I'm redoing my media room. For reasons of trying to keep wires hidden, I'm only running a single HDMI cable up to my television. This means I need to use an HDMI switch to control the inputs. (AppleTV, Cable box, Nintendo, etc)
The HDMI switch has a remote, but I really don't want to have to use an extra remote. I'm hoping to integrate it into my Apple HomeKit, via Hubitat. I can subdivide this down into several sub-tasks, starting from the end and working backwards.
Need to be able to control the hdmi switch: The remote is IR, but I have a Broadlink IR device integrated with my Hubitat. So I can train it on the remote commands, and control the hdmi switch that way.
Have to trigger the Broadlink to send commands: I can do this with Rule Machine, by having it watch a virtual device - some kind of "picker".
I need a virtual "picker" device in Hubitat. I didn't see anything like this in the built-in device drivers. I looked at the available capability list, and it seems like "mediaInputSource" is similar to what I need, so I coded up a "Virtual Media Input Source". The virtual device shows attributes and commands correctly when I go to the device page.
Ok, but now that device needs to get to a UI somehow. This is where I'm really stuck. MediaInputSource doesn't have a template in Hubitat Dashboards. And I tried to expose it out to my HomeBridge/HomeKit setup, but nothing gets to the Home app. (I'm using the HomeBridge-Hubitat-MakerAPI integration. I'm guessing it doesn't know what to do with a "MediaInputSource".)
So 4 is where I'm stuck. I know it must be possible to get a media picker in HomeKit somehow, because I've tried the LG integration for my tv. It lets me turn the tv on/off, and it also shows a picker with my TV's inputs. But I'm wondering if I would have to extend the HomeBridge code to support it.
I guess if something like this isn't supported in any of the Hubitat homebridge plugins, I could extend them to do something similar to the xbox plugin.
I have a Denon AVR that’s is exposed to HE via telnet driver and it is also exposed to Homebridge. In Home app it just shows up as a switch with on and off only. I also have a Sonos app connected via HomeKit and again it’s only on and off though it will show what’s it’s playing. You are going to be very limited in the Home app other than creating N number of virtual switches and rules to change the inout accordingly and turn off the other input switch.
FWIW with sales coming up for the holidays a supported AVR like Denon or Onkyo might simplify your setup since it manages the input selection and there will be no need for a HDMI selector.
Yeah, I've looked at some of the modern receivers, and their input selection would really help with this. Unfortunately, this is a room that I'm trying to keep everything streamlined, hidden, and wireless as much as possible. I can hide the wires to a soundbar under the tv, and I can do wireless rear speakers with some of the Atmos soundbars. What I don't have is a good way to do front corner speakers without a bunch of wires.
(Although now that I'm typing this out, I could probably run wires through the crawlspace and then up the walls, but I'd have to be very, very certain about where I want the speakers.)
Here's the recently remodeled space that I'm working on. Just added all the built-ins, and took out a wood stove to replace it with the wetbar.
All the AV equipment is in the cabinets under the tv. The HDMI cable runs through the wall from the tv down into those cabinets.
Right now I'm just using my 10-year-old soundbar, and it has power and optical cables visibly going up behind the tv.
For a modern Atmos soundbar, or a receiver center channel, I could put a cord grommet through the cabinet top down into the AV area, so that no cords would be visible.
But the tricky thing for a receiver would be where to put left and right speakers. I guess they could go into the bookshelves, but I'd be drilling a permanent hole into the back of the bookshelves.
Going with the receiver option would clean up the rear channels a little too, I guess. Because the wireless rear channels still have to have a power cord. I've got outlets in the back corners, but they're down low. But if it was unpowered speakers, I could hide the connection in the wall behind the speaker.
Very nice "cave". My parents had a similar setup in their old house and we put holes in the upper back of the cabinet allowing wires to run from cabinet box to cabinet box and then the speaker wire ran through the top in the back corner of the bookshelf to the speakers. Given where your seating is the speakers don't need to be up too high and can just rest directly on the cabinet top in each corner.
Sonos is another option that has wireless subwoofer, soundbar and rear speakers. Super expensive I know but my buddy just put it in his bedroom with soundbar below his wall mounted TV, subwoofer in the back corner, and two rear speakers and it sounds awesome. Might even sound better than his 5.1 wired speakers in his family room. If you went with Sonos you wouldn't need to run wires at all other than power to each speaker.
Yeah the Sonos stuff is really nice, and I have a friend who highly recommended it. I think I'd be back to making a custom integration for my hdmi switch though.
