issue controlling BTTV STB over hdmi

[markthom]

Hi, i have an LG G3 Evo TV & BT STB (DTR-4000) and a HDMI between the two, my aim is to use the LG remote to control both devices, in the main that works except for recording on the STB.

firstly Simplink/CEC on the TV is on & from my LG remote i can control the STB volume, move up/down channels, flick between guide, menu, channel etc. all the things you can do with the BT remote…..but i cannot find a way to “record” - all the buttons available to me on the LG remote do not start a recording on the STB.

after much investigation & help on some LG forums i am leaning towards the issue being BT locking down the capability to instigate a recording control/action from a hdmi connected device, i.e. only allowing it from the remote (IR / bluetooth).

has anyone any thoughts or experience.

thanks, Mark.

[Midnight_Voice]

Hi @markthom 

I have an LG GX (2020) with a magic remote, and I can control what you can control, mostly via the menu that comes up when I press … on the magic remote, where Home and Menu seem to map to the blue Y button on the YouView remote. And I can’t find Record either.

But I never thought of this as going over the HDMI; I always thought of it as the magic remote sending the YouView, or whatever other device the magic remote covers, IR codes.

One pointer to this is that the magic remote thinks it can control a Roku Streaming Stick+, but it can’t, because this uses a proprietary wireless protocol, not IR. But it can perfectly well control a Roku Express, which uses IR (except I have never got it to match * on the Roku remote, but that’s a different story),

Whereas as these two Roku devices have the same HDMI interface, then if HDMI was involved, the magic remote could work both devices equally well.

As a test (which I’ve just thought of, but haven’t tried) turn off CEC on the G3 (you may have to turn off ARC as well, to stop this turning CEC back on) and see if the magic remote still works the YouView box as far as it did before. If it does, then the magic remote clearly isn’t using CEC.

I see no great conspiracy here, though. Just that LG haven’t mapped Record onto a remote button or … command, just like they haven’t mapped * onto a remote button when using Roku. Though I will check for this on the … menu tomorrow; it might be there, with luck.

[markthom]

@Midnight_Voice I am not sure that understanding is 100% correct, here's why.

when I setup my HDMI connected STB on the LG UI it prompts me to select the service provider/device type etc & then runs thru some connectivity tests, i.e. it presents a button on screen called PR & you click on it to see if the STB channel changes, you can cover the LG remote with your hand & it still works, you can run the same test when it is all setup, as you describe bring up the LG menu for controlling the STB, obscure the line of sight between LG remote & TV/STB and select the menu pause or guide button, the STB will still respond, so it cannot be IR as the primary method.

I tried what you suggested & turned off CEC on the LG TV but still the STB controls (not record) worked from the LG remote/menu, that was confusing, but then I read this article below, basically I read that CEC is an optional standard that can be implemented and exactly what features each vendor implements is again different (hence me thinking BT have not chosen "record") but more importantly HDMI does not Defacto need CEC to manage devices, its just not quite as level a playing field if it is not.

https://source.android.com/docs/devices/tv/hdmi-cec

also, I believe the LG remote uses HDMI/CEC & also IR, in the case above it is HDMI but if you place your phone camera in front of the remote, spin the camera to front facing & press one of the LG remote buttons you will see the IR being transmitted.

[rbz5416]

Have you tried the learning function to teach the LG from the BT remote?

[dephead2004]

Not possible on the new BT/EE remote. Apparently only possible on the old style remote

[rbz5416]

@dephead2004 

I think you've misunderstood. Firstly @markthom doesn't have the Pro Box & secondly, I'm referencing the learning function of the LG remote.

[dephead2004]

Ah Yes. I have an HDMI issue and so jumped to a wrong conclusion. Sorry

[markthom]

i haven’t tried that, didn’t know it was possible, i’ve had a quick look’s for some info but nothing obvious, do you have a link to instructions.

mine isn’t the newest BT remote, it’s a few years old & controls my BT dre-4000 STB.

Mark.

[markthom]

sorry that was to @rbz5416

[rbz5416]

Sorry, Google was being **bleep** again in returning a result for another product!