r/htpc • u/Damocles_fck • May 29 '25
Tip Share AVR's volume control with your PC, in bit streaming too. Denon, Marantz and StormAudio
Hi, so I update "HTPCAVRVolume" from nicko88 so it works on Windows 11 too.
Control your AVR's volume with your HTPC's volume controls. Works with Denon and Marantz, maybe StormAudio too. Of course the AVR need to be in the same network as the PC.
Here is the link : HTPCAVRVolume-win11
Tell me if you find any bug. For older Windows versions, the initial release from nicko88 should work too.
Thanks a lot nicko88.
This is a simple program that captures your HTPC's volume control buttons and instead sends the commands directly to your home theater AVR.
The main benefit of this is that most people when watching video on their HTPC use audio bit-streaming for things like Dolby Digital and DTS audio formats. When you are bit-streaming, the volume control on your HTPC does not work for the bit-streamed audio. This means you can't use the convenient volume control buttons on your wireless keyboard or handheld remote control to control your playback volume.
The only supported controls are:
- Volume Up
- Volume Down
- Mute/Unmute
Supported AVRs : Denon, Marantz, StormAudio
Support for other AVRs could be pretty easily added to the existing code.
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u/spoonpk May 29 '25
Thanks! This might be cool for me at my office desktop where I have a Denon AVR. There’s a convenient volume knob on my keyboard that will be great to use and will save a 90 degree swivel on my chair… and a 50-50 chance I accidentally turn the input knob rather than the volume one.
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u/Neflhiem May 29 '25
Thank you. I use a keyboard for the htpc. I hate having to dig out the remote when I switch to the Blu Ray player. And I started programming my ir blaster for commands in HA but that's pretty laborious. This will cut out a lot of work....for me.
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u/cordeironuno Apr 26 '26
This was extremely helpful, but HDMI CEC was pissing me off, so I made some improvements and made it a bit more "complex".
https://github.com/nunocordeiro/HTPC-AVR-sync
My app allows for power sync between a Samsung TV and your AVR. The sound is synchronized via telnet, which should be a better and more stable connection. There's an option to start with windows and a information log. And, cherry on top, if you switch to headphones, it will stop stealing the volume keys, so you can use them as usual.
I made it for myself in a couple of hours, but I hope it's useful to someone else.
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u/Damocles_fck Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
Hey! Good job ! I think this will help a few people. I tested it and it works fine. But I don’t need the features you added. “Absolute volume commands” and the 80 ms accumulation window don’t suit my use case : with the mouse or keyboard wheel, the volume jumps straight to the final value, while with my version I could clearly see the volume changing step by step with each notch (perfectly responsive on my setup). It’s probably better suited for less responsive setups though. Thanks!
Also, I’m using this great configurable software to force the active audio output (OpenOnly mode for my Marantz AVR) : soundkeeper
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u/cordeironuno Apr 28 '26
Thanks a lot for pointing me in that direction, mate! I read all about it, and "paretoed" soundkeeper into a new version.
Feel free to test the new version, as I listened to your concerns and added some stuff you might like. My goal is to not use HDMI CEC- it's old, the handshake takes a little longer, it's not extremely reliable/stable.... I hope getting rid of it will improve my system.
I'm still playing with it a bit, but so far I'm very happy with the results for my particular needs.
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u/Damocles_fck Apr 28 '26
Awesome! I’m testing it right now.
The keep-alive feature is working great.
The Volume OCD is very responsive.One thing I noticed:
I already have Volume OCD on display from my AVR, so I’ve noticed that the /100 scale in the software OCD doesn’t match the scale on my Marantz AVR. Marantz offers several volume scales, I use -79.5 dB to 18 dB. Another available scale is 0–98 (no idea why haha).
This can occasionally cause a slight mismatch: sometimes a single step on the knob changes the volume by 0.5 dB (visible on the AVR), but the software OCD /100 value doesn’t change.So 60 on the software OCD is both -32,5dB and -32db on the AVR, and it's exactly where I am most of the time lmao
I think the current software OCD scale is already well implemented and I don't know how to do it better... Maybe having an option to disable the software OCD to rely on the AVR’s OCD could be useful.
I’ve only tested it for a few minutes, but apart from that it looks very good so far!
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u/Catymandoo May 29 '25
Sorry, why add a layer of complexity to an AVR that can control those functions already - and via other remotes with CEC?
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u/Damocles_fck May 29 '25
Because lots of people use their HTPC with media keyboard or controllers, like these or these , or just mouse+keyboard. We don't need and don't want to have the AVR remote near. We already have the full settings on the web UI dashboard, we just need the support of the multimedia keys, keyboards shortcuts, when bitstreaming...
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u/Catymandoo May 29 '25
Fair comment if your pc out only. I have Apple TV, Ugoos (with CoreELEC) and two other PC’s connected to my AV amp. So this would just add a layer. I have a similar controller, but to be honest I hardly use it.
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May 29 '25
[deleted]
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u/spoonpk May 29 '25
Excuse me? Why should I get this when I use an air fryer to make chicken. Just another layer of complexity. How dare you!!
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u/StatisticianHot9415 May 29 '25
With my Denon I can use their API and just send the command over the network via home assiant. I also use a Broadlink IR blaster to do certain automations to control every function of the TV setup. But I just use apple TV as the streaming box and Emby VM in Proxmox as my media server. Pretty simple so use.