Laptop to Monitor via HDMI - What about audio

[sothwalker]

I want an external monitor and since my laptop has a hdmi port, I
thought I would use it. The monitor does not have speakers.

For audio I normally use bluetooth from the laptop to a bluetooth
enabled mp3 docking station.

Since hdmi normally carries audio, will I be able to use the bluetooth
to carry the audio once the monitor is in use.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

I want an external monitor and since my laptop has a hdmi port, I
thought I would use it. The monitor does not have speakers.

For audio I normally use bluetooth from the laptop to a bluetooth
enabled mp3 docking station.

Since hdmi normally carries audio, will I be able to use the bluetooth
to carry the audio once the monitor is in use.

Just set the audio default output to what you want.

On this computer, if I right click the speaker icon in the system tray
(notification area) I get a menu. Choosing Playback Devices (or Sounds)
brings up another menu that gives me the chance to send the audio where
I want it. It's on the Playback tab in that menu.

 

[sothwalker]

Just set the audio default output to what you want.

On this computer, if I right click the speaker icon in the system tray
(notification area) I get a menu. Choosing Playback Devices (or Sounds)
brings up another menu that gives me the chance to send the audio where
I want it. It's on the Playback tab in that menu.

OK, that I can do.

I have a geek friend who is an Apple lover and recently he was
complaining that for the longest his Apple product(s) would
automatically send the audio to the correct place, like an HDMI cable
for instance, but that now he has to specify where the audio can go.

So I called him and ribbed him a bit since if I had an older Apple I
would need something in addition to the HDMI cable to make the sound
work, like a DVI to HDMI connector I would guess.

Anyway, thanks for the help. Think I will now place my order.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

OK, that I can do.

I have a geek friend who is an Apple lover and recently he was
complaining that for the longest his Apple product(s) would
automatically send the audio to the correct place, like an HDMI cable
for instance, but that now he has to specify where the audio can go.

So I called him and ribbed him a bit since if I had an older Apple I
would need something in addition to the HDMI cable to make the sound
work, like a DVI to HDMI connector I would guess.

Anyway, thanks for the help. Think I will now place my order.

For moral support, I should have mentioned that I've been playing with a
cheap computer using the TV as a monitor, and I've been switching the
audio output back and forth at will, between HDMI to the TV and analog
audio to the receiver, using the above method. Easy enough, and hasn't
failed me yet (except when I forget where I last set it!).

 

[charlie]

For moral support, I should have mentioned that I've been playing with a
cheap computer using the TV as a monitor, and I've been switching the
audio output back and forth at will, between HDMI to the TV and analog
audio to the receiver, using the above method. Easy enough, and hasn't
failed me yet (except when I forget where I last set it!).

Audio on the desktop I habitually use has been somewhat of an irritant
for some time. The MBD has a variant Realtek sound chip, and that can be
problematic. Seems that the chip is actually compatible with "most of
the Realtek drivers. However, the installers don't automatically
recognize the chip properly. (Load the updated drivers into the old
install package, diddle the package a bit, etc.)

Next, I actually use the HDMI monitor speakers for convenience,
and each of the video cards has HDMI sound circuitry.

When video or logitech mouse/trackball/keyboard drivers are updated,
a frequent unintended result is disruption of the HDMI audio settings.

Absolute worse case solutions seem to involve mucking with the AMD video
driver control panel sound section, BIOS, the Realtek drivers,
and the usual Microsoft volume/mixer.

I'd say that every second or third video driver update can easily
trigger the difficulties as well.

Suppose that's what I get for continuing to use a a 2009 vintage desktop.

 

[Char Jackson]

When video or logitech mouse/trackball/keyboard drivers are updated,
a frequent unintended result is disruption of the HDMI audio settings.

Absolute worse case solutions seem to involve mucking with the AMD video
driver control panel sound section, BIOS, the Realtek drivers,
and the usual Microsoft volume/mixer.

I'd say that every second or third video driver update can easily
trigger the difficulties as well.

Suppose that's what I get for continuing to use a a 2009 vintage desktop.

Only 2009 and you've already updated the video driver package three
times? That's unusual. I would expect to do zero updates in that time
unless I was chasing a specific issue.

 

[BillW50]

Audio on the desktop I habitually use has been somewhat of an irritant
for some time. The MBD has a variant Realtek sound chip, and that can be
problematic. Seems that the chip is actually compatible with "most of
the Realtek drivers. However, the installers don't automatically
recognize the chip properly. (Load the updated drivers into the old
install package, diddle the package a bit, etc.)

The only Realtek I have is on five Asus EeePC netbooks. And the drivers
always installed perfectly and they always performed perfectly. That is
weird you had problems with them.

 

[Robin Bignall]

The only Realtek I have is on five Asus EeePC netbooks. And the drivers
always installed perfectly and they always performed perfectly. That is
weird you had problems with them.

They work all right for sound, but getting them to mate up with whatever
Dolby you have seems impossible, even downloading from the M/B
manufacturer's site. You can't see to be able to find a matching Dolby.

 

[BillW50]

They work all right for sound, but getting them to mate up with whatever
Dolby you have seems impossible, even downloading from the M/B
manufacturer's site. You can't see to be able to find a matching Dolby.

Dolby? There was Dolby FM for a brief time in the USA like in the mid
70's. Otherwise it has been heavily used on cassette tapes. I never
heard of any Dolby being used on computers. What is that all about?

 

[Robin Bignall]

Dolby? There was Dolby FM for a brief time in the USA like in the mid
70's. Otherwise it has been heavily used on cassette tapes. I never
heard of any Dolby being used on computers. What is that all about?

It's surround sound, supplied with my Gigabyte M/B. It got out of sync
when newer versions of Realtek drivers came along.

 

[BillW50]

It's surround sound, supplied with my Gigabyte M/B. It got out of sync
when newer versions of Realtek drivers came along.

Well I am a big believer in newer isn't always better. In many circles
they claim to always update your drivers. Not me, if a newer one is
problematic... go back to the one that work. I dunno, why are you not
using the older drivers for again?

My Alienware machines has surround sound (don't recall if those use
Realtek too). But I never used the surround feature from them. They do
sport outputs for front and read speakers though.

 

[Paul]

Well I am a big believer in newer isn't always better. In many circles
they claim to always update your drivers. Not me, if a newer one is
problematic... go back to the one that work. I dunno, why are you not
using the older drivers for again?

My Alienware machines has surround sound (don't recall if those use
Realtek too). But I never used the surround feature from them. They do
sport outputs for front and read speakers though.

This particular situation is special, because Dolby code is licensed, and
a company bundling the Dolby code, needs a way to track how many copies
are installed. The driver would consist of two portions, RealTek written
code (free), and Dolby code (licensed).

Normally, RealTek would bundle certain Dolby features, with certain
premium CODEC chip SKUs. And that means, in theory, there *should*
be some way for the driver installer to know, that the user has
(indirectly) paid for this feature, and is deserving of the
Dolby effects driver component.

It sounds like the handling of this issue has been botched, and the
only way to get the driver, is to use a synchronized driver bundle
from the manufacturer. It might mean that just one, and only one
driver version, will ever be offered.

If you update to some other Realtek driver, undoubtedly the
basic sound features would work, but the Dolby component could be
lost. It all depends on how well designed the SKU tracking system
is, so a deserving customer continues to receive the Dolby component.

If each chip had a unique ID, then the tracking would be quite
precise. It's when the "Dolby version" SKU is indistinguishable
at the hardware level, from the "non-Dolby version", that the
driver tracking issue arises, and Robin gets screwed out of a
feature. The inability to track SKUs, then means only one
driver is offered, the driver that came in the box with the
product.

The same thing has happened with other licensed software,
where the only copy you get comes on the CD in the box.
Any download versions later, you pay a fee to get them.
And it's all to "protect" the licensing fee issue. No manufacturer
wants to be paying a $10 million bill for licenses, only to
discover no counterbalancing revenue stream to pay for them.
That's the risk they run, by using such licensed features.
Failure to handle the issue properly, could wipe out all
the profits for that particular chip. And the thing is,
the ability to track the issue, costs money too. That's why
in this case, a half-assed job was done, to save money.

Paul

 

[charlie]

Only 2009 and you've already updated the video driver package three
times? That's unusual. I would expect to do zero updates in that time
unless I was chasing a specific issue.

The driver revs went from 8.something to the current 12.10, with 12.11
in beta. Most of the revs are driven by problems in games having very
high quality graphics and rapid animation. Both AMD and NVIDIA have gone
through a bunch of driver revs to "cure" the problems.