HDMI founders to finally rally around single CEC standard

Back in March, we called for HDMI members to put aside their differences and unify around a single HDMI-CEC standard. According to Steve Venuti, president of HDMI Licensing, LLC, that movement is about to begin. While speaking to CE Pro at CEDIA, the bigwig confessed that the HDMI founders (Hitachi, Panasonic, Philips, Silicon Image, Sony, Thomson and Toshiba) have finally agreed to team up on a "unified CEC plan." If executed, the result would mean that HDMI-CEC-enabled VIERA plasmas could be controlled in unison with HDMI-CEC-enabled Sony receivers, and the whole VIERA Link / BRAVIA Sync / Anynet+ / AQUOS Link garbage could finally be disposed of. Mr. Venuti also claimed that there would "probably be an announcement at CES 2009," so we'll be keeping an ear out in around 100 days.

[Image courtesy of AVReview, thanks Lindsay]

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 21st 2008 10:28PM]

As someone who sells this gear, this is a welcome announcement. If a person could buy a Panasonic plasma, Denon receiver, Sony BD player, and a HD DirecTV box, hook them all together, and have everything work as a unified system, people would start to become more interested in home theater and better systems. The current state of things...sucks (from a consumer point of view).

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 21st 2008 10:28PM]

does this mean that i'll be able to hook up my tv to my toaster so a message will come onscreen to tell me when my poptarts are done? if so, WOOHOO!!!

[S4Rs Posted Sep 21st 2008 10:45PM]

As long as Big Corporate enable this coding in a firmware update if possible for all capable CEC equipment right now. It should be easy enough to do. They probably wont though. They probably wont....

HDMI = Money Hat

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 22nd 2008 12:44AM]

So let me guess. I gotta buy all new equipment right?

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 22nd 2008 1:00PM]

And this is why activity-based universal remotes are a godsend.

Harmony one FTW.

[Biggiesized Posted Sep 22nd 2008 4:11PM]

This should have been figured out at the onset of HDMI.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 13th 2008 11:25PM]

Wow, after eons of HD video over HDMI, finally in CES 2009, a "possible announcement" on inter-operability ! And just how soon will there be real products ? These guys are quick ! Innovation at the speed of thought ! Mr Venuti loves to keep the suspense on, but let me play spoilsport : this wonderful CEC will transfer a few bits of data every few hours between two compliant devices, if any. Reminds you of the first telegraph cable laid across the atlantic in during the 1800s ? (Nah, those were a bit faster). Imagine pressing the menu key when watching your HD movie from the BlueRay player, ordering your pizza, then walking your dog, doing your laundry, downing the pizza and then, in a swoosh, the blueray menu pops up on the screen !!! Now, that's true innovation !

Tell you what, Mr Venuti, call it off. CES can do without such bad jokes. Universal Remote controls or branded wires (what you gloriously call "garbage" - Vieralink, Bravialink, Anynet) do a lot better job than your high interoperable CEC. If anything, let these branded wires die a silent, natural death. It's time to look at a cable and a protocol that can transfer more than a few bits per hour. Heard of ethernet or USB ? Or bluetooth and 11x ?