Denon AVR-S740H (HDMI ARC / CEC Issue)

[PDC20]

Hi All,

I recently purchased a refurbished Denon AVR-S740H from an authorized dealer on Amazon and hope I can fix my ARC / CEC issue and not have to return it.

I really enjoy this receiver aside from the problem I am having so before I ship it back for a refund I'd like to solicit any recommendations you may be able to provide in case this is not a hardware issue and more of a configuration issue that I might not be aware of. I think I've exhausted all options after spending hours researching online and reading about others' experiences, but am open to suggestions.

For our set up it is mandatory that ARC / HDMI CEC function correctly (the receiver is behind closed doors in a cabinet). This is the problem I am having with this receiver: HDMI ARC/CEC is not playing nice at all times. I had it working on and off until it stayed working for 3 days straight and then suddenly stopped working and I have not been able to get it to work since.

I've tried doing all of the following several times:

1) Resetting the power to both the TV and receiver.

2) Reinserting the HDMI cable (this is a high speed ethernet HDMI. The same cable works with ARC / HDMI CEC on a receiver I tested at a different house so I know it's not a problem with the HDMI cable).

3) Resetting the configuration on the receiver to start from scratch.

4) Ensuring that the Digital input to the TV is unassigned in the receiver's settings (not OPT1, not OPT2, not COAX), and that Analog and Video inputs are also unassigned.

5) Ensuring that HDMI CEC is enabled on both TVs tested, one at a time (Anynet+ on a Samsung and Simplink on an LG)

6) Ensuring that HDMI ARC and HDMI Control are enabled in the receiver's Video > HDMI settings.

On the Samsung TV, I initially had strange issues which would show the receiver as an audio output option only for a brief moment after connecting the HDMI cable, but within a few seconds it would disappear or, if I quickly tried to select it as the sound output device it would get caught in a loading loop and disappear after a minute of failed attempts. Now I do not see the receiver show as an output option regardless of how many times I reinsert the HDMI cable.

On the LG TV I selected HDMI audio out (which is a standard option not dependent on available connections) but yielded no actual results.

Is there anything else you can suggest I try? I'll be taking the receiver to another house tomorrow to see if it's a problem with my TVs, but as I said I already tested it on two different brands of televisions and neither seem to work well.

Everything else about the receiver works great, which makes it a real shame to have to opt for a different brand and/or model.

Appreciate any feedback or suggestions.

 

[lovinthehd]

Could just be different HDMI-CEC standards among the various brands, it's not like they're certified to work with one another and Denon doesn't undergo official HDMI certification either. I don't expect ARC to function correctly among different brands just because I've had the experience of it not playing nice and reading how many times it's an issue for others; I don't need any audio sources from the tv any more so not a big deal for me anyways. I don't know if it's even considered a warranteeable item. Why do you need ARC particularly?

 

[PDC20]

Denon confirmed today that they will not hesitate to replace the product. But I don't think a replacement is going to solve my issue while I have these TVs.

I assumed ARC/CEC was my only solution for controlling the volume and simultaneously powering off both TV and receiver with one remote. Is that not the case? I need to keep the big receiver behind closed cabinet doors so even other solutions like a universal remote won't work unless I drill a hole through the cabinet door so it can talk to the receiver, no?

Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk

 

[TLS Guy]

Probably you will have trouble with any receiver you use. Basically ARC is a cluster and not to be recommended. You need to think of a better set up, like using fiber optic Toslink for the audio return. Both have the same bandwidth, but Toslink works, ARC not so much.

 

[lovinthehd]

You're using RF rather than infrared for remote? There are universal remotes that can do both or you can use an IR extender or something, too. You could take your chances that the avr is faulty and try another. Hard to know. Before sending the receiver back have you tried any kind of reset? Simply unplugging things for a while (a soft reset) can help, sometimes a full microprocessor reset may be needed.

 

[TLS Guy]

Denon confirmed today that they will not hesitate to replace the product. But I don't think a replacement is going to solve my issue while I have these TVs.

I assumed ARC/CEC was my only solution for controlling the volume and simultaneously powering off both TV and receiver with one remote. Is that not the case? I need to keep the big receiver behind closed cabinet doors so even other solutions like a universal remote won't work unless I drill a hole through the cabinet door so it can talk to the receiver, no?

Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk

You can use a remote IR unit. I hope your unit has plenty of ventilation behind those closed doors. The best way to use a receiver is to connect everything to the receiver and just connect one HDMI cable from receiver to TV and then only use the on/off button on the TV. That gives the best quality and the least hassle.

 

[PDC20]

Gotcha. Currently connected through toslink as that was my only option. I thought temporary option but if that's the case regarding ARC then that's too bad.

Interesting that ARC is marketed as this wonderful marvel when shopping for receivers. I actually purposely looked for one with an ARC HDMI port (although most have them and I think I ended up with a nice receiver regardless of the issue).

Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk

 

[PDC20]

You're using RF rather than infrared for remote? There are universal remotes that can do both or you can use an IR extender or something, too. You could take your chances that the avr is faulty and try another. Hard to know. Before sending the receiver back have you tried any kind of reset? Simply unplugging things for a while (a soft reset) can help, sometimes a full microprocessor reset may be needed.

I'm using the remote that came with the receiver, I'm assuming RF? It needs open direct access to the top left of the receiver's face screen. Extender is a good idea. Didn't consider that would exist. Need to look into that. don't even know where it would connect to on the receiver. Thanks

Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk

 

[PDC20]

You can use a remote IR unit. I hope your unit has plenty of ventilation behind those closed doors. The best way to use a receiver is to connect everything to the receiver and just connect one HDMI cable from receiver to TV and then only use the on/off button on the TV. That gives the best quality and the least hassle.

I think what you're describing is ARC / CEC...?

Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk

 

[snakeeyes]

It hard to achieve HDMI ARC CEC perfection on any receiver unless you have probably all 2014 or newer devices. Some devices may not support CEC though.

 

[PDC20]

It hard to achieve HDMI ARC CEC perfection on any receiver unless you have probably all 2014 or newer devices. Some devices may not support CEC though.

Can't recall what year the AVR-S740H came out at the moment but the Samsung I'm trying to pair it with is a 4k from 2016. I do recall seeing the receiver on several "best receivers of 2018" lists so would assume it's recent enough to pair well.

Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk

 

[snakeeyes]

Can't recall what year the AVR-S740H came out at the moment but the Samsung I'm trying to pair it with is a 4k from 2016. I do recall seeing the receiver on several "best receivers of 2018" lists so would assume it's recent enough to pair well.

Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk

You might try Yamaha if you are at the point to do a return. My 2016 Samsung KS8000 TV works great with my 2016 Yamaha RX-A2060 and 2017 Sony Blu-ray and 2018 Apple 4K TV.

I also have a low end 2015 Toshiba TV working with my 2017 Yamaha RX-A770 and 2018 Sony Blu-ray player in my bedroom.

 

[lovinthehd]

I'm using the remote that came with the receiver, I'm assuming RF? It needs open direct access to the top left of the receiver's face screen. Extender is a good idea. Didn't consider that would exist. Need to look into that. don't even know where it would connect to on the receiver. Thanks

Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk

That sounds more like infrared. More common, some can switch between the two modes (should be in the manual)

 

[PDC20]

I've decided to try the universal remote route. Let's see how successful we'll be with a Logitech Harmony.

 

[lovinthehd]

I've decided to try the universal remote route. Let's see how successful we'll be with a Logitech Harmony.

Which model? I use a 600 and 650 myself for quite a while now. Some of the newer ones look interesting....

 

[PDC20]

So I actually ended up chalking up $20 for a "certified" 4k HDMI and have interesting results.

Whereas before with the other HDMI the ARC would only work after resetting everything and trying for several minutes or hours, then after a day or two stop working completely..... with the "new" HDMI cable the ARC seems to pick and choose on which occasion it wants to work, so it's not reliable. Probably going to end up getting the Harmony once we get tired of having to use the two remotes.

 

[snakeeyes]

So I actually ended up chalking up $20 for a "certified" 4k HDMI and have interesting results.

Whereas before with the other HDMI the ARC would only work after resetting everything and trying for several minutes or hours, then after a day or two stop working completely..... with the "new" HDMI cable the ARC seems to pick and choose on which occasion it wants to work, so it's not reliable. Probably going to end up getting the Harmony once we get tired of having to use the two remotes.

Did you isolate if it is just one hdmi device or all devices? You only mentioned the TV and receiver. Guessing cable box or Blu-ray player?

I had a similar experience with randomness with a TiVo DVR until I pulled it out of the mix. I ended up making the TiVo use a different hdmi port on the Samsung tv. (Several months later TiVo fixed the issue on Roamio DVRs with a firmware update to enable CEC)

 

[PDC20]

Did you isolate if it is just one hdmi device or all devices? You only mentioned the TV and receiver. Guessing cable box or Blu-ray player?

I had a similar experience with randomness with a TiVo DVR until I pulled it out of the mix. I ended up making the TiVo use a different hdmi port on the Samsung tv. (Several months later TiVo fixed the issue on Roamio DVRs with a firmware update to enable CEC)

My understanding was that if I couldn't get ARC to work (i.e. being able to control the receiver volume with my TV remote) then it doesn't really matter which additional devices are connected to the receiver. I noticed that the ability to control the volume with ARC either works with all devices or no devices.

 

[snakeeyes]

My understanding was that if I couldn't get ARC to work (i.e. being able to control the receiver volume with my TV remote) then it doesn't really matter which additional devices are connected to the receiver. I noticed that the ability to control the volume with ARC either works with all devices or no devices.

Oh. But yes, assuming the first part works, yes it matters on all the devices individually as well.

 

[jaydee30]

Hi All,

I recently purchased a refurbished Denon AVR-S740H from an authorized dealer on Amazon and hope I can fix my ARC / CEC issue and not have to return it.

I really enjoy this receiver aside from the problem I am having so before I ship it back for a refund I'd like to solicit any recommendations you may be able to provide in case this is not a hardware issue and more of a configuration issue that I might not be aware of. I think I've exhausted all options after spending hours researching online and reading about others' experiences, but am open to suggestions.

For our set up it is mandatory that ARC / HDMI CEC function correctly (the receiver is behind closed doors in a cabinet). This is the problem I am having with this receiver: HDMI ARC/CEC is not playing nice at all times. I had it working on and off until it stayed working for 3 days straight and then suddenly stopped working and I have not been able to get it to work since.

I've tried doing all of the following several times:

1) Resetting the power to both the TV and receiver.

2) Reinserting the HDMI cable (this is a high speed ethernet HDMI. The same cable works with ARC / HDMI CEC on a receiver I tested at a different house so I know it's not a problem with the HDMI cable).

3) Resetting the configuration on the receiver to start from scratch.

4) Ensuring that the Digital input to the TV is unassigned in the receiver's settings (not OPT1, not OPT2, not COAX), and that Analog and Video inputs are also unassigned.

5) Ensuring that HDMI CEC is enabled on both TVs tested, one at a time (Anynet+ on a Samsung and Simplink on an LG)

6) Ensuring that HDMI ARC and HDMI Control are enabled in the receiver's Video > HDMI settings.

On the Samsung TV, I initially had strange issues which would show the receiver as an audio output option only for a brief moment after connecting the HDMI cable, but within a few seconds it would disappear or, if I quickly tried to select it as the sound output device it would get caught in a loading loop and disappear after a minute of failed attempts. Now I do not see the receiver show as an output option regardless of how many times I reinsert the HDMI cable.

On the LG TV I selected HDMI audio out (which is a standard option not dependent on available connections) but yielded no actual results.

Is there anything else you can suggest I try? I'll be taking the receiver to another house tomorrow to see if it's a problem with my TVs, but as I said I already tested it on two different brands of televisions and neither seem to work well.

Everything else about the receiver works great, which makes it a real shame to have to opt for a different brand and/or model.

Appreciate any feedback or suggestions.

Hi All,

I recently purchased a refurbished Denon AVR-S740H from an authorized dealer on Amazon and hope I can fix my ARC / CEC issue and not have to return it.

I really enjoy this receiver aside from the problem I am having so before I ship it back for a refund I'd like to solicit any recommendations you may be able to provide in case this is not a hardware issue and more of a configuration issue that I might not be aware of. I think I've exhausted all options after spending hours researching online and reading about others' experiences, but am open to suggestions.

For our set up it is mandatory that ARC / HDMI CEC function correctly (the receiver is behind closed doors in a cabinet). This is the problem I am having with this receiver: HDMI ARC/CEC is not playing nice at all times. I had it working on and off until it stayed working for 3 days straight and then suddenly stopped working and I have not been able to get it to work since.

I've tried doing all of the following several times:

1) Resetting the power to both the TV and receiver.

2) Reinserting the HDMI cable (this is a high speed ethernet HDMI. The same cable works with ARC / HDMI CEC on a receiver I tested at a different house so I know it's not a problem with the HDMI cable).

3) Resetting the configuration on the receiver to start from scratch.

4) Ensuring that the Digital input to the TV is unassigned in the receiver's settings (not OPT1, not OPT2, not COAX), and that Analog and Video inputs are also unassigned.

5) Ensuring that HDMI CEC is enabled on both TVs tested, one at a time (Anynet+ on a Samsung and Simplink on an LG)

6) Ensuring that HDMI ARC and HDMI Control are enabled in the receiver's Video > HDMI settings.

On the Samsung TV, I initially had strange issues which would show the receiver as an audio output option only for a brief moment after connecting the HDMI cable, but within a few seconds it would disappear or, if I quickly tried to select it as the sound output device it would get caught in a loading loop and disappear after a minute of failed attempts. Now I do not see the receiver show as an output option regardless of how many times I reinsert the HDMI cable.

On the LG TV I selected HDMI audio out (which is a standard option not dependent on available connections) but yielded no actual results.

Is there anything else you can suggest I try? I'll be taking the receiver to another house tomorrow to see if it's a problem with my TVs, but as I said I already tested it on two different brands of televisions and neither seem to work well.

Everything else about the receiver works great, which makes it a real shame to have to opt for a different brand and/or model.

Appreciate any feedback or suggestions.

Hello,
I found this thread thru a google search. I have the exact same (pretty identical) problem as above. I have the Denon AVR S740 receiver in a cabinet with HDMI ARC to a SAMSUNG TV. Again, my problems are pretty identical to the above. I was wondering if you figured out a solution? I know this thread is nearly 4 years old and I’m hoping to find any help. I reset to factory, unplugged TV and receiver. It works for a few days and then the settings dont stay. Sometimes no audio comes from the speakers. The audio output option for the receiver from the TV disappears. Could it be the receiver itself?