Ok I did more looking up on the hurdles I was experiencing previously and read more about these. Here’s what I have going (and what I found):
- Using this HDMI monitor. I think this setup will work with any monitor.
- HDMI switcher plugged into one of the inputs with these two HDMI devices:
- Nintendo Switch
- Roku Streaming Stick 4K (with simple remote)
There are two HDMI inputs on this monitor, and this monitor does not support CEC apparently, so changing inputs has to be done manually with the hardware toggle. Accessing the menu for this is a pain in the bum. You have to press on the toggle and wait for the circular menu to show up, so you can navigate to the input menu. I have a tendency to accidentally trigger the volume level, by navigating with the toggle instead of pressing on it and got really annoying. So HDMI switcher it is!
Display
Monitor stays in sleep mode 24/7.
Roku
This monitor does not seem to have any sort of CEC support, so instead of having it act like a TV, this is how I turn the player on and off:
- “Turn on” by bringing it out of sleep mode (press the OK button on the remote’s “D-pad”)
- “Turn off” by letting it go into sleep mode (I think the timer is set to 20 minutes. Not sure if it’s possible to change this)
The power button doesn’t do anything in this case, FYI.
HDMI input needs to be changed manually without CEC support.
Nintendo Switch
Using the Switch with a monitor is nothing new to me. When you’re not using it, you can just put it in sleep mode and wake it up with the joycons/Pro controller (just as if it were connected to a TV).
Volume
Using the monitor’s built-in speakers, so to adjust the volume or mute/unmute, I use the hardware toggle on the monitor. Whatever TVs have that let HDMI devices control the volume is non-existent in monitors, even ones with built-in speakers (since I’m assuming the manufacturers intended for people to use with a computer, which already their own volume control). And computer monitors almost never come with remotes of their own, sooo…
Roku
You can try to set this up in Settings > Remotes & devices > Remotes and select your remote, then go to Set up remote for TV control. The player will start playing music and if you’re lucky, one of the TV codes will turn the music off. For me, it went through all 7, without any luck. The only thing I could think of is the streaming stick was plugged in behind the monitor and the instructions say to make sure it’s not plugged in behind the display??? (I think this is exactly what it was made for?) But plugging in the HDMI switcher in the front also didn’t do anything either.
Will update as soon as I find out more.