[rodercot]

Hey ALL,

So I finally have 1080P video and HDMI audio on my ASUS M3N78-VM and the Asus P5N7A-VM (as of this evening)

Asus M3N78-VM bios version 0507 int. and ext. codec selected and HDMI audio out.
Asus P5N7A-VM - shipped bios (actually I did not even look at the rev) bios codec - Auto, HDMI Output

It is a bit tricky BECAUSE Alsa 1.0.18a driver will not compile on 2.6.24 with --all-cards options and you need this.

I also dwnlded and installed the NVIDIA 180.11 driver from the ftp site do a search for it and you will find it.

OK.. here is how I did this.

On a clean install to hard drive with XBMC Live 8.10 - from desktop

ctl-alt-f2

Login - xbmc
password - xbmc or whatever you used at install

sudo apt-get update - let it run

sudo apt-get install wget - let it install

sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-`uname -r` - let it install saying Y or N when required.

download the NVIDIA driver

wget ftp://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-...1-pkg1.run

now install the NVIDIA driver

sudo telinit 1

cd /home/xbmc

sudo sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-180.11-pkg1.run

say no to the first question then yes to the rest.

Now sudo reboot - your driver is installed

now the fun stuff with alsa update.

go here and download the latest script.

keep the page open for reference.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=962695 - it is rev 1.14

**UPDATE** to save having to run this script twice do this step here first**

copy the script to your /home/xbmc directory from an ftp client or the like then

cd /home/xbmc
tar xvf AlsaUpgrade-1.0.x-rev-1.14.tar
sudo ./AlsaUpgrade-1.0.x-rev-1.14.sh -d

(This will download all the alsa 1.0.18 files to your /usr/src directory and create the required Alsa directories for you.)

sudo reboot

after boot - ctl-alt-f2 and login again

now go here and dwnld the snapshot - if the link does not work you can get it from this page as well.

ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kerne...napshot.tar.gz

http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=6...stcount=65

once you have that file on your windows machine. ftp in to your XBMC Live machine and copy it into your

/home/xbmc directory

now do these steps on your XBMC machine via putty or on the console

Code:

cd /home/xbmc
sudo tar xvvf alsa-driver-snapshot.tar.gz
cd alsa-driver
sudo ./configure --with-cards=all --with-card-options=all --with-sequencer=yes --with-oss=yes  --prefix=/usr
sudo make

when completed do this.

Code:

cd alsa-driver (if you are not already in this directory)
   sudo cp -rf * /usr/src/Alsa-1.0.18a/alsa-driver-1.0.18a

NOW once that is completed

cd /usr/src/Alsa-1.0.18a

cd alsa-lib-1.0.18
sudo ./configure
sudo make
sudo make install

cd ..
cd alsa-utils-1.0.18
sudo ./configure
sudo make
sudo make install

cd /home/xbmc

now you can run the script

sudo ./AlsaUpgrade-1.0.x-rev-1.14.sh -i

Note the (-i)

This will install the latest 1.0.18a version of alsa for you.

I had to do this a couple times to get it to take.

sudo reboot

after the reboot you can go back to your shell login and run alsamixer - you should now have either an HDA NVIDIA MCP78 HDMI (generic 10de) or a HDA NVIDIA MCP7A HDMI (generic10de) and the alsmixer version should be 1.0.18. If this is not the case the install did not take and you will have to run the script with the -i again.

Once this is all done and the desktop is up and running

go into settings-system-audio and change the passthrough device to hdmi from default or iec958 whatever it is now. Do not forget to change your bios from SPDIF to HDMI output.

This has taken me nearly two weeks to get sorted out.

I have tested Everything.

2 channel Stereo
Mono
Dolby Digital & (Plus)
DTS & (HD)
2 channel Pcm
DVD playback
Music sources MP3 and FLAC.

The only thing I do not have is navigation sound but I usually turn that off anyhow. I have not tested the Spdif output and I am not going to, this is working and I am leaving it alone.

PLEASE back up your userdata info first in case something goes wrong. Mine worked but I cannot be sure all will and also if you have the latest Nvidia driver and alsa version installed then just try changing your passthrough device setting to hdmi.

hope this helps, it has been a while, I got this board in like may of this year.

rgds,

Dave

[Matt Devo]

how about multichannel flac or Dolby TrueHD? I assume it will pass multichannel FLAC as 6/8-ch PCM

[rodercot]

how about multichannel flac or Dolby TrueHD? I assume it will pass multichannel FLAC as 6/8-ch PCM

Matt,

I do not have any mult-channel flac stuff encoded to try, I tried a couple Re-authored BD discs that I encoded with DTS-HD and they were fine so I would assume that Dolby is the same I am not sure if I have any with a trueHD track I think that I converted them all the std 640 ac3 when I did my HD-DVD's but I will check and let you know.

Dave

[rodercot]

UPDATE to this,

I had to change both items under settings-system-audio to hdmi. I had a couple of files that would not play. Nothing in alsamixer would do anything.

I do have now under alsmixer an iec958 switch as well as pcm they seem to make no difference and the device is now actually NVIDIA MCP78 HDMI instead of VIA VT1708B Analog.

Dave

[BLKMGK]

180.11xx NVIDIA drivers are still sort of beta yes? Will this work as well with 177.xx drivers? I am trying to get this working on a different ASUS board and was trying to stay away from the new accelerated drivers until they were more fully baked so am curious

[rodercot]

180.11xx NVIDIA drivers are still sort of beta yes? Will this work as well with 177.xx drivers? I am trying to get this working on a different ASUS board and was trying to stay away from the new accelerated drivers until they were more fully baked so am curious

well I did try this with 177.82 as well and could not seem to get the card to change from VT1708b to Nvidia HDA MCP78 HDMI. If you have 177.82 and alsa 1.0.18a installed you can try to just change the output in audio settings to read hdmi and try it. Remember to change your settings in your bios. I think your board uses just the alc88x or is it alc12xx chipset. I am not sure if the bios settings are the same as mine.

I did read a few posts from google searches that say they have had it working with 177.82.

I got this running first on a full Ubuntu 8.10 install with I think 177.82, the 177.80 driver that comes vanilla will not work. With a full version Ubunutu install I had to go into system - preferences - sound and change the defaults to the hdmi device and then I got test noise but could still not get output with vlc or gzine or Ubuntu itself, but XBMC output it fine on HDMI via the change in audio preferences.

I will say the new beta driver seems to be OK. I have had no issues and it actually looks richer in color with playback.

I did still got a couple audio dropouts with DVD playback twice during a whole movie last night. Streaming movies or music from the nas seemed fine. I also tested a couple dts audio cd's and they played fine as well.

Dave

[BLKMGK]

Do you know anything about this ALSA patch and is it required? http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthrea...st15279769

I will be really happy once this is working and I can stop mucking with it. I only get 1 and 2 hour spurts of time to do it and I'll be out of town for a bit starting tomorrow so it's quite frustrating! Trying to do this for someone else as a test build with at least one other wanting one when I'm done so there's a bit of pressure Appreciate the help! I wish the Live disk would just work with this, I'd be SO happy! Guess I'd learn less too...

[rodercot]

Do you know anything about this ALSA patch and is it required? http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthrea...st15279769

I will be really happy once this is working and I can stop mucking with it. I only get 1 and 2 hour spurts of time to do it and I'll be out of town for a bit starting tomorrow so it's quite frustrating! Trying to do this for someone else as a test build with at least one other wanting one when I'm done so there's a bit of pressure Appreciate the help! I wish the Live disk would just work with this, I'd be SO happy! Guess I'd learn less too...

I have not seen that patch. It would be nice if they attached a name to it. IE my via patch was VIA patch.c in sound/pci/hda folder, but for 1.0.18a the patch was already included. I do notice in that patch that they spec the alc1200 chipset and the mcp78 (My board) and Mcp7a (p5nXX-vm boards)

All you can do is try it and see. I cannot see where that patch is suppose to be installed. I know that when I ./configure for --all-card --all-options as with my post above it did compile the nvhdmi and mcp78 hdmi req'd files and patches of which both are in the sound/pci/hda directory of Alsa-1.0.18a

What chipset is on your board. I mean North and South Bridge not audio? The two common are the MCP78 and MCP7A seem to be the newest and if so than my solution above should work.

Dave

[rodercot]

how about multichannel flac or Dolby TrueHD? I assume it will pass multichannel FLAC as 6/8-ch PCM

Matt,

if you want to post a small M/C flac file for me to dwnld somewhere I will test it and let you know.

Dave

[BLKMGK]

Chipset appears to be MCP7a according to this -> http://www.linux-tested.com/results/asus_p5n7a-vm.html I can tell you that I used a script to compile my ALSA too so I am not sure what compile options got thrown into it. Link to the tutorial is here -> http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=962695

I don't suppose there's a chance anyone has plans to update the XBMC Live image to add the latest ALSA and NVIDIA drivers? Pretty please?

[Geekzilla]

I don't suppose there's a chance anyone has plans to update the XBMC Live image to add the latest ALSA and NVIDIA drivers? Pretty please?

Is your sticking point on this using HDMI audio instead of spdif? This board is working great for me with the current Live with a few tweaks, albeit I am using spdif.

[Geekzilla]

Also, I noticed there is a setting in the bios to select hdmi audio or spdif audio. Have you fooled around with that yet?

[rodercot]

Is your sticking point on this using HDMI audio instead of spdif? This board is working great for me with the current Live with a few tweaks, albeit I am using spdif.

BLKMGK,

If you are using Live then I think the Kernel maybe your restriction with HDMI audio, reading through all the posts on the A/V forums they all talk about 2.6.27+ Kernel and we are using 2.6.24, which could pose a problem. BUT if Geekzilla has Spdif working that means that his aplay -l must be showing a digital device as well as an Analog, now if it is seeing the correct device is the next question.

Geekzilla can you post the output of your aplay -l please.

I am still not sure where they are putting that patch in to compile with. You cannot just drop the file into the alsa-driver directory so it would need to be saved as a patch.?

rgds,

Dave

[BLKMGK]

I am currently using an install of Ubuntu 8.1, I am attempting to get HDMI audio. This is being built as an "appliance" for a friend and to test how well a Celeron CPU can handle high bitrate 1080 content. If I could do this with a LiveCD I'd be thrilled but I am just as happy installing it.

aplay -l outputs this for me:

Code:

**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 0: ALC1200 Analog [ALC1200 Analog]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 1: ALC1200 Digital [ALC1200 Digital]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 3: NVIDIA HDMI [NVIDIA HDMI]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

Kernel info:
2.6.27-9-generic #1 SMP

NVIDIA driver is 177.80 per the NVIDIA applet.

Playback in the audio properties applet is set to Generic 10de NVIDIA MCP7a HDMI (OSS Mixer). Digital-1 and PCM-2 are unmuted, volume is up. Video playback is awful with dropped frames, likely due to bad video synch.

Ideas?

[rodercot]

I am currently using an install of Ubuntu 8.1, I am attempting to get HDMI audio. This is being built as an "appliance" for a friend and to test how well a Celeron CPU can handle high bitrate 1080 content. If I could do this with a LiveCD I'd be thrilled but I am just as happy installing it.

aplay -l outputs this for me:

Code:

**** List of PLAYBACK Hardware Devices ****
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 0: ALC1200 Analog [ALC1200 Analog]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 1: ALC1200 Digital [ALC1200 Digital]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: NVidia [HDA NVidia], device 3: NVIDIA HDMI [NVIDIA HDMI]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

Kernel info:
2.6.27-9-generic #1 SMP

NVIDIA driver is 177.80 per the NVIDIA applet.

Playback in the audio properties applet is set to Generic 10de NVIDIA MCP7a HDMI (OSS Mixer). Digital-1 and PCM-2 are unmuted, volume is up. Video playback is awful with dropped frames, likely due to bad video synch.

Ideas?

Well loooking at that output, I think if you were to upgrade your Video driver to 177.82 Minimal and switch the Bios to HDMI Output from Spdif, you just may get lucky, remember to change the defaults in XBMC to read hdmi and hdmi. Playing with the mixer changed nothing in my case other than master volume, I am not sure why your OSS Mixer is getting the HDMI if you change to alsa mixer what card does it show.

Dave