No HMDI audio after upgrade to 14.04 [x-post from /mythbuntu]

[Denis_Papathanasio]

I upgraded my mythbuntu machine to 14.04 via the update manager.

I experienced many of the same problems Paul Rubin described here: http://orinanobworld.blogspot.com/2014/08/mythbuntu-upgrade-from-hell.html

But even after resolving all the other issues, I cannot get digital sound via HDMI (analog does work, though).

Here's a snapshot of my alsa data: http://www.alsa-project.org/db/?f=5853563c300e39bea5fbdde8d53e1c63511da36d

Any help would be appreciated!

[SeijiSensei]

Try installing pavucontrol and see if it enables you to switch among your audio outputs.

[Denis_Papathanasio]

Thanks for replying.

The "pavucontrol" package is already installed, and is the latest version, according to apt.

What's frustrating is that prior to upgrading, I could see "HDMI" as a choice separate from the "Built in Audio" options.

Now, only the "Built in Audio" options are there, and there's only one digital option -- Digital Stereo (IEC958) Output -- but that does *not* correspond to the hdmi cable and speakers.

[Bucky Ball]

Yep, had the same issue on an xfce4 14.04 LTS install I did for a friend awhile ago. No hdmi option in Pavucontrol. I never got to the bottom of, so will be watching this with interest.

I will be having another go at it when I get back from xmas stuff, so will add any discoveries I make then (unless you get to the bottom of this first). ;)

Good luck.

[Denis_Papathanasio]

At this point, I'm thinking of just backing up my media and downgrading back to Mythbuntu 12.04.3.

It was running just fine.

I regret clicking the "upgrade to 14.04" button which had been popping up for weeks; I should have just continuied to ignore it...

[SeijiSensei]

Have you installed the proprietary driver for your video card if you have an ATI or NVIDIA adapter? That's often required to get HDMI audio to function properly.

[Denis_Papathanasio]

Yes, I was using the proprietary driver (my video card is nvidia) before I upgraded.

The frustrating thing is that the hardware is exactly the same, and it was all functional under the previous version.

[Denis_Papathanasio]

This is now working; fixing it was a pain, but here are the steps, in case anyone else has the same problem.

First, I installed the alsa-daily ppa:



sudo apt-add-repository ppa:ubuntu-audio-dev/alsa-daily
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install oem-audio-hda-daily-dkms

Then, I used alsamixer which showed an alternative to the default IXP (analog) output.

There were four "S/PDIF" settings (S/PDIF, S/PDIF1, S/PDIF2, S/PDIF3) all of which were muted (set to "MM"), which I enabled (setting to "00") by typing "m" while scrolling through them.

Next, I ran this:



aplay -L | more

which (finally) showed the NVidia HDMI card among the list of possibilities:



plughw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=3
HDA NVidia, HDMI 0
Hardware device with all software conversions
plughw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=7
HDA NVidia, HDMI 0
Hardware device with all software conversions
plughw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=8
HDA NVidia, HDMI 0
Hardware device with all software conversions
plughw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=9
HDA NVidia, HDMI 0
Hardware device with all software conversions

Next, I tried each by trial and error:



aplay -D plughw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=3 /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav
aplay -D plughw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=7 /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav
aplay -D plughw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=8 /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav
aplay -D plughw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=9 /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav

For me, this combination was the only one that worked:


plughw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=7

So back in the MythFrontend application, I went to Setup -> Audio and in the Audio output device input field, I scrolled until I found
plughw:CARD=NVidia,DEV=7

Success!

What I still don't understand, though, is why pavucontrol shows just "Built-in Audio".

Before upgrading, the same exact hardware and proprietary nvidia driver (331) showed up as a distinct "HDMI Audio" option in pavucontrol.

I could just pick that, and not have to mess around with aplay or changing the preferred audio device in the MythFrontend app.