The Sony PlayStation 4 has come pretty far in the last year and a half. It's a very capable media hub and Blu-ray player, and with the launch of PlayStation Vue, it can even be your cable box. And yet despite its multimedia prowess, Sony still doesn't make a remote control. You have to browse your media services using the DualShock 4 controller, or get a third-party remote with a USB receiver. Fortunately, there's another way to control your PS4: with your HDTV remote.

The PS4 supports HDMI-CEC, which stands for Consumer Electronics Control. It means you can tell it to obey your HDTV remote's commands. Because the PS4 doesn't have an infrared (IR) sensor, it can't accept remote commands directly, but instead gets instructions sent from your HDTV through the HDMI cable. This isn't enabled on your PS4 by default, and you need to tell your HDTV to send instructions to it as well, but it's simple to set up.

From the main PS4 screen, go to Settings on the top row of icons. Scroll down to System. Check the box marked Enabled HDMI Device Link.

That's it! The PS4 is now ready to accept commands from your HDTV. Enabling it on your HDTV is a similar process, but it varies between different brands and models. Search your HDTV manufacturer's Web site for support for HDMI-CEC. It might be named something different depending on the brand; Sony calls it Bravia Link or Bravia Sync, Samsung calls it Anynet, LG calls it SimpLink, Panasonic calls it Viera Link, and Sharp calls it Aquos Link. If a menu option has "Link" in its name, it might be another term for HDMI-CEC.

Once you've determined what your HDTV calls HDMI-CEC, you can look for it in the settings menu. Enable the feature, and it will list any connected devices that support it. Your PS4 should show up on that list.

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When HDMI-CEC is set up, you can use your remote's navigation pad to flip through your PS4's menus and browse videos on Hulu Plus, YouTube, PlayStation Vue, and other services. Depending on how well the service supports remote input, you can also control video playback using your remote's playback control buttons. It isn't always a perfect system, but it sure beats using your game controller.

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