TZ140 defaulting to dvd/cd mode when tv/cable selected

[JayCee]

Hi, I have a TZ140 system connected to KDL 40ex403 TV. this has worked very well over many years with a Virgin media Tivo set top box, switching on when the the other 2 switched on via remotes. I recently upgraded to Virgin TV360 but the TZ140 no longer switched it self on. So I decided to pair the TZ140 to the TV360 remote which turns on all three with one button. This works , but the TZ140, although initially allowing the virgin output to the tv, defaults to dvd/cd mode as it takes 10 seconds or so to fully turn on, and changes the HDMI input on the TV from virgin to home theatre. 

[royabrown2]

@JayCee 

Well yes, I think it would. The Virgin device is telling the TZ140 to turn on, and I expect its default mode is to be a home theatre system, so its One Touch Play capability then tells the TV to go into Home Theatre Mode.

There’a a button on the TZ140 remote to toggle One Touch Play on and off; try turning it off.

If this solves the immediate problem though, it may be that now when you come to play a disc, this won’t switch the TV to Home Theatre automatically, and you will have to do this manually.

Though this may be the lesser annoyance, anyway, But try these things and see.

For a more complete solution though, can you please describe how the three devices are connected together? I would hazard a guess that it’s TV360 to TV by HDMI, TZ140 to TV by HDMI for video in, and finally TV by Optical to TZ140 for audio out. So please say if that’s correct; or if not, how things actually are wired.

The interesting question here, though, is how things used to work, and why they don’t work now. I would hazard a guess that when the TV was asked to turn on before, it would be aware of the TZ140, and would somehow trigger that to turn on, but in a special way - turn on, but don’t switch away from TV. Either by CEC (Bravia Sync) over the HDMI, or by the TZ140 sensing the input coming in over the Optical.

So the TiVo would turn on the TV, and the TV would turn on the TZ140, in TV mode.

But we now have the TV360 turning on the TV, but the TV no longer turning on the TZ140. A subtly different CEC command? Maybe; this is something you need to ask Virgin about.

Just as a test, though, with things as they are now, One Touch Play still enabled on the TZ140 remote, try turning on the TV, both with the TV360 connected, but in standby, and with it disconnected altogether.

In either case, does the TZ140 come on automatically, in TV mode, like it used to?

In summary, I can see no reason why this setup can’t be got working. But you do have to bear in mind that this is a legacy TV, with no internet smarts unless you bought the dongle, working into a legacy surround system, which, although I’m not sure how it’s wired, certainly isn’t using today’s (e)ARC technology. Somewhere along the line, the TV360 may have made some assumption that more modern technology is in place, an assumption the TiVo never made. New wine, old bottles 😢

But let’s keep at it…

[royabrown2]

@JayCee 

An afterthought - while disabling One Touch Play on the TZ140 may stop it turning the TV to Home Theatre mode, the TZ140 itself will likely be in Home Theatre mode; so still not quite how it needs to be.

Still worth trying this to see what actually happens, though.

[JayCee]

Hi royabrown2, Thank you for your quick reply and considered options

my setup is as you describe except the audio connection from TV to TZ140 is by component audio not optical.

If I turn on the TZ140 by itself the default is TV/cable ( as last selected) and does not attempt to change.

I tried to toggle the one touch button to no effect.

I then tried the standby option and the TZ140 turned on with TV360 in standby, TZ140 turned on with TV only and no attempt to change output.

I then unpaired the TZ140 from the TV360 remote, tv only turned on the audio system no issues, turn on the tv and TV360 and audio system goes to home theatre mode.

There is a separate TV button on the remote so if I turn the TV on and wait until the audio system connects to the TV then turn on the TV360 , job done.

Not exactly what is required but it works.

I have tried to communicate with Virgin community to see if there is a solution but as yet no replies.

I must say that I considered changing the TV and audio but the picture quality and sound from audio system are good and the TV360 box upgrades the setup to a smart TV, so reluctant to change at present

I must say that I considered changing the TV and audio but the picture quality and sound from audio system are good and the TV360 box upgrades the setup to a smart TV, so reluctant to change at present.

[royabrown2]

 @JayCee 

Indeed - if it ain’t broke, why fix it?

And I have a very similar problem to yours, even on the most modern equipment; with a YouView box, and other devices, plugged into my LG GX TV, and the TV in turn plugged into an LG GX soundbar, all connected by HDMI, the soundbar being in the eARC HDMI Port of the TV, then if I turn the YouView box on with the TV and soundbar in standby, both the TV and the soundbar come on, but the soundbar comes on in HDMI mode (it has an HDMI input), and not the eARC mode I want.

So no sound, and I have to switch the soundbar to eARC to get it back, so it can play the audio from the YouView box.

Thats not a million miles from your issue, especially if I move my Panasonic UHD player to HDMI 3 on the TV, instead of its normal home on the HDMI input of the soundbar. Then, the YouView box turns this on as well, to use its HDMI input (on which there is now nothing connected), and the UHD player in turn switches the TV to its own input.

Only the YouView box does this; if I start the system from the other two devices plugged into HDMI on the TV, a Roku Express and a UHD BluRay player, the TV comes on, and then the soundbar, set to eARC as it should be.

I generally solve the issue by always turning the TV on before the YouView box; with this, the soundbar goes to eARC as it should.

Looking at your issue, though, I found a couple of interesting things; firstly the Wikipedia description of CEC:-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Electronics_Control, which describes how devices get themselves a CEC address (0-14), and also that CEC commands can pass through a device that is off. And one device can talk to another device by specifying that CEC address, or it can broadcast to all devices by using address 15.

And I noted that when the YouView box turns on, the soundbar turns on before the TV does; which is exactly that ‘default mode’ issue you have, the soundbar defaulting here to its HDMI input, and not to handling the TV output. So I think the YouView box is using a broadcast turn-on.

Whereas when I start one of the other devices plugged into the TV, the TV comes on first, and only then the soundbar.

So possibly these other devices don’t start the soundbar at all, they just start the TV, and the TV starts the soundbar?

And maybe this only happens because the soundbar has a lower CEC address than the TV? Or maybe not.

But something like this may be happening with your two Virgin devices; the TiVo only started the TV, but the TV360 starts whatever you tell it to. By individual address, I think.

The enduring mystery, though, is why the TV, started by the TV360, no longer starts the TZ140, whereas when you start the TV, it does start the TZ140.

But a key takeaway is that it isn’t the age of your kit; I’m getting pretty much exactly the same issues with up to date (2020) kit with all HDMI passthrough, eARC, and all the other bells and whistles.

I’ve posted in the BT YouView Community:-

https://community.bt.com/t5/EE-TV-YouView/Incontinent-behaviour-of-CEC-on-DTR-T4000/td-p/2386490

but no advice has been forthcoming.