[mythtv-users] Digital audio Capability grayed out

[James Abernathy]

On Thu, Jul 28, 2022 at 1:23 PM James Abernathy <jfabernathy at gmail.com>
wrote:

>
>
> On Thu, Jul 28, 2022 at 12:54 PM James Abernathy <jfabernathy at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Jul 28, 2022 at 12:26 PM Michael T. Dean <mtdean at thirdcontact.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On 07/28/2022 09:39 AM, James Abernathy wrote:
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > On Thu, Jul 28, 2022 at 8:44 AM Michael T. Dean
>>> > <mtdean at thirdcontact.com <mailto:mtdean at thirdcontact.com>> wrote:
>>> >
>>> >     On 07/26/2022 08:54 PM, James Abernathy wrote:
>>> >     > I have v32 installed on a PC connected to an A/V receiver running
>>> >     > Endeavour OS. My audio is set up for HDMI 5.1 and both Plasma KDE
>>> >     > Audio mixer test and cli command "speaker-test" all work
>>> perfectly.
>>> >     >
>>> >     > However, In Mythfrontend -> Setup -> Audio Digital Audio
>>> >     Capabilities
>>> >     > is non functional. I cannot select it and the choice for Speaker
>>> >     > Configuration is Stereo only.
>>> >     >
>>> >     > What am I missing to enable the 5.1 audio?
>>> >     >
>>> >
>>> >     My best guess--without any information, as you might be able to
>>> >     find in
>>> >     the logs--would be that you've selected the wrong "Audio output
>>> >     device".  Try others, even if the one you selected is the one that
>>> >     seems
>>> >     to work with speaker-test.
>>> >
>>> >     Mike
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > I run mythfrontend -v audio and the log for my HDMI-1 is below.
>>> > What I don't get is why it thinks the device only supports 2.0 instead
>>> > of 5.1.  The OS clearly can use the 5.1 channels and So can test
>>> > websites that have 5.1 test streams.
>>> >
>>> > 2022-07-28 09:08:20.087530 I  ALSA: OpenDevice hdmi:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
>>> >
>>> ...
>>> > 2022-07-28 09:08:20.106314 I  Found ALSA:hdmi:CARD=PCH,DEV=0 (HDA
>>> > Intel PCH, HDMI 0
>>> > HDMI Audio Output (DENON-AVRHD Connected to HDMI)
>>> > Device Supports Up to 2.0 (LPCM, AC3, DTS, DSD (One Bit Audio), E-AC3,
>>> > DTS-HD, TrueHD))
>>> >
>>>
>>> Are you choosing the device using the selector?  If not, you may not
>>> have exactly what's required to get full capabilities.  Try selecting a
>>> definitely-wrong device, then go through all the settings pages and back
>>> to the settings menu.  Then go back through, and it should show the
>>> wrong device you just selected.  Select the right device, and see what
>>> happens.
>>>
>>> In general, the selector will show the value that's saved as well as
>>> what mythfrontend finds through probing.  If what you had saved was
>>> wrong (close, but not quite right), it will seem like a valid option.
>>> If you select something completely different, then go through all the
>>> settings pages, it will save your currently selected device to the one
>>> you just selected (which is one mythfrontend found through probing),
>>> thus ensuring that the only ones in the list are ones that it found
>>> through probing (and, therefore, ones that are properly and fully
>>> specified).  So when you go back through and select the right one, it's
>>> the one you want, specified the way MythTV wants.
>>>
>>> Mike
>>>
>>>
>> Here's my test.  I started mythfrontend and went to Setup -> Audio and it
>> has my correct device selected.  So I selected ALSA:Default, which is wrong
>> as it will not play anything.  I changed some other settings related to
>> audio like upconvert and then saved and exited the whole program. Then I
>> repeated this but this time I selected ALSA:hdmi:CARD=PCH,DEV=0 which is
>> correct.  At the bottom of the screen it shows that this device is
>> connected to a DenonHD receiver.   However it show in that message:
>> Device Supports Up to 2.0 (LPCM, AC3, DTS, DSD (One Bit Audio), E-AC3,
>> DTS-HD, TrueHD))
>>
>> I'm guessing something is telling mythfrontend that the Device Supports
>> up to 2.0 and that is why the Digital Capabilities is Grayed out.
>>
>> The system is set up for 5.1 and using Chrome browser I can go to any
>> number of Dolby Digital 5.1 test sites and play sounds out of each speaker.
>> The same way that speaker-test and KDE Audio setup test can.
>>
>> Jim A
>>
>
> Here's some additional information. I took a 5.1 test file and put it in
> my /home/jim/Videos directory and set up mythtv to have that directory
> included in its list of directories for the Videos Storage group.  I think
> it is playing with 5.1 sound using mythfrontend -> Media Library -> Play
> Videos. I can also play that video in Celluloid player and Kodi. The 5.1 is
> correct there.  I don't have a recorded TV program now that I can test Kodi
> with the kodi-prv-mythtv addon to see if it is truly 5.1
>
> It seems to be something in the way mythfrontend is detecting the
> capabilities of the audio on my hdmi channel. Other Linux player seem to
> not have this issue.
>
> Jim A
>

I was discussing this with Peter on the forum and thought my latest test
would be helpful here as well.

More data and more confusion. First, I wanted to see if anything could work
5.1 with my Denon AVRHD. So I have a FireTV 4k stick connected to an input
on my TV and the TV feeds Dolby digital back to the Denon via Optical. In
that setup Leanfront and mythfrontend on the FireTV can play my recordings
in 5.1.

I opened up the cabinet containing the AVR and now I can see the display
all the time and I've noticed that no matter which HDMI or Optical input is
selected when there is no audio output, the AVR is in Dolby Pro Logic mode.
In the case of the FireTV stick It switches to Dolby Digital as the sound
starts.

On the NUC PC, it also stays on Pro Logic mode until digital content
starts. VLC switches to Dolby Digital when playing a HDHR stream, or a 5.1
test file and plays 5.1 correctly. At that time my AVR shows Dolby
Digital.The AVR goes back to Pro Logic when the sound stops.

On the NUC PC, when trying to use mythfrontend setup, the AVR shows Pro
Logic and that must be why I can't set Digital Capabilities and that's why
the scan thinks it's only 2.0 capable. When I play a live or recorded TV
program, it stays in Pro Logic.

The same thing sort of happens on my Mythtv backend which normally does not
have a monitor connected. I connected it up via HDMI to another AVR input
of the same receiver. When I look at audio setup the AVR stays in Pro
Logic, but Digital Capabilities is not grayed out. It lets me select Dolby
and DTS, but on Speaker config, I can only see Stereo. However, when I
start playing a HD video or TV channel, the receiver switches to Dolby
Digital.

IMHO, Whatever Kodi is doing to keep the AVR in Dolby Digital when it's
running is what mythfrontend should do, so audio setup can select digital
capabilities.

Jim A
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