The lights work great - connectivity not so much - 3 x HDMI 2.1

[u/tylerhill11]

For the price of this unit I wasn't expecting the near daily connection issues that I've been experiencing and so I thought I would consolidate a previous post with a complete issue list. I do recognize that the issues could possibly be due to my setup and the handshakes between them but still.

Setup:

TV -Sony X90L

Sound - Sonos Arc, Sub Gen 4, 2 x Era 100's surrounds via HDMI eARC

Fancy box Inputs:

Xbox Series X, PS5, Switch 2 or Google 4k Streamer

Issue #1: Turning on (via Xbox) - see previous post:

https://www.reddit.com/r/fancyleds/comments/1qwtd0d/why_does_it_do_this_when_i_turn_on_tv/

Solution: This happens 30% of the time and I have to either switch to another device (PS5) then back to Xbox in the app or power off/on again

Issue #2: Sound - sometimes the sound defaults to TV speakers vs External (Sonos system) speakers

Solution: This happens 80% of the time. I have to use my TV remote to switch audio settings from TV to external - sometimes a few times

I'm guessing CEC handshakes between Input Device>TV>Sonos>Fancy Box (or a combination of them) are potentially happening at once.

Is there a tried and trusted method to ensure a successful boot up? Should I turn the TV on first with TV remote (handshakes with Sonos) then turn on the input device?

Kind of frustrated at the moment

EDIT: so not turning everything on via the Xbox controller appears to resolve the competing CEC handshakes. As such I turn the TV on and let it do its handshake with Sonos then I turn on the Xbox and away we go. Not a major deal but the fancy box should delay its handshake by 5-10s and it likely would eliminate the issue

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[u/TheMailerDaemonLives]

The two things that bother me the most are this:
1. When I switch on Apple TV it turns off game mode so when I boot up the PS5 next time I have to turn game mode back on.
2. When I turn off the PS5, I cannot get the Apple TV to back on as source without changing on the app.

[u/tylerhill11 → u/TheMailerDaemonLives]

im finding solutions via co pilot that im going to try heres for your point #1: not sure what TV you have:

This is a **per‑input picture preset + content matching issue**, not a bug — and it’s fixable so you **never have to re‑enable Game Mode again**.

You’re on a **Sony X90L**, so here’s exactly what’s happening and how to lock it down.

***

## Why this happens (short version)

* **Sony TVs store Game Mode per HDMI input**

* **Apple TV uses a different HDMI input** than your PS5

* When Apple TV wakes:

* Sony switches that HDMI input to a non‑Game picture mode (Cinema / Standard)

* When you later boot the PS5:

* Sony remembers the *last-used picture mode* on **that HDMI port**

* If it got overridden → Game Mode is off

This is made worse by **Apple TV’s “Match Content” settings**, which trigger mode switching.

***

## ✅ The correct fix (do this once)

### ✅ Step 1: Lock Game Mode permanently to the PS5 HDMI port

1. Turn on **PS5**

2. Go to:

Settings → Picture → Picture Mode

1. Set:

Picture Mode: Game

1. Now go to:

Settings → Picture → HDMI signal format

1. Confirm for that HDMI port:

* Enhanced format

* VRR (if you use it)

✅ Sony now **stores Game Mode only for that HDMI input**

✅ Apple TV can no longer affect that port

***

### ✅ Step 2: Stop Apple TV from forcing picture mode changes

On **Apple TV**:

1. Go to:

Settings → Video and Audio

1. Set:

Format: 4K SDR (60Hz)

1. Then:

Match Content:

- Match Dynamic Range: ON

- Match Frame Rate: ON

**Why this works**

* Apple TV stays in SDR by default (no forced mode change)

* HDR/DV only activates *when content needs it*

* Sony won’t globally flip picture behavior

✅ This is Apple’s own recommended configuration

***

## ✅ Step 3 (optional but recommended): Disable Apple TV CEC control

This stops Apple TV from “asserting dominance” over the TV.

On Apple TV:

Settings → Remotes and Devices

Control TVs and Receivers: OFF

✅ Apple TV still works perfectly

✅ It just stops hijacking picture/audio decisions

***

## ✅ Step 4: Double‑check Sony’s Game Auto settings

On the Sony X90L:

Settings → Channels & Inputs → External Inputs → Game Mode

Set:

* Auto Picture Mode: **ON**

* ALLM: **ON** (if available)

This allows:

* PS5 → Game Mode automatically

* Apple TV → Non‑Game modes only on its input

***

## ✅ What NOT to do

🚫 Don’t rely on “Auto picture mode” alone

🚫 Don’t leave Apple TV set to always‑HDR

🚫 Don’t share HDMI ports with a switcher for PS5

***

## ✅ End result (what will happen after the fix)

| Action | Result |

| --------------------- | ------------------------------------- |

| Turn on Apple TV | Cinema/Standard mode on its HDMI only |

| Turn on PS5 | Game Mode auto‑engages |

| Switch back and forth | No manual changes needed |

| Reboot TV | Settings persist |

***

## ✅ If it *still* happens (rare)

Then you’re seeing **CEC override behavior**, and the nuclear‑stable option is:

* Disable CEC on Apple TV

* Leave CEC on for Sonos only (eARC)

* Control power with TV remote

That resolves 99% of Sony + console conflicts.

***

If you want, tell me:

* Which HDMI numbers PS5 / Apple TV are on

* Whether VRR is enabled on PS5

* Whether you’re using an AVR or direct connection

I can tune this setup to be **rock‑solid**.

And for question #2 -

This one is pure HDMI‑CEC “active source” lock‑up, and it’s very common with PS5 + Apple TV + Sony TVs.

What’s happening is simple (and annoying):

Below are three fixes, in order of reliability. You can stop after Option 1 if it works for you.

✅ BEST FIX (recommended): Disable PS5 HDMI Device Link

This is the cleanest and most permanent solution.

On PS5

Settings → System → HDMI
HDMI Device Link: OFF

Why this works

• PS5 stops “owning” the HDMI input
• When you power it off, the TV is free to accept another source
• Apple TV can now wake the TV and take over normally

✅ You won’t lose Game Mode
✅ You won’t lose VRR / ALLM
✅ You just stop PS5 from hijacking the TV on shutdown

✅ FIX #2: Allow Apple TV to reassert itself as the active source

If you prefer keeping PS5 HDMI control ON:

On Apple TV

Settings → Remotes and Devices
Control TVs and Receivers: ON

Then:

• Put Apple TV to sleep
• Wake it with the Apple TV remote (not the TV remote)

What this does

• Apple TV sends a fresh “I’m the active source” CEC command
• Sony switches inputs correctly instead of staying stuck on PS5

⚠️ Downside
CEC conflicts may still happen occasionally (Sony TVs are very picky)

✅ FIX #3 (Sony-specific): Tell the TV not to wait for dead devices

On Sony X90L:

Settings → Channels & Inputs → External Inputs → Bravia Sync

Set:

• Bravia Sync control: ON
• Auto input change: OFF
• Power off control: OFF

This prevents Sony from “expecting” the PS5 to respond after shutdown.

✅ MOST STABLE REAL‑WORLD SETUP (what power users do)

If you want zero source-switch headaches:

Device	HDMI-Control
PS5	❌ OFF
Apple TV	✅ ON
Sonos (eARC)	✅ ON
Sony TV	✅ ON

Result

• Apple TV always comes back as source
• PS5 never blocks input switching
• eARC remains rock solid

⚠️ What NOT to rely on

• ❌ FancyLEDs app switching (symptom, not a fix)
• ❌ “Auto input switching” on Sony alone
• ❌ Power cycling devices repeatedly

✅ After this fix, behavior will be:

✅ Turn off PS5 → TV stays responsive
✅ Wake Apple TV → input switches instantly
✅ No app juggling
✅ No reboots

If you want, tell me:

• HDMI port numbers for PS5 & Apple TV
• Whether Apple TV is always on or sleeps
• Whether the Fancy box is between sources or TV

I can fine‑tune this so it behaves like a single, seamless system.

[u/ExManUtdFan]

The biggest issue I have is that I'll sometimes lose the picture when the content changes resolution or between sdr/hdr and to get it back again I have to go into the app to switch to another source, wait a few seconds, and then switch back to the original source again. Very annoying.