Lets Linux on ChromeOS devices use the HDMI Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature, which lets a TV remote control connected source devices over the HDMI cable. The CEC hardware lives inside the ChromeOS embedded controller chip found in Chromeboxes and some Chromebooks, and this code is the bridge between the kernel's CEC framework and that controller.
It should stay in the kernel because it is the only way Linux can drive the HDMI-CEC function built into the ChromeOS embedded controller, and Google and contributors are still adding support for new Chromebox and Chromebook boards as recently as 2025 and 2026. ChromeOS hardware with HDMI outputs, such as the ASUS Chromebox 5A, is still being sold new, so the user base is niche but ongoing.
repository signals
2files
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29commits, 5y
+375 / −128lines added / removed, 5y
17authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 29 total · active in 15/61 months
ASUS still markets a ChromeOS Chromebox with dual HDMI outputs, consistent with continued new-device deployment where HDMI-CEC support remains relevant.
codex reasoning notes (technical)
Real driver: `cros-ec-cec.c` is a platform driver for the ChromeOS embedded controller's HDMI-CEC function. `lore_file_timeline` on the file showed recent 2025-2026 board-match additions and no visible removal/deprecation activity in the recent event stream. The ASUS product page was obtained via web search and shows ChromeOS hardware with HDMI outputs still sold, so this is not legacy-only; deployments are likely niche/low rather than mass-market. No natural upstream replacement driver exists because this code is the hardware-specific bridge to the ChromeOS EC CEC block.