[mythtv-users] SOLVED WITH HACK Boot Sound Volume Set to Zero, Realtek ALC888, GA-EP31-DS3L

[Tortise]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <f-myth-users at media.mit.edu>
To: "Discussion about mythtv" <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2010 9:55 AM
Subject: [mythtv-users] SOLVED Boot Sound Volume Set to Zero, Realtek ALC888,GA-EP31-DS3L


    > Date: Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:00:45 +0000
    > From: Mike Perkins <mikep at randomtraveller.org.uk>

    > Tortise wrote:
    > [...]
    > > 1. Open Terminal from "Applications->Accessories->Terminal"
    > > 2. copy-paste the following command into the Terminal:
    > > gksudo gedit /etc/init.d/alsa-utils
    > > 3. Replace the following line (which is line 372 in the
    > > /etc/init.d/alsa-utils file):
    > > mute_and_zero_levels "$TARGET_CARD" || EXITSTATUS=1
    > > with the following line:
    > > # mute_and_zero_levels "$TARGET_CARD" || EXITSTATUS=1
    > > So you need to comment out that line to prevent the script from muting
    > > your soundcard during boot.
    > > 4. Reboot and recheck mixer settings
    > >
    > Unbelievable. Who on earth thought that resetting sound levels to zero on shut
    > down *and muting them* was a good idea in the first place?

>But wait a minute here.  Below is what appears to be the relevant
section from /etc/init.d/alsa-utils in my Ubuntu 9.10 (-not-
MythBuntu; I don't know if that makes a difference).

Using a file compare the code is the same.  The problem is probably more widespread than just mythtv.  It does not appear to be a 
show stopper.

>Yes, it looks like they're muting when alsa is stopped.  But it also
appears that they're attempting to reset the levels on start; there's
a bunch of other logic in there to save/restore.  (I have done zero
other debugging on this since it's not my issue, but it shouldn't be
hard for someone to trace through the calls in the init script.)

I am sure you are correct that commenting out the line is a hack and not a solution - Subject is corrected in accord!  Any reources 
on how to "tracing through the calls", if I can get started It might be something I could have a go at.  I've already posted that it 
may have been a dethump measure that proved necessary on some system(s).

Also I noted that suspending avoided the problem yet muting of the volume also occurs when suspending, so the coded recovery seems 
to continue to work in the case of resumption from suspension.

>In short, while muting on shutdown does seem weird, it looks like the
real bug is the failure to restore levels on reboot.

I Agree.

> (Unless the OP is shutting down alsa and -not- rebooting and then checking levels, but I don't think he said he was doing this.)

Correct, I am just doing a standard shutdown using the mythbuntu shutdown (which has traditionally always achieved shutdown) and 
sometimes using the menu's shutdown option (however that sometimes needs a further shutdwon step from the login screen, nto so much 
lately though)  As I recall power off and rebooting both achieve the same bug expression.

>I still think something's buggy either in restoration in general (but
I suspect there'd be a ton of bug reports lodged against it) or on the
OP's machine in particular (file permissions? something else?)

OP has at least 3 machines doing this.  When combined with other reports suggests to OP that its not a local problem created by OP 
on one machine.  (OP remains open to the possibility of mass OP created problem!)

>I'd imagine other MythBuntu users would be complaining of this, too,
if the problem was that muting wasn't being undone on reboot.  Are they?

At least one other has put his hand up. The hack came from a number of other people having the problem.  It is a nuisance bug, 
especially as its hard to resolve with a remote, which is why I looked into it.