ALSA and Totem

As a temporary fix can you run System Monitor and kill ESD? I will get back to you with a full explanation in one second.

Also, as perhaps a permanent fix, go into Synaptic and try installing or reinstalling the gstreamer pulse-audio plugin. For you, it's totem-gstreamer. Sometimes reinstalling gstreamer fixes this problem completely for most users.

While we're at it, since I've had this problem to, I want to make sure your entire system is recognizing your sound preferences as default throughout (including Totem). Follow these steps to ensure this:

While in Synaptic install:
asoundconf-gtk

After all of your installs are done go to:
SYSTEM > PREFERENCES > DEFAULT SOUND

Ensure your default device is selected and hit okay.

This is the easiest way to ensure your default sound device is being used system wide. It does require a reboot.

After the reboot ensure SYSTEM > PREFERENCES > SOUND all work (specially the mixer) by using "TEST," etc. It seems you already know how to do this. Also ensure the speaker icon (right click on it, go to preferences/mixer) are all correct and no channels are muted.

Sorry, I don't see any ESD at the System Monitor...

Then I've forgotten to mention that I installed totem-xine version. And why have you suggested to use "asoundconf-gtk"? All that I can see that that is a network device. By the way it doesn't see any IEC958.

Now I will try to reboot the system.

I have mistaken, asoundconf-gtk give the following message:

"You need to make sure asoundconf is active!
By default, asoundconf's configuration file is ~/.asoundrc.asoundconf
and must be included in ~/.asoundrc. Open this file to make sure it is!"

How can I activate it?

Please make sure the alsa-base package is installed (again from Synaptic or using apt-get from terminal).

Then run asoundconf-gtk again.

Please see this post for details: http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-574145.html

Alsa-base is installed (had been installed long ago).

I should explain one more time, all the sound applications have been working properly (according to "~/.asoundrc") . I have been exeperimenting with video applications and something went wrong. I'm trying to know how Totem accesses sound interface.

I guess some application blocks an access to ALSA.

And if you have "~/.asoundrc.asoundconf" could you give an example of this file?

And could you give an exaple of "~/.asoundrc" where so called "asoundconf activation" is placed?

Thank you, Craig!

Finally, I have solved the problem.

1. I remove my file ".asoundrc".
2. Rebooted the comp.
3. Ran asoundconf-gtk. Made ALSA a default output.
4. Placed ".asoundrc" to the ~/ with the </my home directory/.asoundrc.asoundconf> as the first line in it.
5. Rebooted again.

That's all! Totem now outputs to ALSA.

I'm glad everything is working fine.

I'm sorry, I've never come across a problem with .asoundrc not working. Usually it just takes re-installing alsa-base or alsa-base not existing in the first place.

.asoundrc comes into existence (is installed) ;) when alsa-base is installed.

I'm glad everything is working for you!

Cheers,

Craig

So, it looks like .asoundrc was generated by asoundconf. You just had to remove whatever was hanging around first (the current .asoundrc). Run asoundconf-gtk to generate the new system defaults, and bam. Sound :)

Glad to have helped a little bit. :-)

Enjoy the sound waves! hehe

A small detail, that .asoundrc I wrote by myself...

And another small detail, after the .asoundrc tuning the sound became delightful. |-)

Where was the data/lines for the new .asoundrc from? Just for future reference ;)

That is NOT a NEW .asoundrc. It is two years old at least.

I don't remember the exact place where I found the idea, but you can look into http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Asoundrc.

Nothing too difficult.

The only thing I don't know how one could make PC output to two diferent devices.

Hi, Craig! I finally dig it!

After I had installed a new 9.04 Ubuntu version I lost an SPDIF again. And I began digging. And now I could write the following.

The only thing you should do to make Totem output to SPDIF is to edit a line "# string, default: auto" with "string, default: alsa" and uncomment it. This line is in ~/.config/totem/xine_config. The exact place of the file depends on a Linux version.

And I wrote a small .asoundrc:

pcm.!default {
type hw
card 0 # this is an ALSA card number (your card may have another)
device 2 # this is an SPDIF output number (your card may have another)
}

ctl.!default {
type hw
card 0
device 2
}

That case asoundconf-gtk is not usefull, really it doesn't work at all.

The only thing I didn't dig how one could switch GNOME alsa mixer gtk on, it's only a decoration at this moment.