[HDA-Intel - HDA Intel, playback] Playback problem

[cabz]

I am running ubuntu 13.04 on a dell desktop studio 540. for some reason there is no Digital sound, when I got to playback a song I have to swithc to analog to get any sound . and the sound I get it scratchy and a bit distorted. This PC ir a dual boot with win 7 and there are no issues in windows . I understand I am runnigna pre release version of ubuntu so I am reporting this bug in effort to help .

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 13.04
Package: alsa-base 1.0.25+dfsg-0ubuntu4
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.8.0-11.20-generic 3.8.2
Uname: Linux 3.8.0-11-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.9.1-0ubuntu1
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: cabz 1494 F.... pulseaudio
Date: Sun Mar 10 10:42:39 2013
InstallationDate: Installed on 2013-03-09 (0 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail" - Alpha amd64 (20130308)
MarkForUpload: True
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: alsa-driver
Symptom: audio
Symptom_AlsaPlaybackTest: ALSA playback test through plughw:Intel successful
Symptom_Card: Built-in Audio - HDA Intel
Symptom_PulsePlaybackTest: PulseAudio playback test failed
Symptom_Type: Only some of outputs are working
Title: [HDA-Intel - HDA Intel, playback] Playback problem
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 08/25/2009
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 1.1.3
dmi.board.name: 0M017G
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.board.version: A00
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.version: '01'
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvr1.1.3:bd08/25/2009:svnDellInc.:pnStudio540:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn0M017G:rvrA00:cvnDellInc.:ct3:cvr'01':
dmi.product.name: Studio 540
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

Node 0x10 [Audio Output] wcaps 0x611: Stereo Digital
  Control: name="IEC958 Playback Con Mask", index=16, device=0
  Control: name="IEC958 Playback Pro Mask", index=16, device=0
  Control: name="IEC958 Playback Default", index=16, device=0
  Control: name="IEC958 Playback Switch", index=16, device=0
  Control: name="IEC958 Default PCM Playback Switch", index=0, device=0
  Device: name="ALC888 Digital", type="SPDIF", device=1
  Converter: stream=8, channel=0
  Digital:
  Digital category: 0x0
  IEC Coding Type: 0x0
  PCM:
    rates [0x5e0]: 44100 48000 88200 96000 192000
    bits [0xe]: 16 20 24
    formats [0x1]: PCM
  Power states: D0 D1 D2 D3 EPSS
  Power: setting=D0, actual=D0

http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/tiwai/sound.git/commit/sound/pci/hda/hda_codec.c?id=ea9b43addc4d90ca5b029f47f85ca152320a1e8d

did you upgrade alsa-lib ?

http://git.alsa-project.org/?p=alsa-lib.git;a=commit;h=f5f45589f81c46d4ca4cbbe089441a0f7ac5e197

APLAY

**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: ALC888 Analog [ALC888 Analog]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 1: ALC888 Digital [ALC888 Digital]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 3: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

[cabz (cabz)]

I did not know there was an upgrade option for it, I have downloaded the file you linked here but I do not know how to install it. I have it extracted to a folder on my desktop. can you help me to install it or tell me the location to put the folder?.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Raymond (superquad-vortex2)]

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Audio/UpgradingAlsa/DKMS

[tom norback (tomnorback-3)]

I have the same problem (sound only on analog output, nothing on digital).

I've attached the output of the ALSA-info utility.

I upgraded the alsa driver as per the comments above but the change had no effect on the problem.

[Fraser Hanson (fraser-hanson)]

I installed the DKMS alsa driver and rebooted, with no luck.

I then examined the file /usr/share/alsa/cards/HDA-Intel.conf and found that it does not have the changes shown in the git commit referenced above. I altered the file by applying the commit myself manually, and rebooted again.

This time my sound settings showed only an analog device. Two output devices were missing: "HDMI / Displayport" and "Digital Output (S/PDIF)".

My conclusions: the alsa packages currently in Ubuntu 13.04 (alsa-base 1.0.25+dfsg-0ubuntu4, alsa-utils 1.0.25-4ubuntu2) lack the git commits that Raymond linked to. The DKMS alsa package linked by Raymond does not bring those commits in either.

[Fraser Hanson (fraser-hanson)]

One of the git commits that are expected to fix this issue is not in linux kernel 3.8, which is the default on Ubuntu 13.04.
Looks that commit made it into the 3.9 kernel.

This command shows the first tagged commit after the named commit, ie. the first 'release' that contains this commit:

fhanson@fhanson-linux:/data/tmp/linux-git (master)$ git describe --contains ea9b43addc4d90ca5b029f47f85ca152320a1e8d
v3.9-rc1~52^2~22

The other commit was made to alsa's source, not to linux. A suitably late version of the alsa libraries will be needed to get this code. That part can be solved by following the instructions on Raymond's link to the UpgradingAlsa page.

[Marcus Tomlinson (marcustomlinson)]

This release of Ubuntu is no longer receiving maintenance updates. If this is still an issue on a maintained version of Ubuntu please let us know.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for alsa-driver (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]