libcec is the software that powers the Pulse-Eight USB-CEC Adapter. It is supported on macOS, allowing Mac users to control their TV over HDMI using the USB-CEC Adapter. This article covers installation via MacPorts (recommended) and building from source.

Method 1 — Install via MacPorts (Recommended)

libcec is available through MacPorts, which is the simplest installation method and does not require compiling from source.

If you have MacPorts installed, libcec can be installed with a single command in Terminal:

sudo port install libcec

If you do not have MacPorts installed, download and install it from macports.org first, then run the command above.

Method 2 — Build from Source

Building from source gives you the latest version of libcec and works on all supported macOS versions.

Prerequisites

You will need the following before compiling:

• p8-platform 2.0 or later — github.com/Pulse-Eight/platform
• cmake 2.6 or later — install via MacPorts (sudo port install cmake) or cmake.org
• Xcode 3.2.6 or later with C++11 support (C++11 support was added in OS X 10.9)
• Optional: Python 3.4 or later and Swig to generate Python bindings
• Optional: libX11 and xrandr to read the sink's EDID, used to determine the PC's HDMI physical address

Compilation Steps

Open Terminal and run the following commands:

git clone https://github.com/Pulse-Eight/libcec.git mkdir libcec/build cd libcec/build cmake .. make sudo make install

Testing the Installation

With the USB-CEC Adapter connected and your TV powered on, open Terminal and run:

cec-client -l

This lists detected CEC adapters. You should see the Pulse-Eight adapter listed. To scan the CEC network and see all connected devices:

echo "scan" | cec-client -s -d 1

Common Commands

Turn TV on:

echo "on 0" | cec-client -s -d 1

Turn TV off / standby:

echo "standby 0" | cec-client -s -d 1

Monitor all CEC traffic (useful for troubleshooting):

cec-client -m

Press Ctrl+C to stop. See: CEC Adapter — Monitoring Mode

4K Resolution Note

If you are using the adapter in-line at 4K resolution and experiencing signal issues, see: USB-CEC Adapter — 4K Resolution for the two-cable workaround.