[mythtv-users] Tips for sound in xubuntu?

[Dave Richardson]

> I have myth configured to output sound via spdif to my stereo - and it
> works fine, more or less.
>
> But recently (and I'm not exactly sure when) the entire OS stopped
> outputting any sound.  Can't get sound from VLC, Firefox, etc.
>
> I'm running xubuntu 11.04.
>
> Anyone have any tips?  It still seems like it is trying to output
> sound - if I mute the output via the mixer, my tuner changes modes.
>
> I've looked through the various mixers I can find... nothing is muted,
> pcm is enabled, etc.
>
> Could the myth backend be locking the sound hardware?  Guess I can
> check that tomorrow.  Or is it purely an OS config issue?
>
> Thanks
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A couple things that may amount to anything from "personal experience" to
"useless".

On my receiver, when the SPDIF is not sending a signal, it will switch to
Analog from Digital and it'll pop (which makes me hate the receiver).

On linux there are a few ways to get ALSA sound working (you didn't say
which sound you're using).  One method has been to install a
kernel-specific module to enable/complement ALSA.  Since major kernel
upgrades have been published recently, it's possible that you have a
situation where the ALSA module and the kernel don't play together anymore
(which might account for system-wide sound offline).

Of course, it could be sun spots as well.

Also, you mentioned if the Backend did something.  Let's assume that you
are using a separate frontend instead of a combo FEnd/BEnd.  If you have a
standalone Frontend, then no, the Backend didn't fiddle with FE audio.

While unlikely, you may have lost or broken some codecs to decode some
streams, but that's unlikely given the breadth of apps you tried.