[mythtv-users] HARDWARE ADVICE - HDMI motherboard

Brian Phillips brian.phillips at gmx.net
Fri Aug 29 16:26:01 UTC 2008


Nate Carlson wrote:
> On Thu, 28 Aug 2008, Jean-Yves Avenard wrote:
>> Does Linux even support audio via HDMI ?
> 
> Doesn't really need to.. in most cases, the HDMI output is just seen
> as SPDIF, as I understand it. 

HDMI cables do carry SPDIF, but I'd classify your setup as a hack.  You are
pulling the SPDIF signal from another point on the motherboard and
"basically" splicing it onto the HDMI cable.

What Jean-Yves was referring to when he posed the question: "Does Linux even
support audio via HDMI ?" was the capability of the chipset, (ie Nvidia
8800, 6150, etc) to not only output video on the HDMI cable but also put the
audio on it.  Currently this is done by separate chipsets, the audio
processor creates the SPDIF signal and the video chipset outputs the video
on the HDMI output.

AFAIK, this is currently an issue that will be resolved as drivers get
updated.  The current nvidia module can't accomplish putting the audio onto
the HDMI output.  So, in effect, the answer to the original question is:
Linux doesn't support audio via HDMI.

Your solution was specific to the video card you bought, not the operating
system.

Brian



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