Pioneer SC-55 AV receiver question

Bought the GC iTach IP2IR and all of the add-ons for Roomie. I have a number of issues/questions on getting my brand new Pioneer SC-55 AV receiver to work with Roomie.

First, I must obviously have no clue which remote to choose for the SC-55 during device setup. From the remote descriptions offered in the app, I can choose 2009, or older than 2009, or the VSX series. Picking the remote configuration is by far the weakest link in your product. It is a guessing game at best and incorrect at worst.

For example, I picked "Sony TV all models" for my Sony Bravia XBR3 LCD TV and it didn't work at all, not even power. How is that "all models?" I ended up having to read the instructions in the DDK, install Dropbox, use iLearn with the iTach, and then edit the plist file to add the code for turning my TV on and off, which still doesn't work right for some reason. It shows up in the remote list, but doesn't offer a "power for all activities" option. I'll ask more about that later, I suppose.

Anyway, back to my receiver problems. My SC-55 IP receiver is detected and identified correctly (if it's already powered on) and it is specifically listed on the compatibility page on this web site. Why isn't the remote configuration for it listed in the app? Also, as I mentioned, it seems the app can only detect it when it's already powered-on. Having to fish out the receiver remote to turn it on sort of defeats the purpose of having a universal remote, doesn't it? Anyway, since it's not a 2009 or older model, I chose VSX series for the remote and it won't select any of the 7 HDMI inputs correctly during any of the activities. Again, I have to fish out the real remote to switch manually to the correct input.

Has anyone used the Pioneer SC-55 with Roomie? Can you give me some advice on which remote to use and what else I need to do in order for it to work right?

The Pioneer SC-55 is a 2011 receiver. For that you should select "VSX Series Zone 1" rather than any of the legacy command sets. We agree that for the SC series, that is a poor name. It should be "VSX/SC Series".

For the Sony TV, simply increase the Retransmit Count to 2 or 3. It's a common issue with Sony TVs that we cover in the infrared diagnosis FAQ:

roomieremote.com/faq/#diagnoseIR

We have nearly that exact model for testing here, so no worries it will work. You wont need to learn any codes for that.

On the Pioneer it sounds like you need to turn on Network Standby mode. We cover that in this FAQ:

roomieremote.com/faq/#networkstandby

That will alleviate the power issues you're seeing.

Thank you.

I thought I had increased the retransmit count all the way to 5, but I will definitely go back and try that again. Perhaps my tired brain is confusing it with my ongoing efforts to get my old LG BH200 HD-DVD/Blu-Ray player to work alongside my new Samsung BD-E6500 Blu-Ray. (About 50 of the 1200+ movies I own are still HD-DVD, so I still need that old LG player occasionally.)

I actually already chose the VSX Series Zone 1 for the remote, figuring it had to be the closest thing to what I have. It still won't switch between the 7 HDMI inputs as part of an activity. I even tried adding a non-automatic command to select the correct input and it still wouldn't switch.

I will follow the instructions to enable Network Standby mode and let you know.

I'm actually starting to wonder if I may have a faulty iTach at this point. It almost seems like IR device commands just aren't getting through.

Again, thanks for the reply to my problems. I will give your suggestions a shot.

As you predicted, the Network Standby Mode was turned off on the receiver. Changing it fixed the detection problem and it now powers on and off correctly via IP. Thanks a ton!

I also got the TV working by moving the blaster closer. I'll have to fiddle with placement now that it works. The TV is hung on the wall, with all wiring inside the wall, so I was trying to avoid running a black emitter wire up the wall. The repeat was set to five, so I backed it down to 3, which seems to be enough. Thanks again for the help.

My TiVo Premiere XL4 worked immediately with your IP-based software, so I'm happy about that. Unfortunately, the Pioneer receiver still won't switch between HDMI inputs during activity start up. I set up all the input connections between the receiver and the 4 HDMI devices, but it always stays on HDMI 1 (my TiVo) no matter which device/activity I start.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I finally had to delete my room and start over from scratch to get the TV working. I had been editing the same setup over and over, adding and removing devices/activities while trying to get it to work. Hopefully this helps somebody else who may be struggling. Just delete the room and start clean.

For the Pioneer, sometimes many receivers ignore explicit HDMI input requests and instead require you to address inputs by name. For instance, Pioneer associates its HDMI inputs with names like "SAT/CABLE" or "BD/DVD" and this is all configured in Pioneer's menu system. This is why we offer both types of inputs as some models of Pioneer receivers require that and some do not.