Package: libasound2
Version: 1.1.2-1
Severity: normal
Dear Maintainer,
I have a PC with two on-board Intel HD Audio chips using the same driver. One
of them outputs SPDIF to the HDMI connector, the other - to a separate
SPDIF/analog jack. These chips are visible as separate cards:
inequation@BrixPro:~$ aplay -l
**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: HDMI [HDA Intel HDMI], device 3: HDMI 0 [HDMI 0]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: HDMI [HDA Intel HDMI], device 7: HDMI 1 [HDMI 1]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: HDMI [HDA Intel HDMI], device 8: HDMI 2 [HDMI 2]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 1: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 0: ALC269VC Analog [ALC269VC Analog]
Subdevices: 0/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 1: PCH [HDA Intel PCH], device 1: ALC269VC Digital [ALC269VC Digital]
Subdevices: 1/1
Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
For most applications, the HDMI output is preferred and is set to be the
default:
inequation@BrixPro:~$ aplay -L
null
Discard all samples (playback) or generate zero samples (capture)
hdmi:CARD=HDMI,DEV=0
HDA Intel HDMI, HDMI 0
HDMI Audio Output
hdmi:CARD=HDMI,DEV=1
HDA Intel HDMI, HDMI 1
HDMI Audio Output
hdmi:CARD=HDMI,DEV=2
HDA Intel HDMI, HDMI 2
HDMI Audio Output
dmix:CARD=HDMI,DEV=3
HDA Intel HDMI, HDMI 0
Direct sample mixing device
dmix:CARD=HDMI,DEV=7
HDA Intel HDMI, HDMI 1
Direct sample mixing device
dmix:CARD=HDMI,DEV=8
HDA Intel HDMI, HDMI 2
Direct sample mixing device
dsnoop:CARD=HDMI,DEV=3
HDA Intel HDMI, HDMI 0
Direct sample snooping device
dsnoop:CARD=HDMI,DEV=7
HDA Intel HDMI, HDMI 1
Direct sample snooping device
dsnoop:CARD=HDMI,DEV=8
HDA Intel HDMI, HDMI 2
Direct sample snooping device
hw:CARD=HDMI,DEV=3
HDA Intel HDMI, HDMI 0
Direct hardware device without any conversions
hw:CARD=HDMI,DEV=7
HDA Intel HDMI, HDMI 1
Direct hardware device without any conversions
hw:CARD=HDMI,DEV=8
HDA Intel HDMI, HDMI 2
Direct hardware device without any conversions
plughw:CARD=HDMI,DEV=3
HDA Intel HDMI, HDMI 0
Hardware device with all software conversions
plughw:CARD=HDMI,DEV=7
HDA Intel HDMI, HDMI 1
Hardware device with all software conversions
plughw:CARD=HDMI,DEV=8
HDA Intel HDMI, HDMI 2
Hardware device with all software conversions
default:CARD=PCH
HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VC Analog
Default Audio Device
sysdefault:CARD=PCH
HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VC Analog
Default Audio Device
front:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VC Analog
Front speakers
surround21:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VC Analog
2.1 Surround output to Front and Subwoofer speakers
surround40:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VC Analog
4.0 Surround output to Front and Rear speakers
surround41:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VC Analog
4.1 Surround output to Front, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround50:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VC Analog
5.0 Surround output to Front, Center and Rear speakers
surround51:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VC Analog
5.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Rear and Subwoofer speakers
surround71:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VC Analog
7.1 Surround output to Front, Center, Side, Rear and Woofer speakers
iec958:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VC Digital
IEC958 (S/PDIF) Digital Audio Output
dmix:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VC Analog
Direct sample mixing device
dmix:CARD=PCH,DEV=1
HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VC Digital
Direct sample mixing device
dsnoop:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VC Analog
Direct sample snooping device
dsnoop:CARD=PCH,DEV=1
HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VC Digital
Direct sample snooping device
hw:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VC Analog
Direct hardware device without any conversions
hw:CARD=PCH,DEV=1
HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VC Digital
Direct hardware device without any conversions
plughw:CARD=PCH,DEV=0
HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VC Analog
Hardware device with all software conversions
plughw:CARD=PCH,DEV=1
HDA Intel PCH, ALC269VC Digital
Hardware device with all software conversions
inequation@BrixPro:~$ cat /etc/asound.conf
defaults.pcm.card 0
defaults.pcm.device 3
However, for some applications, I'd rather have their playback directed to the
jack (i.e. card #1). The ALSA environment variables ALSA_PCM_CARD and
ALSA_PCM_DEVICE should be doing the trick; and while ALSA_PCM_CARD does work,
ALSA_PCM_DEVICE does not. See /usr/share/alsa/alsa.conf.
What makes me suspect that is the case is this piece of an mplayer failed
playback log:
inequation@BrixPro:~$ ALSA_PCM_CARD=1 ALSA_PCM_DEVICE=0 mplayer test.mp3
(...)
[AO_ALSA] alsa-lib: pcm_hw.c:1601:(snd_pcm_hw_open) open '/dev/snd/pcmC1D3p'
failed (-2): No such file or directory
(...)
Please note the device path that refers to device #3, which is set as default
in my asound.conf. Calling the same command line with ALSA_PCM_CARD=0 succeeds,
although the audio plays on the HDMI output, which confirms my suspicion that
card switching works, but device switching doesn't. I've actually written a
script that tries ALSA_PCM_DEVICE from 0 to 100, and the result is always the
same, which makes me quite convinced that the variable is being ignored.
A hacky, dirty workaround for the issue is to make a symlink from
/dev/snd/pcmC1D0p to /dev/snd/pcmC1D3p. Playback works as expected then, but
the symlink is ugly.
I simply expect to be able to pick the ALSA device via environment variables.
I'm on current ALSA package from testing.
Regards,
Leszek
-- System Information:
Debian Release: stretch/sid
APT prefers testing
APT policy: (500, 'testing')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Foreign Architectures: i386
Kernel: Linux 4.7.0-1-amd64 (SMP w/8 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=pl_PL.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=pl_PL.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)
Versions of packages libasound2 depends on:
ii libasound2-data 1.1.2-1
ii libc6 2.24-5
libasound2 recommends no packages.
Versions of packages libasound2 suggests:
pn libasound2-plugins <none>
-- no debconf information
