[rossmcl76]

Hi

I have the following:


Television: Sony Bravia KDL46HX803

Home Cinema: SCBTT370EBK, PANASONIC Home Cinema

Sky + HD



I turn on television with the Sky remote, at which point the home cinema comes on, and goes to the home cinema menu on the television screen

Its really annoying, as I want to just have to use one remote, but I always have to go into the home cinema menu options to select HDMI IN1 via the EXT IN submenu, so I can use the home cinema speakers whilst watching Sky

Is it possible to configure this (in Sky? In the Home Cinema? In the Television?) so that when I switch on the television (using Sky Remote), it automatically knows to switch on the home cinema HDMI IN1 and start playing sky via the speakers on the home cinema

Cheers
R

[Chasing Shadows]

No, your Sky box cannot control the home cinema. If you leave your home cinema permanently switched on (with HDMI in 1 selected) then you won't have to (1) switch it on and (2) go into the home cinema menu to select its source input. But neither the Sky box nor the TV can do it for you.

If you were to replace the TV with a Panasonic, or replace the home cinema with a Sony, so that both the TV and home cinema were made by the same manufacturer, then you may be able to configure the two to talk to each other using the HDMI CEC link (Sony Bravia Link or Panasonic Viera Link) so that when you switched on one, the other would turn on automatically. Whether you could then force the home cinema to not display a starting menu, but to instead default to the last selected source input, would be down to the setup of the home cinema. My Sony AV amp doesn't have any kind of onscreen menu on it, it just remembers what source was last selected, but whether your Panasonic has the same capability or not you would need to check in the instruction manual.

BTW - if you only have the Sky box connected to the home cinema via HDMI, and not via optical or digital coaxial, then you aren't taking advantage of the Sky box's Dolby Digital 5.1 capabilities. HDMI is PCM stereo only, the two digital audio outs can carry 5.1 surround sound.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chasing Shadows

If you were to replace the TV with a Panasonic, or replace the home cinema with a Sony, so that both the TV and home cinema were made by the same manufacturer, then you may be able to configure the two to talk to each other using the HDMI CEC link (Sony Bravia Link or Panasonic Viera Link) so that when you switched on one, the other would turn on automatically.

You don't need to replace either, CEC is a standard (designed jointly by Sony/Panasonic), and the two should 'talk' together with no problems.

However, this is nothing to do with the thread, as it in no way affects his problem - which is that Sky boxes don't support CEC (as their design predates it).

[Chasing Shadows]

Actually, from rereading the OP, it seems that the problem is caused by HDMI CEC - as in, when he turns on his TV, the home cinema turns itself on. Which also probably means that when he turns his TV off, the home cinema is turning itself off, which means he can't leave it permanently switched on and with HDMI1 in selected as source.

If he was to disable HDMI CEC on either the TV (Bravia Link) or the home cinema (Viera Link) then turning the TV off would not turn the home cinema off - so he could leave the home cinema permanently switched on, with HDMI1 in as source.

Then all he would need to do when he wants to watch Sky (through the home cinema) is to turn the TV on and select whichever HDMI input on the TV his home cinema is connected to. As the home cinema would already have Sky selected as its source, it should work without any home cinema menus needing to be accessed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

However, this is nothing to do with the thread, as it in no way affects his problem - which is that Sky boxes don't support CEC (as their design predates it).

So I would guess it is actually everything to do with the thread. As CEC is what is turning his home cinema off (and on again) whenever he turns his TV on and off. And hopefully disabling CEC (and leaving the home cinema permanently switched on) will sort out his problem.

[xmb]

As your TV supports ARC on the HDMI 1 input you could connect the Sky box to the TV rather than the Panasonic home cinema and the audio will go via ARC to the Panasonic (assuming the Panasonic supports ARC).

[56up]

Why not buy a universal remote such as from the Logitech stable?

These are activity driven and can be configured to set all the inputs to the channels you want with the press of one button.

Then the channel change will operate the SKY+ and the volume the home cinema.

You can put all the other remotes in the drawer.

Much cheaper that changing either the TV or home cinema!

[xmb]

I have just looked at the manual for the Panasonic SC BTT370EBK and this unit has ARC on the HDMI output so you can connect you Sky box to the TV directly and still get 5.1 sound from the Panasonic when required but not suffer the switching problem you have.

[Chasing Shadows]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xmb

I have just looked at the manual for the Panasonic SC BTT370EBK and this unit has ARC on the HDMI output so you can connect you Sky box to the TV directly and still get 5.1 sound from the Panasonic when required but not suffer the switching problem you have.

As the Sky+ HD box cannot carry DD5.1 sound via HDMI to the TV, how is the TV supposed to then pass a DD5.1 signal back (via ARC or any other way) to the home cinema? As stated last September, if the OP wants 5.1 surround sound from his Sky box played back through his home cinema, he needs his Sky box to be connected directly to his home cinema through one of the two optical methods which carry 5.1 surround sound - namely optical or digital coaxial. And to disable ARC completely.

[xmb]

I did not know Sky were so far behind in technology!

Still if he connects the HDMI from Sky to his TV it will solve the power switching problem and can connect an optical lead to the Panasonic for his 5.1 needs as already pointed out.

[XxBlaKOuTZxX]

Why didn't SKY have their new 1TB box able to produce 5.1 SS via hdmi ?. Just seems silly not to include it imo.

[Quackers]

Just to check, you do have the Sky Box connected on HDMI 1, and the Home Cinema on HDMI 2?

I had that issue (i use Viera Link) if i had the home cinema in HDMI 1. I have the TV set to use AV not TV when the TV comes on as the source and it defaults to HDMI 1.