No sound on front panel in Rhytmbox, Movieplayer, mplayer

[Sylvain Ageneau]

Binary package hint: pulseaudio

The problem is I can't get audio output on the front panel audio with most applications (Rhythmbox, Movieplayer, mplayer, VLC). This is on Ubuntu 9.10 (amd64). Output on rear panel works. Symptoms are similar to bug #427567 although I'm using current pulseaudio.

I'm using these packages:
linux-image-2.6.31-17-generic
alsa-driver (1.0.20+dfsg-1ubuntu5)
pulseaudio (1:0.9.19-0ubuntu4)
gst-plugins-good0.10 (0.10.16-1ubuntu3)

Outputing directly to alsa works:
aplay -D plug:front test.wav --> can hear sound on front panel audio
Also:
speaker-test -Dplug:surround71 -c8 -l1 -twav --> can hear sound on front panel audio

Motherboard is an Asus p5kpl-am which has 8 channel audio:
lspci -vv:
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) High Definition Audio Controller (rev 01)
        Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Device 82ea
        Control: I/O- Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
        Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
        Latency: 0, Cache Line Size: 32 bytes
        Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 16
        Region 0: Memory at f9ffc000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
        Capabilities: [50] Power Management version 2
                Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1- D2- AuxCurrent=55mA PME(D0+,D1-,D2-,D3hot+,D3cold+)
                Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
        Capabilities: [60] Message Signalled Interrupts: Mask- 64bit+ Queue=0/0 Enable-
                Address: 0000000000000000 Data: 0000
        Capabilities: [70] Express (v1) Root Complex Integrated Endpoint, MSI 00
                DevCap: MaxPayload 128 bytes, PhantFunc 0, Latency L0s <64ns, L1 <1us
                        ExtTag- RBE- FLReset-
                DevCtl: Report errors: Correctable- Non-Fatal- Fatal- Unsupported-
                        RlxdOrd- ExtTag- PhantFunc- AuxPwr- NoSnoop+
                        MaxPayload 128 bytes, MaxReadReq 128 bytes
                DevSta: CorrErr- UncorrErr- FatalErr- UnsuppReq- AuxPwr+ TransPend-
                LnkCap: Port #0, Speed unknown, Width x0, ASPM unknown, Latency L0 <64ns, L1 <1us
                        ClockPM- Suprise- LLActRep- BwNot-
                LnkCtl: ASPM Disabled; Disabled- Retrain- CommClk-
                        ExtSynch- ClockPM- AutWidDis- BWInt- AutBWInt-
                LnkSta: Speed unknown, Width x0, TrErr- Train- SlotClk- DLActive- BWMgmt- ABWMgmt-
        Capabilities: [100] Virtual Channel <?>
        Capabilities: [130] Root Complex Link <?>
        Kernel driver in use: HDA Intel
        Kernel modules: snd-hda-intel

I'm using default config files in /etc/pulse, removed ~/.pulse, in sound preferences changed hardware to "Analog Surround 7.1 Output + Analog Stereo Input", made sure all channels are unmuted in alsamixer, restarted pulseaudio.

Also I tried changing output to "5.1-channel" in Movieplayer --> no luck
When I play a sound file and check "Pulseaudio Volume Meter", I can see the volume for "Front Left", "Front Right", "Rear Left", "Rear Right", "Front Center", "Side Left", "Side Right" changing but I only have sound on rear panel.

ProblemType: Bug
Architecture: amd64
ArecordDevices:
 **** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ****
 card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: VT1708B Analog [VT1708B Analog]
   Subdevices: 2/2
   Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
   Subdevice #1: subdevice #1
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: ageneau 15592 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/pcmC0D0p: ageneau 15592 F...m pulseaudio
Card0.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:0 'Intel'/'HDA Intel at 0xf9ffc000 irq 16'
   Mixer name : 'VIA VT1708B 8-Ch'
   Components : 'HDA:1106e721,104382ea,00100100'
   Controls : 34
   Simple ctrls : 18
Date: Wed Dec 30 14:13:33 2009
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 9.10
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
Package: pulseaudio 1:0.9.19-0ubuntu4
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.31-17.54-generic
SourcePackage: pulseaudio
Uname: Linux 2.6.31-17-generic x86_64

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

You need either linux-backports-modules-alsa-karmic-generic or
1.0.22.1 upstream.

[Sylvain Ageneau (sageneau)]

Hello and thanks for your answer.

I just tried with linux-backports-modules-alsa-karmic-generic and I have the same problem (no sound on front panel == headphones with Rhythmbox, mplayer, Movieplayer, vlc etc). Also now using aplay -D plug:front test.wav I don't get any sound output either.

Here's what I did:
1)
cat /proc/asound/version
Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.20 --> Stock version without linux-backports-modules-alsa-karmic-generic
speaker-test -Dplug:surround71 -c8 -l1 -twav
 0 - Front Left --> OK mapped to green plug back panel
 4 - Center --> OK mapped to orange plug back panel
 1 - Front Right --> OK mapped to green plug back panel
 7 - Side Right --> OK mapped to headphones plug front panel
 3 - Rear Right --> OK mapped to black plug back panel
 2 - Rear Left --> OK mapped to black plug back panel
 6 - Side Left --> OK mapped to headphones plug front panel
 5 - LFE --> OK mapped to orange plug back panel

2)
Install linux-backports-modules-alsa-karmic-generic

3)
Reboot
cat /proc/asound/version
Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.21.
Compiled on Dec 11 2009 for kernel 2.6.31-17-generic (SMP).

4)
Some channels got muted after reboot. Use alsamixer to unmute them + set max volume
Check pulseaudio volume control, device still set to "Analog Surround 7.1 Output + Analog Stereo Input", volumes set to max.

5)
Test Rhythmbox, mplayer etc --> no sound on headphones

6)
speaker-test -Dplug:surround71 -c8 -l1 -twav
 0 - Front Left --> OK mapped to green plug back panel
 4 - Center --> OK mapped to orange plug back panel
 1 - Front Right --> OK mapped to green plug back panel
 7 - Side Right --> No sound
 3 - Rear Right --> OK mapped to black plug back panel
 2 - Rear Left --> OK mapped to black plug back panel
 6 - Side Left --> No sound
 5 - LFE --> OK mapped to orange plug back panel

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

Please remove linux-backports-modules-alsa, enable karmic-updates, dist-upgrade to the latest kernel, enable the ubuntu-audio-dev PPA, and install linux-alsa-driver-modules-2.6.31-19-generic.

[Sylvain Ageneau (sageneau)]

Seems to be fixed in Lucid beta 1.

[Jeremy Foshee (jeremyfoshee)]

This bug report was marked as Incomplete and has not had any updated comments for quite some time. As a result this bug is being closed. Please reopen if this is still an issue in the current Ubuntu release http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download . Also, please be sure to provide any requested information that may have been missing. To reopen the bug, click on the current status under the Status column and change the status back to "New". Thanks.

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