[mythtv-users] optical SPDIF output on nforce4 mobo: possible?

[Daniel A Segel]

Adam Hirsch wrote:
> http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Configuring_Digital_Sound
>
> So I've followed the suggestions on this page to the letter, and I'm
> getting no joy from Myth, nor from command line tests.
Try using xine to play a DVD or DVD image file and see if you can get 
the optical out working that way. My xine config file contains the 
following audio options:

audio.driver:alsa
audio.device.alsa_front_device:default
audio.device.alsa_mmap_enable:1
audio.output.speaker_arrangement:Pass Through

Every other xine audio setting is left at the default. My .asoundrc is 
like the one in the URL, except I uncommented the lines near the top for 
digital out:

pcm.!default {
  type plug
  slave.pcm "digital-hw"
}

Next, check to see if your digital out is hw0,2 or not because that's 
what the file is set to use. Change it as necessary; I've seen others 
who had to use 0,0 or 0,1. You can try to cat /proc/asound/devices to 
see what it reports.

Finally, run alsamixer and unmute and turn up everything to see if maybe 
the output is just turned off or down.

Anyway, that's what works for me, for xine at least...to be honest I 
don't run Myth through the digital out for various odd reasons, but 
digital out from xine works great, with Dolby Digital and DTS support. 
I'd be worried if the optical port were still dark after all that, though.

Daniel