Solved! Anyone have experience with AV receivers? (Denon AVR-S740H)

Status
Not open for further replies.
Jan 21, 2019
2
0
10
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.
 
Solution
That the cable works with another receiver doesn't mean it's going to work with the Denon+Your TV. HDMI is tricky that way.
Do try a different cable.
ARC and CEC are independent. You can use the TV optical audio output with no loss of quality. Any sources that have lossless audio like Dolby TrueHD have to be connected directly to the receiver with HDMI to get the best sound.
I don't think CEC will allow for full control of the receiver. A Logitech Harmony RF or IP remote/app and base station/hub would allow for full control of the receiver inside the cabinet as well as the TV and all the other gear.
That the cable works with another receiver doesn't mean it's going to work with the Denon+Your TV. HDMI is tricky that way.
Do try a different cable.
ARC and CEC are independent. You can use the TV optical audio output with no loss of quality. Any sources that have lossless audio like Dolby TrueHD have to be connected directly to the receiver with HDMI to get the best sound.
I don't think CEC will allow for full control of the receiver. A Logitech Harmony RF or IP remote/app and base station/hub would allow for full control of the receiver inside the cabinet as well as the TV and all the other gear.
 
Solution
Status
Not open for further replies.