Audio Systems: Receiver keeps switching to TV input, digital cable box, vizio tv

Question
Hi Wayne,

I have a Sony receiver (model STRDH820) and a Vizio TV (model E3D420VX). I have multi-directional HDMI 1.4 cables connecting
the digital cable box to the receiver, and another cable connecting the TV to the receiver (using the ARC input). I have turned on System Audio Control under the CEC menu in the Vizio's setup and the TV "discovered" & recognized the receiver.

Everything is working fine, except for one nagging problem - when you turn the TV on, the receiver automatically turns on and switches to "TV" input, regardless of what input mode it was in when it was shut off. When it does this, there is no audio, as the
receiver automatically mutes the TV's speakers, and no audio from the cable box or the TV is present from the receiver (However, audio is present from the receiver when using the TV's wifi widgets - Netflix, for example). If I switch the receiver to "SATV /CATV", the audio from the cable box is present. I am trying to keep it in "SATV / CATV" mode when the TV is turned on, but I can't seem to force it to do so.

Alternatively (actually preferably), I would like for the receiver not to turn on (wake from stand-by mode) when the TV is turned on, so the audio from the TV's speakers would be present, and the receiver would pass through audio / video from the cable box.

I have looked through the manuals & websites for both devices, but I haven't been able to find a solution.

Can you offer any suggestions?

Thanks for your time...

Answer
While I can't specifically address your particular gear's configuration (too many models/options on the market - I'd have to have it in front of me to properly troubleshoot), I can give you some general set up options.

First of all - just to set your terminology straight - there's no such thing as a "directional" HDMI cable (unless it has active circuitry built into it), and there's definitely no such thing as a "1.4" cable. calling an HDMI cable 1.4 is strictly against the HDMI licensing agreement, and any company selling them labelled as such are in direct violation of that agreement.

From http://www.hdmi.org/consumer/buying_guide.aspx
"When it comes to selecting a cable, the HDMI version number is never relevant. There is no such thing as a “Version 1.4 cable” or “HDMI 1.3 cable” - these terms are solely the creation of manufacturers’ marketing efforts. Cables are instead rated by their performance capabilities."


NOW - with that out of the way...

I would turn all of the system audio controls off - or any kind of auto-sensing.
How many HDMI inputs does your TV have? Another possible solution is to have your HDMI gadgets coming thru the receiver into the TV , and have your cable box going directly to the TV via HDMI with a digital audio line going to the receiver in the event you want your cable box audio through the receiver.

Basically, you need to make the TV stop communicating with the receiver on power-up. With that said - this may be a problem that you cannot fix as a lot of these so-called "conveniences" are unavoidable and hardwired into the devices. Unfortunately, HDMI (in my personal opinion) was a great idea that was executed in the worst possible way, and then rushed into the consumer market before any real troubleshooting could take place. I get hundreds of telephone calls in any given week that all have to do with HDMI routing issues. I hope some of my suggestions help.