Score:0

Settings > Sound > Output > S/PDIF shows only stereo, despite being plugged into a 5.1 device

tj flag

I plugged an S/PDIF cable from my Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H-BK motherboard (Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790K processor) to a Denon AVR-S500BT. I get sound out of the 2 right and 2 left speakers, but it's just stereo. The System sound settings detects it as just stereo. How do I even tell which part of the chain of stuff is making it stereo and not 5.1?

Score:0
tj flag

My monitor is DVI, so I:

  1. Bought an HDMI to DVI converter
  2. Shut Down
  3. Unplugged the DVI cable and S/PDIF cable
  4. Plugged the HDMI to the amp, then the converter from the amp to the monitor.
  5. Restarted
  6. The Ubuntu Sound Settings now allowed me to select 5.1, which I did
  7. Everything worked perfectly!

IMPORTANT: Ubuntu 22.04 doesn't detect changes in my audio equipment on the fly. I MUST have the tuner/amplifier ON while booting for it to be detected. Merely logging out and logging back in again is not sufficient. It would be nice if having the Sound Settings open would ping available hardware every few seconds for changes, or have a "refresh" button.

I think because S/PDIF is compressed and HDMI is raw, someone may have taken extra time with the HDMI drivers or something. IDK.

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