Streaming boxes & HDMI-CEC
Couch Amp’s TV Remote key pad sends key presses to your Bravia exactly the way the TV’s own remote does. That matters because of what the TV does next: navigation and playback keys get forwarded over HDMI-CEC to whatever device is on the active input. Point the app at the TV and you’re driving the Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku, or console behind it — no pairing, no extra app, no IR blaster.
CEC is a control channel built into the HDMI cable itself. Every major streaming box made in the last decade speaks it; most ship with it already on. The setup, when there is any, is one switch per device.
Turn it on at the TV first
The Bravia is the hub, so its CEC has to be on: Settings → Watching TV → External inputs → BRAVIA Sync settings → BRAVIA Sync control (On) — on older Android TV sets it’s under Settings → External inputs. Sony calls CEC “BRAVIA Sync”; it’s the same standard everyone else ships under their own name (Anynet+, SimpLink, VIERA Link — they all interoperate).
And the key pad itself needs the TV’s Pre-Shared Key entered once — see supported TVs for that two-minute setup.
Per-device setup
| Device | CEC setting | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Apple TV (4K / HD) | Nothing to enable — CEC is always on | On |
| Fire TV (Stick / Cube) | Settings → Display & Sounds → HDMI-CEC Device Control | On |
| Roku (players & sticks) | Settings → System → Control other devices (CEC) | On |
| Google TV Streamer / Chromecast with Google TV | Settings → Display & Sound → HDMI-CEC | On |
| NVIDIA Shield TV | Settings → Display & Sounds → Power Control | On |
| PlayStation 5 / 4 | Settings → System → HDMI → Enable HDMI Device Link | Off |
| Xbox Series X|S | Settings → General → TV & display options → Device control → HDMI-CEC | Off |
| Blu-ray players, cable boxes | Look for the brand’s CEC name in setup (BRAVIA Sync, Anynet+, …) | Varies |
Once the device’s CEC is on, the d-pad, OK, back, home, and the play/pause/skip transport keys all land on it. Menu labels move around between firmware versions, but the setting is always named CEC or the brand’s alias for it.
A few device notes:
- Apple TV wakes from sleep on the first key press and is the smoothest of the bunch — Apple has shipped CEC on since the very first tvOS box.
- Consoles are great for media apps — navigate Netflix or YouTube on the PS5 from your phone — but games still want the controller in your hands.
- Roku and Fire TV occasionally re-handshake after an input swap; if keys stop landing, hop to another input and back.
Through the receiver
Running your sources into the ES receiver and one HDMI to the TV? CEC traverses the receiver. Enable Control for HDMI on the receiver (Setup → HDMI Settings → Control for HDMI) and the chain stays intact: Couch Amp → TV → receiver → the box on the receiver’s active input. You get the bonus behaviors too — one-touch play switches the receiver’s input when a box wakes up.
When keys don’t arrive
- Keys go to the active input only. If the TV is showing its own home screen or a built-in app, the TV keeps the keys. Switch to the box’s input first.
- Check both ends. CEC has to be on at the TV and the device — the table above covers the usual hiding spots.
- Re-handshake. CEC devices negotiate when plugged in. After moving a box to a different HDMI port, power-cycle it (unplug, not just standby) so it re-announces itself.
- Skip cheap HDMI switches. Passive splitters and bargain switches often drop the CEC line entirely. The receiver passes it; a $12 switch may not.
- Volume stays home. Volume and mute intentionally don’t pass through — they control the TV or receiver, which is where your sound actually is.