Yamaha RX-V465 Authority Issue (1 Viewer)

I am relatively new to this so please bear with me. I just recently set up the following hardware: Samsung LN52B750 Display, Samsung BD-P1600 Optical reader, Yamaha RX-V465 Receiver, and a SA 8300 HD Cable box (Cablevision). I have the cable box and the bluray player running HDMI 1.3 into the receiver, which is then connect HDMI to the display. I have the Anynet+ Control turned on on both Samsung devices.

My problem is this...

1) When I have everything turned on and watching TV and try to power down the bluray player (to conserve energy), I lose the video feed from the cable box. I can still hear the sound through the speakers, but have snow on the display. I can only avoid this by disabling Anynet, but that eliminates other functionality. Is there a glitch somewhere in here, or are the two Anynet enabled devices contingent on each other for operation once activated?

2) When powering down, I shut the whole system down by simply turning off the display via the programmed cable box remote. This turns all the other components off sans the cable box (which goes to sleep shortly), which is very nice and convenient. When I try to power back on via the same method, only the display and bluray come back on line (not the receiver). It happens like this...

1) Display comes on line and cable box wake up simultaneously. Display is playing cable TV through internal speakers
2) Bluray turns on 20 seconds later, and display switches over to bluray player (receiver is still off)
3) I have to now manually power on the receiver via a separate remote, and switch the input back to the cable box

Although not the end of the world, this is pretty frustrating as I have go through this power up cycle that takes more time then I believe it should. I searched through the manual trying to get the receiver to come back on line with the rest of the gear (the way it powers down), and to set an input priority but have come up short.

Is anyone familiar with this issue and could help with the troubleshooting? Thanks, -Matt

Matt, it is time to invest in a universal remote control. I would suggest checking out the Harmony remotes available from Logitech -- they are easy to setup and use, yet very feature-rich. No home theater should be without one.

I disabled the Anynet feature on my Samsung display and the HDMI control option on my Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray player. These features, while good in concept, usually end up creating more problems than they solve, as you are discovering. With a single universal remote control, you will be able to accomplish everything that the Anynet feature can, and avoid all the issues you are experiencing.

Will this remote be able to communicate with my cable box? I was aware of the universal remotes, but did not purchase one as I was under the assumption that I would still need my cable box remote. If this is not the case then I will definitely invest. I live on Long Island and have a digital DVR cable box.

You make some interesting points about the Anynet concept. The only plus is that is allows me to adjust the receiver volume via the cable box remote. That aside its a PITA to work around. I appreciate your guidance.

A Harmony universal remote should be able to control any device in your home theater that uses IR signals, including your cable box. I currently have a Harmony 880 that controls my HDTV, Pioneer Elite receiver, Motorola cable box, Oppo DVD player, Sony Blu-ray player, Panasonic DVD recorder and Sony SACD/CD player. All the original remotes are stored away, as I never use them.

Harmony uses a concept called "activities" for the main interaction with your system. For example, you will setup activities called "Watch Cable TV", "Watch a Movie", "Watch a Blu-ray", "Listen to Music", etc. -- whatever activities make sense for your setup. You program the Harmony on your PC to setup these activities -- telling it which components need to be turned on for each activity, which inputs need to be selected, which device controls the audio volume, etc.

Once you have the activities configured, when you select an activity on the remote, it turns on all the appropriate devices, and switches to all the proper inputs on your TV, receiver, etc. It also keeps track of which devices are on and off, so it will not attempt to turn on a device that is already on as you switch between activities. A simple "system off" dedicated button then shuts everything down.

You can learn more at Harmony's website -- www.logitech.com/index.cfm/remotes/universal_remotes/

Thanks man! I see that you have the 880.. Do you recommend this one. There are quite a few to choose from. Also, where do you recommend shopping to get a good price?

I like my 880, and the Harmony One also gets good reviews, if you like LCD touch screens. Amazon is currently selling the 880 for $125 and the One for $204, but I have seen both cheaper at times on those sites. My brother-in-law has a Harmony 510 ($78 on Amazon), but I did not like it nearly as well as my 880 when I programmed it for him.

I did some research and I think I am going to go with the Harmony One. They have them on Newegg for $200, or $225 at my local PC Richards (but I am sure I can negotiate the guy down). Not sure if I feel like waiting for it to come in the mail.

That aside, I did what you said and turned off all the Anynet+ features on the devices and have no conflict. Granted I now have to use 4 remotes (which my next purchase will solve), the launch time and inter-device confusion seems to have been eliminated. This is great. I appreciate the guidance! -Matt