Right now, the fool proof setup is:
* Sharp Aquos LC-xxD64U
* Yamaha RX-Vxx00 where it would be 1500, 1700, 2700, etc.
There are a few other recievers that people have added, but these are the ones I have used, and the ones I know have all the features of each respective device implemented.
We're at an odd time in the history of automated A/V...
Right now, RS-232 is considered an old technology, and it's there in higher end units to allow integration to high priced home automation systems such as Crestron, AMX, Control4, etc.
IR is everywhere, and we do have an extensive set of PRONTO codes in our database for different manufacturers. A lot of them use the same remote control chips, and thus you could get by without doing IR learning, if one of those code groups for your manufacturer works.
HDMI-CEC has been a proposed standard for a few years now, but we haven't gotten to the point where most consumer electronics manufacturers are actually implementing it, and when they do, it typically only works with the same vendor. But if it does get accepted, we then have a way of sending audio, video, and control signals over very short distances over the same wire.. emphasis on very short distances.. HDMI doesn't attentuate very well over longer distances.
So, there is a lot of info on the wiki on how to add your own device templates for your devices if needed. We can help, as well. For IR devices, it literally is either picking the correct infra-red codes, or using a USB UIRT to learn the bits from a remote. For RS-232 devices, it's literally implementing what's on the protocol sheet. I pattern my code very much after the above devices I've mentioned and got very good results.
-Thom
