just works with an av receiver

Re: Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

naylor2006 — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 09:09:46 GMT

Considering the box is advertised as having all the fancy Dolby Sound along with UHD channels, you’ve expect it to be part of its design to work with the equipment which will get the best out of it.

Re: Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

SoupDragon57 — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 09:09:53 GMT

@naylor2006 i was trying to remember when I had a BT TV mini box whether it was driving the soundbar on my bedroom setup (simpler config!), But I can't remember.

You should have no issues on the One4all as it will work as either a BT TV box or just generic Youview.

Re: Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

SoupDragon57 — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 09:14:24 GMT

@naylor2006 I'd agree. Although HDMI CEC isn't always a bed of roses... Having said that, even my Apple TV boxes all happily play nicely using that!

Re: Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

watttwo — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 09:22:01 GMT

and why is the volume so low i have to turn the receiver past 50 when apple tv sits about 35

Re: Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

naylor2006 — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 09:23:08 GMT

Time to find it then!

I put it away when I sent the Virgin TIVO box back ages ago, we were just having their internet on a rolling basis waiting for FTTP to be installed, that’s a long story but I was using the OneForAll and Virgin for years with a few different amps.

Not entirely sure where I put it now 😕

Re: Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

naylor2006 — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 09:26:28 GMT

On my Denon I have the Dynamic Volume switched on with the reference EQ which I guess for me hides that issue a little bit for me. I certainly noticed it before, I always use dynamic volume because in films it makes it a far more enjoyable experience, when dialogue is super quiet and surround so loud.

On the light setting it does enough without sucking the life out of the sound.

I digress, sorry.

Re: Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

watttwo — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 09:34:40 GMT

yes its a denon avr i have

desperate to change to ee apple tv box but not sure when that will happen

Re: Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

naylor2006 — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 10:23:13 GMT

I already had Apple TV’s prior to going with BT and prominently they are used but I do like having the ability to record TV again without ads, the Box came with Big Sport but I still use Apple TV predominantly to watch TNT and Now.

This is why I’m not overly bothered by the remote as it’s not used all that often I can suffer it.

Re: Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

Anonymous — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 10:43:14 GMT

If your amp & TV play nicely with ARC, which in my experience is a big if, you may be able to make it work by connecting the Pro Box to the TV rather than the amp. The remote should then control the TV volume via IR, which should in turn control the amp volume by ARC.

Re: Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

naylor2006 — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 10:47:01 GMT

Oh man I never use ARC even the new enhanced version.

ARC is fine for the soundbar folks but for true surround it should never be used IMO 🙂

Re: Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

SoupDragon57 — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 14:37:46 GMT

@naylor2006 i did try eARC as the TV and soundbar supported it. However, it did cause some issues between the Apple TV and the TV/BT TV. Apple uses Multichannel PCM audio (with Dolby MAT for Atmos), but it then started pouring the format of the other boxes. Instead of getting Dolby Digital/DD+, it would still say Multichannel PCM.

I gave up and switched back to ARC, with Apple TV connected directly to the soundbar.

But on the main TV, ARC is reserved for Freeview. Everything else goes to the AV Receiver first.

Re: Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

Midnight_Voice — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 15:49:46 GMT

@naylor2006

When you choose surround sound, the YouView box goes to its maximum volume, and the volume controls on Humax YouView boxes before the Pro box no longer control this volume. However, if you flip the controls from AVR to TV, then the volume controls will operate on the TV, provided you have set up your remote to control your particular make of TV. Not convenient, though.

On TalkTalk YouView boxes, the volume controls would ‘punch through’, as it is called, to control the TV even when the rest of the controls on the remote were still applying to the YouView box.

On the Pro box, the manual says the volume controls control the paired TV.

But you are running the YouView box into your amp, so that handles the audio, and the TV only gets the video. Have you tried pairing the Pro remote with the amp rather than the TV?

So a couple of apparently bizarre design decisions there on the earlier Humax YouView boxes, and maybe exacerbated on the latest one, by the auto-pairing. Though maybe someone knows the rationale?

Re: Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

Midnight_Voice — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 16:15:04 GMT

@naylor2006

ARC I agree with you, but with eARC it’s a bit more complex. I’m a ‘soundbar merchant’, with an LG GX TV and an LG GX soundbar. Both eARC, so nominally anything I feed to the TV should get its audio passed to the soundbar unchanged. BUT the GX TV doesn’t do DTS-X (or indeed any DTS at all), only Dolby Atmos. So DTS doesn’t get passed through; and to get DTS from my UHD player, I have to feed it to the HDMI In on the soundbar, which does support DTS as well as Dolby Atmos, and let that just pass the video to the TV. So, exactly as you describe.

But with the new LG G3, it does support DTS; so I reckon with that I could feed the UHD player into the TV, and let eARC pass the audio to the GX soundbar (still the current soundbar offering with the G3) and it would be as good as the current direct feed. What do you think?

Re: Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

SoupDragon57 — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 18:26:57 GMT

@Midnight_Voice Spot on! When I had the mini box, it did drive the soundbar volume because it was paid with the TV. The TV knew the soundbar was doing the audio, so it passed the instructions to the soundbar. Works for soundbar setups, but as you say, you'd need to pair with the AV Receiver, if you want it to control volume.

Re: Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

SoupDragon57 — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 18:28:14 GMT

@Midnight_Voice Got to be worth a try! Sounds plausible

Re: Using Remote for volume in Surround Sound mode

naylor2006 — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 20:55:51 GMT

Yeah my TV has eARC along with my amp but every device of mine goes to the amp and I only have one HDMI going to the TV, ARC isn’t for me, I just like the one way style traffic.