Would using serial with my Samsung TV work better than IR?

Hi,

I have a 2015 UN40JU6400 Samsung UHD Smart TV that works great but is a pain to automate. After working for many hours on the IP configuration of my TV, I found that the generic Samsung IR definition seemed to fit best with my remote building.

In browsing the compatibility guides here, I saw that Samsung supports serial thru the Ex-Link connector. I think that this may be my best bet, but before I buy another Simple Blaster and the related accessories, I wanted to ask a couple of questions:

Has anyone used serial to Ex-Link to control their late model Samsung Smart TV? If so, do you have more discreet control than using IR? Power on?

Thanks.

There is no question that while Samsung has been improving their IP control each year and now at last some 2016 models can be turned on and completely controlled via IP, previous models with serial EX-Link are usually best controlled via EX-Link.

Personally, I set them up as all three. But EX-Link is the gold standard for Samsung TV control to be sure. IR works great with Samsung but the last 2-3 years their bezels have been inconvenient for emitter positioning so I generally hook them up for IR with a blaster.

Thank you.

Do you have an Ex-Link connection kit? How do you leverage the Ex-Link interface?

Attach the Simple Serial Cable to the Simple Blaster and then get a 3.5mm adapter like this one for the TV side:

amazon.com/dp/B006QSQVBM/?tag=cyphersoft-20

Thank you.