[RPi5] HDMI and CEC issues

  • Hi all,

    Noob here - so apologies in advance for any dumb questions.

    I have a Pi5 8GB installed with LibreELEC-RPi5.aarch64-12.2.0

    However, I am having two major issues.

    1) I am struggling to get a HDMI signal when connected to my TVs or Monitors.

    I was initially testing with an existing Micro HDMI cable that works fine with my existing Pi4. As this did not work, I then ordered 2 new cables - a cheap one and more expensive one.

    With these cables, I still could not get a signal. I then tried various config.txt and cmdline.txt entries are per various sources of help.

    I also tried getedid create. Once it reported 'error: cannot determine active connectors' - but then after another reboot it reported 'successfully installed edid override for HDMI-A-1'

    I still could not get a signal.

    I then discovered that if I boot the Pi5 without an SD card - then for both cables, I do see the text boot screen - but obviously it reports no sd card.

    If I boot with the sd card in place, I see no signal detected messages on the TVs. One the older Sony TV it does report Recorder 1 [Kodi] - but still nothing displayed.

    On the newer LG TV, I then tried booting without the sd card, waiting until the boot screen console was displayed and then inserted the sd card and success - I got the LibreElec screen up. I could not use the TV remote so attached a keyboard and completed the setup.

    I was able to shutdown and restart and I still had a signal - I briefly tested LE and was able to watch a video from the attached drive etc.

    I then shutdown the Pi5 overnight (using the LE Power menu option).

    This morning, once again I cannot get a signal - I ensured the TV was up and running before starting the Pi5 - I even tried removing the sd card before the startup - but I no longer see the boot screen console output. I tried different ports etc.

    The LE is running - I can ssh it to it just fine. I did a getedid delete and create - both reported success.

    My cmdline.txt looks like this presently:

    boot=UUID=1308-0314 disk=UUID=6efa4f73-xxxx-4b35-xxxx-72ed1bbd5f13 quiet console=ttyAMA10,115200 console=tty0 ssh drm.edid_firmware=HDMI-A-1:edid/edid-HDMI-A-1.bin video=HDMI-A-1:D vc4.force_hotplug=1

    I added the vc4.force_hotplug=1

    I also added the following to my config.txt
    hdmi_ignore_cec_init=1
    dtoverlay=cec

    hdmi_force_hotplug=1
    config_hdmi_boost=7
    hdmi_group=1 # Set to CEA (Consumer Electronics Association - for TVs/monitors)
    hdmi_mode=16 # Set to 1080p at 60Hz
    disable_fw_kms_setup=1

    Can someone please suggest what I can do to resolve the above and get a HDMI signal?

    2) And also, any tips on getting the TV Remote working - assuming I can get a signal again?

    Thanks in advance for any help!

  • Can someone please suggest what I can do to resolve the above and get a HDMI signal?

    The 'getedid' script can be used to workaround scenarios where the TV is powered on after the RPi board. It does not perform any other magic to make connections work. There is normally no need to use it, and it can complicate troubleshooting.

    Start over with a fresh/clean SD card to remove getedid changes and because most of what's added to config.txt and cmdline.txt is no longer supported or incorrect.

    • Add video=HDMI-A-1:1920x1080M@60D to kernel boot params in cmdline.txt
    • Connect the RPi4 micro-HD cable to the port nearest the PSU connector
    • Connect the HDMI cable to the newer LG TV

    The video= param will force the kernel DRM connector state to 1080p@60 to avoid issues with 4K modes the TV (or cheap cables) don't like. Does that solve the problem?

    NB: CEC control will only work on the HDMI-A-0 connector nearest the PSU, it is not supported on HDMI-A-1.