Z12 power on issue HDMI-CEC

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    I have an issue with the Formuler Z12 regarding HDMI-CEC power on.

    I replaced a Z11 with a Z12 in the exact same setup.
    The Formuler box is connected to a Panasonic TV, and the TV is connected via HDMI ARC to an LG soundbar.

    Problem:
    When I turn on the Z12, the TV powers on, but the soundbar does not.
    If I turn on the TV first, then everything powers on correctly.

    I can turn everything on using the Z12 remote, but I don’t understand why it doesn’t work as expected. Also, changing habits is difficult for the female users in the household 😉 — they want to turn everything on with the top-left power button, not the top-right one.

    The HDMI cables were not changed, because I had similar issues before with the Z11, but once I replaced the cables back then, everything worked fine.

    This is really frustrating, and I don’t understand why it behaves like this.
    Is there any app or tool that shows how HDMI-CEC is configured or which devices are detected? But it probably won’t work without root access and manufacturer info...

    When I replaced an older Formuler box with the New Z12 I had similar issues. In my case I had Z11 routing to Yamaha Receiver and then out to TV all by HDMI. On the Z11 I would hit the STB button on and TV would turn on and Receiver.

    When I replaced the Z11 with the Z12 the Receiver would not turn on in this set up. After a while I saw something in the Receiver manual that made me change the process.

    First I turned off CEC on TV, Z12, and Receiver and powered down all devices for a few minutes and then powered up again. This clears the Receiver from any lingering CEC setups. Then I powered down again everything and removed the Receiver from the equation and started up all devices. So it was just z12 and TV connected directly. I then turned on CEC on z12 and TV. All worked fine. Then I routed Z12 to the Reciever in the original set up and turned on CEC there. After that I tested and it all worked as it did with the Z11.

    So bottom line for me is I had to go back to scratch and start fresh. I think this is not an issue with the Formuler box but rather TV and Receiver and Formuler, as there always seems to be handshake issues with HDMI and CEC between Manufacturers.

    Anyway, this is what worked for me.

    banderso21 I’ve tried everything now: disabled HDMI-CEC everywhere, restarted, reconnected, enabled HDMI-CEC in different orders, powered off for 5–10 minutes, and toggled it on and off again. Unfortunately, nothing works. The Z12 just doesn’t seem to communicate with the soundbar—it’s like the TV isn’t recognizing HDMI ARC. The only thing left to try is changing the order of the connections. I read somewhere that someone connected the setup box to the soundbar first and then to the TV. But I’m not sure if that would make a difference?

    Two different Z11 devices (one of which had never been connected before) can wake up the soundbar.

    Quote from richi207

    banderso21 I’ve tried everything now: disabled HDMI-CEC everywhere, restarted, reconnected, enabled HDMI-CEC in different orders, powered off for 5–10 minutes, and toggled it on and off again. Unfortunately, nothing works. The Z12 just doesn’t seem to communicate with the soundbar—it’s like the TV isn’t recognizing HDMI ARC. The only thing left to try is changing the order of the connections. I read somewhere that someone connected the setup box to the soundbar first and then to the TV. But I’m not sure if that would make a difference?

    Two different Z11 devices (one of which had never been connected before) can wake up the soundbar.

    Isn't it always the case that the Z12 turns on the TV and then the TV turns on the soundbar.
    I have an LG OLED TV with a Samsung soundbar.
    Works perfectly.

    Apparently not. My Panasonic TV does turn off when I power down the Z12, but it doesn’t seem to turn off the soundbar. However, if I turn off the Panasonic directly, it shuts down both the TV and the soundbar. Previously, the Z11 seemed to handle this.

    Quote from richi207

    Apparently not. My Panasonic TV does turn off when I power down the Z12, but it doesn’t seem to turn off the soundbar. However, if I turn off the Panasonic directly, it shuts down both the TV and the soundbar. Previously, the Z11 seemed to handle this.

    Apparently there are many strange things with the Z12 software.
    It is weak of the Formuler programmers not to come up with an update.
    When I was a programmer for the admin program and an error was discovered, it was corrected quickly.
    If the customer had to wait months, they would choose another supplier.

    Since I’ve 'only' developed a small browser (Bruuxer), I’ve realized how complex things can get. Firmware is something the manufacturer can handle, but it’s definitely not easy to manage all the components, think of everything, and ensure compatibility. Plus, you’d still need drivers for those components, which are likely provided by the component manufacturers themselves. And then there’s the issue of HDMI-CEC—there isn’t just one universal standard; every device communicates differently.
    What I’ve figured out so far is that the HDMI-CEC signal from the Z12 should be able to turn the TV and soundbar on/off. The TV, once it receives the signal, shouldn’t need to send an additional signal. The problem is, the soundbar just doesn’t understand the Z12’s signal—only the TV does. Correct me if I’m misunderstanding something!

    Answer from a Frieden:


    Your setup behaves exactly as expected with these three devices:

    Starting the TV → everything starts ✅

    Starting the Z12 → only the TV starts, soundbar remains off ❌

    This clearly tells us: 👉 The TV can function correctly as a CEC master 👉 The Z12 cannot trigger a complete "System Audio Control + Power On"

    Why this happens (technical but understandable):

    Panasonic TX-65FZC804 Very clean CEC implementation

    Acts reliably as a CEC master

    When powering on, it sends:

    • Active Source
    • System Audio Mode Request
    • Power On to ARC devices

    ➡️ Therefore: Turning on the TV = soundbar + Z12 also power on

    LG DS80QY (ARC, not eARC) Only responds to CEC commands from the TV

    Ignores:

    • CEC Power-On from external players
    • Indirect start sequences

    ➡️ Unfortunately, this is typical for LG soundbars.

    Formuler Z12 (the culprit) When starting, it sends:

    • Active Source ✅
    • TV Power On ✅

    But does not reliably send:

    • System Audio Mode Request
    • Wake Audio System

    ➡️ Result:

    • TV powers on
    • TV assumes: "Audio stays off"
    • Soundbar receives no start signal

    The Z11 could still do this, but the Z12 no longer can (due to firmware/Android CEC stack).

    Hi, i use the upper right button to turn on and off.

    It works fine on my site.

    Tv, soundbar and Z12 starts and shutdown as it must be, all 3 at the same time.


    greetings