linux-drivers/
drivers/media/cec/usb/rainshadow

RainShadow Tech HDMI-CEC USB bridge

A small USB dongle from RainShadow Tech, sold from around 2012, that lets a Linux PC send and receive HDMI-CEC remote-control messages so software like Kodi can control TVs and AV receivers over HDMI. It plays the same role as the better-known Pulse-Eight USB-CEC adapter but in much smaller numbers.

keep-annotate conf=0.76 deploy=low replacement=pulse8-cec subsystem=media category=media-other
76%

recommendation

Worth keeping but documenting its niche status. The hardware is a small-volume USB HDMI-CEC adapter from a 2012-era product line that is no longer sold new, and the more common alternative today is the Pulse-Eight CEC adapter. However, the driver received a real bug fix upstream in June 2025 and is still listed in current kernel media documentation, so removal would be premature; a note flagging it as legacy/low-deployment hardware is the right call.

repository signals

3 files
382 source lines
5 commits, 5y
+7 / −5 lines added / removed, 5y
5 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 5 total · active in 3/61 months
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sources

  1. lore.kernel.org

    Upstream saw a real bug-fix patch for this driver in 2025, so it is not completely abandoned.

  2. static.lwn.net

    Current kernel documentation still lists RainShadow Tech as supported mainline USB CEC hardware, alongside Pulse-Eight.

  3. manualzz.com

    Public product manual is for a 2012-era RainShadow Tech CEC Bridge family, indicating old hardware generation rather than a current product line.

  4. cateee.net

    LKDDb maps CONFIG_USB_RAINSHADOW_CEC to the RainShadow Tech HDMI CEC device and shows the module persists in modern kernels.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Lore evidence came from `mcp__lore_http__.lore_file_timeline` on `drivers/media/cec/usb/rainshadow/rainshadow-cec.c`; it shows mostly one 2025 bug-fix plus stable backports and no visible removal activity. Kernel-docs, Manualzz, and LKDDb URLs were obtained via `web.search_query`. I infer low present-day deployment and not sold new in 2025 from the hardware being an old niche HDMI-CEC USB bridge with only decade-old public product docs, but the 2025 bug fix argues against deprecation/removal now; annotate as niche/legacy and keep.