Home Theater Bible · Install Day Runbook

VRROOM install day runbook

Phase 1: Pre-install prep (before opening box)

  1. Power down everything: S95F off, Denon off, Strato V off, Apple TV unplugged, PS5 off, Switch 2 dock unplugged, PC off.
  2. Photograph current cable routing on TV back + Denon back + Strato V back. You will not remember the original layout in 30 minutes.
  3. Identify all current HDMI cables: which one is eARC (TV HDMI 4 to Denon Main Out), which one is Strato V to TV, which is Apple TV to TV.
  4. Have ready: VRROOM 8K box, included 8K HDMI cables (use these, not your old cables), Furman PST-8D (if it arrived), Cat 5e/6 Ethernet for VRROOM network port.
  5. Verify S95F firmware version: Settings > Support > About This TV > Software Version. Must be 1203 or later for HGIG to work in Game Mode. If older: update before install (system update via internet).

Phase 2: Cable swap (~20 min)

  1. Mount VRROOM on AV rack between Strato V/PS5/AppleTV/Switch 2 dock and S95F. Keep Hue Sync Box downstream of VRROOM's HDMI OUT 0.
  2. Cable routing target:
    • Strato V to VRROOM HDMI IN 1
    • PS5 Pro to VRROOM HDMI IN 2
    • Apple TV 4K to VRROOM HDMI IN 3
    • Switch 2 dock to VRROOM HDMI IN 4
    • PC RTX 5090 to S95F HDMI 3 directly (relabel to "Game Console" — keep on its own input, not through VRROOM)
    • VRROOM HDMI OUT 0 to Hue Sync Box HDMI IN
    • Hue Sync Box HDMI OUT to S95F HDMI 1
    • VRROOM HDMI AUDIO OUT (the dedicated audio extraction port) to Denon AVR HDMI INPUT (label as "VRROOM" on Denon)
    • S95F HDMI 4 (eARC) to Denon HDMI OUT (this is the existing eARC cable; keep it — required for S95F internal apps audio)
  3. Connect VRROOM Ethernet port to a Deco LAN port (needed for web UI config).
  4. Power on VRROOM only (everything else still off).

Phase 3: VRROOM config (~30 min — this is the critical phase)

  1. Connect laptop to same network. Open browser to VRROOM IP (find via Deco's connected devices list or VRROOM front-panel display). Confirm web UI loads.
  2. Firmware: check current version on UI dashboard. If not on latest stable: update firmware first. Reboot when prompted.
  3. EDID tab: select EDID Bank 10 "SONY A1 LLDV BT2020" for the LLDV path (this is the bank that elicits LLDV from Strato V).
  4. Within Bank 10 custom config: confirm Max Luminance = 1,000 nits (NOT 4,000 or 10,000 — bug mitigation), Min Luminance = 0.001 nits, Color Primaries = BT.2020.
  5. HDR tab: enable "Use custom HDR when input is LLDV" then restart sources when prompted.
  6. Audio tab: set HDMI Audio Out 0 to "Bitstream" (no decoding); Audio extract port to "Bitstream" as well. Atmos/DTS:X passthrough to Denon.
  7. CEC tab: enable CEC on inputs you want auto-switching for (Apple TV YES, Switch 2 YES, Strato V YES). Disable CEC on PS5 input — PS5 HDMI Device Link causes spurious source switches.
  8. Input auto-switch: enable TMDS/ON SENSE per input. Order: Apple TV highest priority, then Strato V, then Switch 2, then PS5 (manual).
  9. Save config to slot — give it a name like "Tom_Day1_2026".

Phase 4: S95F per-input setup (~20 min)

  1. Power on S95F. Power on Apple TV (it's the most-used source — start here).
  2. CEC propagates: VRROOM auto-switches to Apple TV, Hue Sync Box wakes, S95F shows Apple TV on HDMI 1.
  3. On S95F HDMI 1 (Sync Box passthrough — all VRROOM sources): set Picture Mode = Movie, HDR Tone Mapping = Active, Color Tone = Warm 2, Contrast Enhancer = Off, Auto Motion Plus = Off, AI Picture Pro = Off, Peak Brightness = High, Brightness = 35 (adjust to room), Contrast = 45, Sharpness = 0.
  4. External Device Manager: label HDMI 1 as "Video Sources".
  5. Switch to S95F HDMI 3 (PC direct): External Device Manager, relabel to "Game Console" (critical — unlocks full picture mode list for PC). Picture Mode = Game, Game HDR = Basic, VRR = On, HDMI Black Level = Full, Game Motion Plus = Off.
  6. S95F HDMI 4 (eARC to Denon): no picture changes needed — used for return audio only when watching S95F internal apps.
  7. Confirm Anynet+ (CEC) is On — Settings > General > External Device Manager > Anynet+.

Phase 5: Per-source EDID negotiation verification (~15 min)

  1. Apple TV: Settings > Video and Audio > Format must be "4K SDR" (NOT 4K Dolby Vision). Match Dynamic Range and Match Frame Rate both On. Volume Control = HDMI. Continuous Audio Connection On (tvOS 26+).
  2. Strato V: confirm via browser UI that it negotiates LLDV output (look for "Output: Dolby Vision LL" in active status). If it shows full DV: VRROOM EDID Bank 10 not applied correctly — recheck Phase 3 step 3.
  3. PS5 Pro: Settings > Screen and Video > HDR = Auto / On When Supported. Run the in-system HDR calibration (3 images: 19-20 / 19-20 / 0 on S95F). Settings > System > HDMI: disable HDMI Device Link (CEC off — prevents spurious switches). Enable PSSR Image Quality.
  4. Switch 2 (when dropped in dock): Settings > TV Output > 4K + HDR Auto (HDR only at 60Hz; 120Hz disables HDR — hardware limit). Linear PCM 5.1 audio. Confirm firmware 22.0.0 or later (no VRR — hardware limitation, do not search for VRR setting).
  5. PC: NVIDIA Control Panel > 4K at 120/144 Hz, 10 bpc, RGB Full, G-Sync Compatible On. Windows global HDR Off (enable per-game).

Phase 6: Denon Audyssey verification (~10 min)

  1. Power on Denon. Set input to "VRROOM" (the HDMI input the VRROOM audio extract is feeding).
  2. Confirm Audyssey MultEQ XT32 is loaded: Settings > Audio > MultEQ XT32 > On (Flat target). If reverted to Reference: change to Flat.
  3. Confirm Dynamic EQ Off, Dynamic Volume Off, Restorer Off for initial verification pass. Set per-source RLO after smoke tests: Kal = 0 dB, streaming/PS5 = −10 dB, Music = −5 dB.
  4. Run a quick smoke test: play a Kal trailer (Atmos title) — confirm Atmos badge lights on front panel.
  5. Play music via AirPlay 2 from iPhone direct to AVR (input "AirPlay") — confirm 96 kHz indication on front panel.

Phase 7: Hue Sync Box activation (~5 min)

  1. Open Hue app on phone. Sync Box should appear in Entertainment devices.
  2. Entertainment area: confirm includes Gradient Lightstrip + Play bars + floor lamps; excludes ceiling.
  3. Minimum Brightness: Hue app > Sync Box device > Settings (gear icon) > Entertainment area > Minimum brightness > 10-15%.
  4. Intensity: Moderate (default); Subtle for TV; High for action.
  5. Automation: Hue app > Automations > create "When Sync Box turns on" > activate "Movie Mode" scene.
  6. Smoke test: play any video through VRROOM > Sync Box > confirm lights respond.

Phase 8: Final smoke tests (~10 min)

  1. Apple Siri Remote: press Home, confirm Apple TV wakes, VRROOM auto-switches, S95F shows Apple TV, Siri Remote volume controls Denon (Settings > Remotes > Volume Control = TV/AVR via HDMI explicitly, not Auto).
  2. Switch 2 drop test: drop console into dock. VRROOM should auto-switch to HDMI IN 4. If it doesn't: check VRROOM TMDS/ON SENSE for that input.
  3. Kaleidescape DV title: play any DV-flagged title from Strato V. Confirm S95F shows HDR10 badge (not "no signal" — that means LLDV not negotiating). Look for visibly cleaner highlight tone mapping vs prior HDR10 fallback.
  4. PS5 Pro test: power on. VRROOM should switch to HDMI IN 2 only on input trigger (since CEC is disabled). S95F should auto-engage Game Mode via ALLM.
  5. eARC return path test: power off Apple TV, open Netflix on S95F directly. Audio should come via eARC to Denon. (Avoid this path generally — Apple TV is the better app surface.)

Phase 9: Furman PST-8D (~15 min, if it arrived)

  1. Power down everything one more time.
  2. Plug Furman into wall (the dedicated 15A circuit you identified — not the shared HVAC breaker).
  3. Bank assignment: Analog bank to Denon, KC62, one spare. Digital bank to S95F, Sync Box, Strato V, VRROOM, Apple TV, PS5 dock.
  4. PC RTX 5090 stays on its own UPS — different load profile, would over-subscribe the PST-8D.
  5. Power everything back on in order: Furman, then Denon, then VRROOM, then sources, then S95F last.
If anything looks wrong after Phase 3 EDID config: the safest fallback is VRROOM EDID Bank 0 (auto) — strips DV negotiation, falls back to plain HDR10 on all sources. Costs you the LLDV gain but everything else still works including Sync Box. Use as recovery only if Strato V refuses to emit LLDV after Phase 5 step 2 check.
Total time estimate: ~2.5 hours for Phases 1-8 if nothing fights you. Phase 9 (Furman) adds 15 min. Allow a full half-day on the calendar — first time through any HDMI matrix install has surprises.

Sources

vrroom_deep_menu.md vrroom_cec_verify.md strato_v_lldv_verify.md lldv_edid_nits_for_s95f.md s95f_picture_mode_tuning.md apple_tv_deep_menu.md ps5_pro_deep_menu.md switch2_deep_menu.md hue_sync_box_deep_menu.md denon_x3800h_per_mode_deep.md