Generic GPIO bit-banged HDMI CEC adapter
A software implementation of the HDMI Consumer Electronics Control protocol that bit-bangs the CEC line over an ordinary GPIO pin, used by embedded boards and single-board computers (such as some Raspberry Pi-class designs) whose HDMI output lacks a dedicated CEC controller. It lets those devices send and receive remote-control and power commands to TVs over HDMI.
recommendation
Worth keeping but documenting its niche role. It is the generic fallback for embedded boards and single-board computers that wire HDMI's Consumer Electronics Control line straight to a GPIO pin rather than using a dedicated CEC controller. Upstream attention is ongoing, including a 2025 fix from Hans Verkuil, and there is no replacement driver since this is the catch-all for custom hardware; removing it would strand legitimate embedded designs.
repository signals
sources
- lore.kernel.org
Functional maintenance continued in 2025 with a driver-specific fix: "media: cec: cec-gpio: reading hpd/5v is allowed to sleep".
- cateee.net
LKDDb identifies CONFIG_CEC_GPIO as a current generic GPIO-based CEC driver, with OF compatible "cec-gpio" present across recent kernel series.
- raspberrypi.com
Current Raspberry Pi hardware documentation lists Raspberry Pi 5 with both HDMI outputs and a 40-pin GPIO header, supporting continued availability of new HDMI-plus-GPIO embedded boards that could use a generic GPIO CEC implementation.
codex reasoning notes (technical)
Kernel source inspection via shell showed this is a real platform driver for the generic OF compatible "cec-gpio", i.e. a bit-banged HDMI CEC adapter over GPIO rather than a vendor-specific chipset driver. lore_file_timeline on drivers/media/cec/platform/cec-gpio/cec-gpio.c showed ongoing upstream attention through 2025, including a real functional fix (not just removal prep), and no removal/deprecation evidence appeared in the returned activity. Web search found LKDDb and Raspberry Pi documentation; from those, I infer the hardware class is still sold new in 2025 but remains niche: custom/embedded HDMI designs and SBC-style deployments rather than broad mass-market PCs. Because it is generic glue for boards lacking dedicated CEC IP, there is no single upstream replacement driver; removal would strand valid embedded use cases. Keep it, but annotate as low-volume/niche hardware.