PSA: Some TV remotes will control the nexus player with no set up required.

by whatdc

So apparently my 5+ year old Panasonic LCD tv's remote will control my nexus player. My son started hitting play while YouTube was paused and the video started playing. Upon investigation the return button acts as a back button, the arrow and enter key work as intended and the play, pause, ff and rewind keys all work normally in Netflix and hulu without issue. I can't find a key that works as a home key but it worked with no issues for the other functions.

It has been quite a while since I worked in an electronics store but IIRC all Panasonic remotes are universal for the brand so this may be true for all Panasonic remotes. Other brands should try this out before replacing your remote, if you are having issues with your current remote.

I am sure this has to do with the HDMI specs but I didn't think mine would do this purely based on age.

NedSc

Yep, CEC. Also known as various other names since some manufacturers try to make it sound like something special, but it's actually a standard in HDMI.

GazaIan

That's just HDMI-CEC, supported by most TVs made in the past few years. It's a very standard feature, you can use it to control pretty much any device connected via HDMI. For me, its my Nexus Player, Chromecast, and PS3.

cr08

Can concur. Got a Panasonic from '08 with HDMI-CEC. Have an HT receiver between my Nexus Player and my TV. TV remote controls receiver volume and will also send commands to the nexus player as you already know.

Another little 'easter egg' if you want to call it that: If the TV is off or even on another input or both, hit the home/circl button on your Nexus Player remote. Should automatically turn on and switch inputs to whatever is needed to go straight to the NP home screen. And depending on the app if you turn off the TV or switch inputs it may pause or stop the playback automatically.

HDMI-CEC is an amazing feature when done well. I have a relatively complex system to most. TV+HT receive+Nexus Player. TV we utilize the internal tuner and feed the audio back to the receiver via optical/toslink. The HT receiver is smart enough when the TV input is switched between the tuner and HDMI to go between the optical input and whatever the current HDMI device is. Power control is all automatic. Power button on the set itself or via remote will switch both the TV and receiver. Volume controls all go to the receiver. TV remote commands will go to the NP when it is active. Aside from the optional NP remote features like voice control and home/play buttons, it is all a single remote system with just the TV remote and siwtching between live TV and the NP is just a single input switch on the TV.

Zinc64

Yep. Handy on the Chromecast because you don't have to leave your phone with the kids.

condor85

Shame my lg TV that supports hdmi-cec doesn't work.

I think every tv manufacturer supports it differently.