🎥 Flows 2: Device Command Steps

featuring ARC from a TV to AVR

Flows are how AVA OS does automation.

This video arms you with the knowledge you need for tapping into their full potential.

Transcript

Opening

This video shows you how to control volume when you have a Smart TV sending audio to an AV Receiver using the HDMI “Audio Return Channel” or ARC.

On your way, you’ll learn how to use Flows to send commands to any device in a project.

The Challenge

When you combine a source—like an Apple TV or an NVIDIA Shield—to a TV, AVA OS guides you through easy “wiring” steps to get a good outcome.

But if you don’t have an external source, the guided wiring steps don’t come up…

…and the TV is used for the Flow’s volume control by default, instead of the AV Receiver.

This is easy to correct, if you know how to manage commands in Flows.

The Problem

With a Smart TV…and an AV Receiver…already added to a Room’s Devices…

Go to Flows and tap the Flow for the Smart TV.

Tap Edit Launch.

Right here, you can see that this Flow sets the TV volume control to be the TV…not the AV Receiver.

But you can’t just switch this from the TV to the AVR.

To use the AVR, it has to be…

…turned on…and switched to the correct input for HDMI ARC.

And you probably want it to turn off when the TV gets turned off.

The Steps

To turn on the AV Receiver…go to the bottom of the Launch and tap Add Step.

Here, you Send a command to a Device.

Select the AV Receiver.

And then find the Power On command.

Add it.

Add another Step to the Launch.

Again, sending a command to the AVR.

This time, you need to tell the AVR to switch its Input…for ARC, this is usually something “Input TV Audio.”

It depends on the AVR.

Now tap the Sort button so we can put these in proper order.

Move the Power On command to the top of the steps.

Put the Input command just after the Wait step in the Flow.

Some AVRs have long start up times, so you might need to adjust the existing Wait or even add a Wait to the flow.

Scroll back up and tap the checkmark to exit the Sort UI.

Now you can Edit the Volume Control step, changing it from the TV to the AVR.

Tap the Flow again, then tap Edit Power Off.

Add a Step here.

This time, send a command

to the Receiver

to make it Power Off when the Flow is powered off.

Now the TV flow turns on the AVR and uses it for volume control instead of the TV.

Summary

And, since you know how to add a Step to a Flow for sending a command to a device…

…you can now target any device throughout the entire AVA project, even if it’s in a different room.