I love gaming as much as the next person, and I like to take advantage of cool features when I can. I love that the PS5 can utilize 4K 120 FPS gaming, even if many games don’t support it. There are actually quite a few settings you can dig into and mess around with to get more from your console. HDMI-CEC is one of those things, and on paper, it’s a great thing. Who doesn’t like controlling everything with one remote? CEC stands for Consumer Electronics Control, and it does exactly as it sounds, when it works. It’s called something different with many TVs — my Sony TV calls it Bravia Sync, while Samsung calls it Anynet+.

As it turns out, the problems are much bigger than they first appear. I’m somebody who turned HDMI-CEC on for everything I owned when I learned about it, and that’s probably something most people do. Sometimes, it’s great, and there are no problems. I turn on my TV, and it turns on what I want and does what it wants. Other times, the wrong devices turn on, and it’s a hassle.

My game consoles have been a constant offender of this, and it always meant I had to get up and turn off my console when I don’t want to use it. Some people use their Xbox and PS5 as a media player for streaming apps, but I have an Apple TV 4K for that. This means I don’t want my PS5 to turn on every single time I turn on my TV, and that’s why HDMI-CEC had to go.

4K Capability

Yes

Brand

PlayStation

Storage

2TB

Screen Resolution

VRR and 8K

Your console doesn’t need it

Turn off HDMI-CEC

If you have HDMI-CEC turned on in your game console’s settings, you can just go ahead and toggle that off. If you’re like me, you already have to get up and grab your controller or put a disc in when you play your console, so there’s not much of a benefit to having HDMI-CEC turned on for your console. When it is on, you can just use the controller you’re holding to control everything.

HDMI-CEC can still be used with your TV and sound system, so volume won’t be much of an issue either. I found that things just work better when consoles are untethered from the greater HDMI-CEC ecosystem. In an ideal world, that’s not how things would work, but it’s the way it is.

It’s a very frustrating technology that has been around for a long time now. Considering HDMI-CEC’s age, I’m not sure if these annoying handshake problems are ever going to be fixed. Because of that, you have to take matters into your own hands and just soften the blow where you can. Ultimately, having HDMI-CEC turned off on a game console isn’t too much of an inconvenience, but it’s still annoying that I have to do it.

I’ve had much better luck with HDMI-CEC just by using fewer devices at the same time, which does seem like it goes against the conventional wisdom. However, it makes a lot of sense when you think about it. With fewer devices operating, there’s less than go wrong. With just my receiver, my Apple TV 4K, and TV, there’s nothing that turns on when it shouldn’t anymore.

Within your console settings, you either want to toggle off HDMI-CEC entirely. For PS5, it’s called HDMI Device Link, and you want to turn that off. On the Nintendo Switch, it’s called Match TV Power State. For Xbox, it’s actually called HDMI-CEC, so there’s no trickery there. You can either tinker with the settings you find or you can just toggle it off completely. I certainly recommend the latter option.

There’s no real fix in sight

It is what it is

What’s so unbelievably frustrating about all this is that HDMI-CEC is such a great feature. I love the idea of being able to use one remote for everything, but that’s not the hand we have been dealt. It feels like a luck of the draw each time I turn on the TV, and that’s not a good feeling. Unfortunately, I did end up finding a fix to this problem, but it was to get a universal remote and ignore HDMI-CEC.

I just don’t see things getting better for HDMI-CEC if these very same problems have persisted for years and years now. You either have the patience and put up with them, or you look to greener pastures like a universal remote. The simple fix should be everything working perfectly, but I can’t see that becoming a reality. When it all works, it feels like HDMI-CEC is a transformative feature, but when it stutters, it feels like the worst thing in the world. It got annoying enough for me that I had to look for other options. Turning off HDMI-CEC on your consoles is a good first step, and I hope it solves your headaches.