Public bug reported:
Subject: Persistent HDMI Audio Output Failure on Dell OptiPlex 9020
(Intel Haswell) in Ubuntu 24.04
Introduction:
This report details a critical issue concerning the non-functional HDMI audio
output on a Dell OptiPlex 9020 system running Ubuntu 24.04. Despite thorough
troubleshooting and comparative analysis with other Linux distributions where
HDMI audio operates correctly, the problem persists.
Hardware Specifications:
System Model: Dell OptiPlex 9020
CPU/Integrated Graphics: Intel Haswell (Identified as "Intel Corporation Xeon
E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller")
Graphics Driver in use: i915 (Kernel module)
Audio Controller: HDA Intel HDMI (Identified as "Intel Haswell HDMI" chipset)
Problem Description:
The HDMI audio output on the specified hardware fails to produce sound when
running Ubuntu 24.04. While the system's ALSA subsystem correctly detects the
HDMI audio device (aplay -l output confirms "HDA Intel HDMI" card detection),
and alsamixer shows the HDMI output with S/PDIF channels as unmuted, no audio
is audible.
Furthermore, the PipeWire audio server, which is active and running
(confirmed via systemctl --user status pipewire pipewire-pulse),
correctly identifies the HDMI output as the default sink (wpctl status
shows the HDMI sink with an asterisk *). wpctl status also indicates
that active audio streams are being directed to the "SHARP
HDMI:playback_FL/FR", yet no sound is produced.
Comparative Analysis with Functioning Systems:
The same hardware configuration demonstrates fully functional HDMI audio when
running other Linux distributions:
MX Linux 23.6: HDMI audio works correctly with Kernel 6.14.2-1-liquorix-amd64.
Fedora Workstation 42: HDMI audio works correctly with Kernel
6.14.0-63.fc42.x86_64. This comparison strongly suggests that the issue is
specific to Ubuntu 24.04's kernel version or its audio driver configuration for
Intel Haswell HDMI, rather than a fundamental hardware defect.
Troubleshooting Steps Performed in Ubuntu 24.04:
Initial System State: The issue was observed initially with Ubuntu 24.04
running Kernel 6.15.2-061502-generic (or sometimes 6.11.0-17-generic after
certain updates).
Comprehensive System Update: All system packages, including PipeWire, Mesa, and
Xorg components, were updated to their latest available versions from official
repositories (sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y && sudo apt dist-upgrade
-y).
PipeWire Service Verification: Confirmed that pipewire.service and
pipewire-pulse.service were active and running, and wpctl status showed HDMI as
the default output.
Kernel Version Testing (Downgrade/Specific Version Trial):
Based on the working kernels in MX Linux and Fedora, Kernel
6.14.11-061411-generic was explicitly downloaded and installed from the Ubuntu
Kernel Mainline PPA (all four .deb packages).
The system was successfully booted into and confirmed to be running Kernel
6.14.11-061411-generic (uname -r output confirmed).
Result: Despite running Kernel 6.14.11-061411-generic, the HDMI audio output
remains non-functional.
Kernel Logs Review: Kernel logs (sudo journalctl -k -xn | grep -iE
'audio|hdmi|pipewire|alsa|error|warn') were examined for relevant errors, but
no direct audio-related errors or warnings were found.
Conclusion and Request for Assistance:
Given that the HDMI audio functions on the same hardware with other Linux
distributions (MX Linux and Fedora) running Kernel 6.14.x, and the problem
persists even when explicitly booting into Kernel 6.14.11 in Ubuntu 24.04, it
suggests that the issue might be more complex than a simple kernel regression.
It could indicate a specific configuration, a missing patch, or a deeper
driver-level problem within Ubuntu 24.04's snd_hda_intel module or its
interaction with the i915 graphics driver for Intel Haswell HDMI audio.
We kindly request your assistance in further diagnosing and resolving
this issue.
** Affects: linux (Ubuntu)
Importance: Undecided
Status: New
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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2114626
Title:
Persistent HDMI Audio Output Failure on Dell OptiPlex 9020 (Intel
Haswell) in Ubuntu 24.04
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