HDMI-CEC logs and diagnosis

A CEC log records control traffic, not movie video or audio bitstreams. Use it for unexpected power changes, standby, input selection or ineffective volume keys.

The separate CEC debug field. Its shown state was not changed for capture. Open original image ↗

Capture a useful log

1. Check an existing writable directory under general logging settings. Local storage avoids an extra NAS dependency.
2. Open Setup → System → HDMI-CEC Settings → Enable debug log → Yes and save with Green. CEC must be active for the intended test.
3. Note the time and reproduce one failure, for example “13:10:20 receiver woke from standby; TV stayed on HDMI 2”.
4. Save the relevant daily file, then disable CEC debug and save again.

The actual base directory is config.crash.debug_path. With /media/hdd/logs/, an example is:

/media/hdd/logs/Enigma2-hdmicec-20260910.log

The filename is Enigma2-hdmicec-YYYYMMDD.log. There is no universal /tmp log directory. Incorrect system time also gives an incorrect filename date. The directory must exist and be writable; the logger stops when space is low. General Enigma2 debug alone does not replace the separate CEC debug switch.

Read over SSH

Replace the example directory with the path shown in your GUI:

ls -lh /media/hdd/logs/Enigma2-hdmicec-*.log
tail -n 100 /media/hdd/logs/Enigma2-hdmicec-20260910.log
tail -f /media/hdd/logs/Enigma2-hdmicec-20260910.log

Ctrl+C stops the display, not Enigma2. Download the file through SFTP/FTP. Reading it does not require a restart.

Interpret messages

Item	Meaning
Timestamp	Compare event order against your recorded actions.
Tx / Rx or send/receive labels	Traffic direction relative to the receiver; exact spelling varies by version.
Physical / logical address	HDMI route and participant, not a network IP.
Active Source / Routing / Set Stream Path	Source/input selection.
Standby / Image View On / Power Status	Sleep, wake-up and reported power state.
User Control Pressed / Released	Key press/release, including volume.
System Audio Mode / Audio Status	Audio-system participation and state.
Feature Abort / missing response	Unsupported, rejected or unanswered command; inspect context and actual device behaviour.

A transmitted message does not prove the TV switched inputs. Repetition can be intentional. A missing reply alone does not establish a cable fault. Determine whether the message is missing, targets the wrong device or is not carried out.

Command-line function

Enable this separately. It reads /tmp/hdmicec_cmd; response/help/errors use /tmp/hdmicec_msg, /tmp/hdmicec_cmd_hlp.txt and /tmp/hdmicec_cmd_err.log. These temporary control files are separate from the daily log. Request only local help:

printf '%s\n' help > /tmp/hdmicec_cmd
cat /tmp/hdmicec_cmd_hlp.txt

Allow one poll cycle before reading if the file is not ready. Other commands can really switch inputs or power devices off. Ordinary reports only need the debug log; disable the command-line function afterwards.

Report a problem

Include connection order and port numbers, OpenATV/Enigma2 version, TV/AVR/soundbar model and firmware, initial state, exact timed action and expected/observed result. Attach CEC settings and the daily log. Review personal device/host names and unrelated log content before public upload. Use the forum or appropriate issue tracker; the guide itself remains model-neutral.

Picture and sound · Sources and verification