CEC volume control not working with an HDfury Arcana

Does this match your symptoms?

• Picture and sound are fine but the volume buttons do nothing.
• The volume jumps in large steps, as if two devices respond at once.
• It worked before a firmware update on the television or the sound system.

Fix it in this order

1. Enable CEC on the source, the television and the sound system. Check the manufacturer's own name for it: Anynet+, Bravia Sync, SimpLink, Viera Link, EasyLink, Aquos Link.
2. Power everything fully off and restart in order: sound system, HDfury Arcana, display, source last. CEC builds its device map at connect.
3. Decide which remote should control the volume and turn volume forwarding off on the other, usually on the television.
4. Check the sound system's own HDMI volume setting, which is often separate from the general CEC switch.
5. Fall back to infrared. A Sonos Arc can learn your television's remote, which works regardless of how badly CEC is implemented.

Which model do you have?

HDfury Arcana (18Gbps). Forwards CEC volume commands from the source or the television to the connected eARC, ARC or HDMI sound system. CEC support runs between the input and both outputs.

HDfury Arcana 2 VRR (40Gbps). Does the same, and adds one thing: it also passes CEC control from the display at its primary output TX0 back to the source at its input. So on this model your television's remote can reach the source as well, not only the sound system.

Every manufacturer calls it something else

CEC is one standard with about twenty trade names. Before you conclude that a setting is missing, check whether it is simply called something you did not recognise: Anynet+ on Samsung, Bravia Sync or Bravia Link on Sony, SimpLink on LG, Viera Link on Panasonic, EasyLink on Philips, Aquos Link on Sharp, and CEC or HDMI Control on most receivers.

The setting has to be enabled on every device that takes part — the source, the television and the audio system. One device with it switched off breaks the whole chain, and the device that appears broken is usually not the one with the setting turned off.

What the HDfury Arcana forwards

Both models forward CEC volume commands from the source or the television to the connected eARC, ARC or HDMI audio system. The Arcana 2 also passes CEC control from the display at its output back to the source at its input.

The Arcana itself does not need CEC enabled to do its own job. The audio system on the other end usually does, because many devices tie the audio return path to the CEC setting: switch off CEC and the ARC or eARC link goes with it.

Work through it in this order

1. Enable it everywhere, then power-cycle

Turn CEC on in the source, the television and the audio system. Then power everything fully off and start the audio system first, then the HDfury Arcana, then the display, then the source. CEC negotiates its device map at connect. A chain where you enabled a setting but did not restart is a chain that has not renegotiated.

2. Decide which remote you actually want to use

CEC assigns roles. If both the television and the source think they are the volume controller, they will fight over it. Pick one and turn off volume forwarding on the other. On many televisions this is a separate setting from CEC itself, often called something like “HDMI audio device control”.

3. Check the audio system's own setting

Soundbars frequently have a separate option for accepting volume commands over HDMI, distinct from the general CEC toggle. On Sonos, the television's remote is normally learned or forwarded rather than CEC-controlled, which is why Sonos also offers infrared learning as an alternative route.

When CEC will not cooperate at all

CEC implementations vary enormously in quality, and some combinations simply never work reliably no matter how correctly they are configured. This is a known weakness of the standard rather than a fault in any one device.

The practical fallback is infrared. Sonos soundbars can learn an infrared remote, including your television's or your source's, which gives you single-remote volume control without depending on CEC at all. Many receivers accept the same approach.

It is worth trying that route early if you have already spent an evening on CEC settings. It tends to be more reliable in the long run, and it survives firmware updates that occasionally change CEC behaviour.

Frequently asked

What should I do if I have an HDfury Arcana (18Gbps)?

Forwards CEC volume commands from the source or the television to the connected eARC, ARC or HDMI sound system. CEC support runs between the input and both outputs.

What should I do if I have an HDfury Arcana 2 VRR (40Gbps)?

Does the same, and adds one thing: it also passes CEC control from the display at its primary output TX0 back to the source at its input. So on this model your television's remote can reach the source as well, not only the sound system.

Does the HDfury Arcana need CEC switched on?

Not for its own operation. The audio system on the other end of the eARC link often does, because many devices tie the audio return path to the CEC setting.

Why does the volume jump in large steps?

The television and the audio system are both responding to the same command. Turn off volume forwarding on one of them, usually on the television.

Can I control the source with my TV remote through an HDfury Arcana?

On the Arcana 2, yes: it passes CEC control from the display at its output back to the source at its input. Whether it works in practice still depends on both devices implementing CEC properly.

Is there an alternative to CEC?

Infrared. Sonos soundbars can learn an infrared remote, and many receivers accept the same approach. It is less elegant but considerably more reliable.

Related

• eARC not working or falling back to ARC
• No sound after a firmware update
• The full HDfury Arcana manual

Checked against the official HDfury Arcana and HDfury Arcana 2 manuals and against firmware 0.88 and 0.25, August 2026.