Jack sensing for mini-TOSLINK optical connector isn't automated on MacBook Pro 4,1

[Adrian Bjugård]

Binary package hint: pulseaudio

I have a MacBookPro4,1 (hereby referred to as laptop or the laptop) which I'm planning on running Ubuntu 10.04 on. Everything went well until I wanted to use my sound system.

This laptop has a combined 3.5mm analog/mini-toslink optical output and when I connect my mini-toslink optical cable to the laptop I expect it to change output to optical audio through the correct port like it does when I connect a pair of analog headphones. This isn't the case.

lspci reports the audio card as follows:
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) HD Audio Controller (rev 03)

aplay -l:
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: ALC889A Analog [ALC889A Analog]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 1: ALC889A Digital [ALC889A Digital]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
Package: pulseaudio 1:0.9.22~0.9.21+stable-queue-32-g8478-0ubuntu14
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-22.36-generic 2.6.32.11+drm33.2
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-22-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: wl nvidia
AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.21.
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: rekoil 1511 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/pcmC0D0c: rekoil 1511 F...m pulseaudio
Card0.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:0 'Intel'/'HDA Intel at 0x9b500000 irq 20'
   Mixer name : 'Realtek ALC889A'
   Components : 'HDA:10ec0885,106b3800,00100103'
   Controls : 33
   Simple ctrls : 19
Date: Sun Jun 6 19:27:25 2010
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release amd64 (20100429)
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_US.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: pulseaudio
dmi.bios.date: 02/27/08
dmi.bios.vendor: Apple Inc.
dmi.bios.version: MBP41.88Z.00C1.B03.0802271651
dmi.board.asset.tag: Base Board Asset Tag
dmi.board.name: Mac-F42C89C8
dmi.board.vendor: Apple Inc.
dmi.board.version: PVT
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: Asset Tag#
dmi.chassis.type: 2
dmi.chassis.vendor: Apple Inc.
dmi.chassis.version: Mac-F42C89C8
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAppleInc.:bvrMBP41.88Z.00C1.B03.0802271651:bd02/27/08:svnAppleInc.:pnMacBookPro4,1:pvr1.0:rvnAppleInc.:rnMac-F42C89C8:rvrPVT:cvnAppleInc.:ct2:cvrMac-F42C89C8:
dmi.product.name: MacBookPro4,1
dmi.product.version: 1.0
dmi.sys.vendor: Apple Inc.

[Luke Yelavich (themuso)]

Unfortunately there is no jack sensing in Linux the way the optical port is enabled in OS X or similar. What you have to do is go into a terminal, and run alsamixer. In alsamixer, you will find a control labeled IEC958, and it will be muted. To move through the controls, use the left and right arrow keys. Once you find IEC958, press the m key to unmute it. The good thing is that this can be left enabled all the time with no ill effects, you will still be able to use the internal notebook speakers, and headphones.

Longer term, we need to try and sense when an optical cable is plugged in, and activate optical output. I happen to have the same machine as you, and have to go through the same headache.

[Adrian Bjugård (rekoil)]

Indeed that works for enabling audio through the optical port. Thanks, I guess full support is coming then. Should I edit my bug report and leave it open?

[Adrian Bjugård (rekoil)]

changed to alsa-base

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

Please note that for ALSA, jack sensing for the mini-TOSLINK was never intended to be automatic, so technically this isn't a feature regression but a wishlist item (yeah, I know, stupid distinction).

[Adrian Bjugård (rekoil)]

Why was it never intended to be automatic? It's not very user friendly to have to go enable the port via the terminal and it's not like I can have both a digital and analogue cable connected at the same time anyway. When the average Joe encounters this problem wanting to play music through his speakers, he will not be able to make it work. I have a lot of experience with Linux and computers in general and it took me a while to figure it out. Maybe we should re-evaluate our position on this?

[Ralf Ebert (info-ralfebert-deactivatedaccount)]

Same problem for the HDA NVidia / nVidia MCP79 chip in the MacBook 5,3. Sound works perfectly, but I have to switch between the Digital Stereo Duplex (IEC958) and Analog Stereo Duplex profile in gnome-volume-control to switch between analog headphones/digital speakers connected via mini-TOSLINK optical connector while the hardware should be capable to sense this automatically.

[joncamfield (jon-camfield)]

Also an annoyance on the more media-enabled Lenovo Ideapads (the Y550, for example).

As a start, could toggling toslink be an ALSA option, assignable to a key combination?

[joncamfield (jon-camfield)]

Answered my own question:

amixer set IEC958 toggle

Which, in the case of my Lenovo, I mapped it to the "dolby" capacitive touch icon.

[David Beswick (dlbeswick)]

Hi, I've just confirmed this bug on a Macbook 2,1. I think a good compromise would be the optical functionality exposed as a "device" in the volume settings, so users could manually switch to optical output if they chose. This sounds like it would also be useful for various other non-Macbook machines. Does anyone know what would be involved in doing this, and if it's possible?

I thought there was something wrong with my Macbook's headphone port because the light is stuck on, and I've been digging around with a toothpick in the port all day (this is standard procedure for this happening in OSX, the TOSLINK sensor in the port often gets bent and stuck.) It'd be good to address this so people don't think something's wrong, especially because the analogue headphone port doesn't currently work after install without unmuting a device in alsamixer.

[David Beswick (dlbeswick)]

I forgot to add this was 11.04.

[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.]