Vero 4K: No HDMI audio after 2022-03-1 update

ticktack · 26 March 2022 14:05

Hello everyone,
I would appreciate help with missing audio after update.

Device: Vero 4k

I did a (long overdue) update from version 2020-11 to latest “OSMC March 2022 2022-03-1” (Kodi 19.4.). Took so long becaue it stopped offering updates and I had to do it using the hotfix.
After bit of problems (the update patch, some migration of addons), I got it all working.

However, I NO LONGER HAVE SOUND player through HDMI on any videos.

I have been happily using Vero 4k for years using HDMI audio output to TV.
After the latest update there is no audio at all.

What I tried:

many reboots
reset audio in System → Audio
disconnect & reconnect cable
toggle audio Passthrough

What is weird I can no longer see all the Expert mode options I saw (downmix, etc.).

Audio output device in Kodi Settings → Audio does not show HDMI. I can only see

Playback/recording through the PulseAudio sound server
PluseAudio Sound Server

I believe it is something with ALSA, but it is way above my knowledge…

I can see it complaining about unable to work with the HDMI…
I can see these in debug long:

2022-03-26 14:37:56.301 T:2758     INFO <general>: CAESinkALSA::EnumerateDevice - device default description 
2022-03-26 14:37:56.346 T:2758     INFO <general>: CAESinkALSA - Unable to open device "btaudio" for playback
2022-03-26 14:37:56.361 T:2758     INFO <general>: CAESinkALSA - Unable to open device "jack" for playback
2022-03-26 14:37:56.363 T:2758     INFO <general>: CAESinkALSA::EnumerateDevice - device pulse description PulseAudio Sound Server
2022-03-26 14:37:56.368 T:2758     INFO <general>: CAESinkALSA::EnumerateDevice - device hdmi:CARD=AMLMESONAUDIO,DEV=0 description AML-MESONAUDIO, 
                                                   HDMI Audio Output
2022-03-26 14:37:56.369 T:2758    DEBUG <general>: CAESinkALSA - Unable to obtain ELD information for device "hdmi:CARD=AMLMESONAUDIO,DEV=0" (not supported by device, or kernel older than 3.2)
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>: CAESinkALSA - Unable to open device "usbstream:CARD=AMLMESONAUDIO" for playback
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>: Found 1 Lists of Devices
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>: Enumerated ALSA devices:
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>:     Device 1
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_deviceName      : default
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_displayName     : Playback/recording through the PulseAudio sound server
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_displayNameExtra: 
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_deviceType      : AE_DEVTYPE_PCM
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_channels        : FL, FR, BL, BR, FC, LFE, SL, SR, UNKNOWN1, UNKNOWN2, UNKNOWN3, UNKNOWN4, UNKNOWN5, UNKNOWN6, UNKNOWN7, UNKNOWN8
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_sampleRates     : 5512,8000,11025,16000,22050,32000,44100,48000,64000,88200,96000,176400,192000,384000
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_dataFormats     : AE_FMT_FLOAT,AE_FMT_S24NE3,AE_FMT_S24NE4,AE_FMT_S32NE,AE_FMT_S16NE,AE_FMT_S16LE,AE_FMT_S16BE,AE_FMT_U8
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_streamTypes     : No passthrough capabilities
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>:     Device 2
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_deviceName      : pulse
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_displayName     : PulseAudio Sound Server
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_displayNameExtra: 
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_deviceType      : AE_DEVTYPE_PCM
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_channels        : FL, FR, BL, BR, FC, LFE, SL, SR, UNKNOWN1, UNKNOWN2, UNKNOWN3, UNKNOWN4, UNKNOWN5, UNKNOWN6, UNKNOWN7, UNKNOWN8
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_sampleRates     : 5512,8000,11025,16000,22050,32000,44100,48000,64000,88200,96000,176400,192000,384000
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_dataFormats     : AE_FMT_FLOAT,AE_FMT_S24NE3,AE_FMT_S24NE4,AE_FMT_S32NE,AE_FMT_S16NE,AE_FMT_S16LE,AE_FMT_S16BE,AE_FMT_U8
2022-03-26 14:37:56.372 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_streamTypes     : No passthrough capabilities
2022-03-26 14:37:56.373 T:2758     INFO <general>:     Device 3
2022-03-26 14:37:56.373 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_deviceName      : hdmi:CARD=AMLMESONAUDIO,DEV=0
2022-03-26 14:37:56.373 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_displayName     : AML-MESONAUDIO
2022-03-26 14:37:56.373 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_displayNameExtra: HDMI
2022-03-26 14:37:56.373 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_deviceType      : AE_DEVTYPE_HDMI
2022-03-26 14:37:56.373 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_channels        : FL, FR, BL, BR, FC, LFE, SL, SR
2022-03-26 14:37:56.373 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_sampleRates     : 32000,44100,48000,88200,96000,176400,192000
2022-03-26 14:37:56.373 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_dataFormats     : AE_FMT_S16NE,AE_FMT_S16LE,AE_FMT_RAW
2022-03-26 14:37:56.373 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_streamTypes     : STREAM_TYPE_AC3,STREAM_TYPE_DTSHD,STREAM_TYPE_DTSHD_MA,STREAM_TYPE_DTSHD_CORE,STREAM_TYPE_DTS_1024,STREAM_TYPE_DTS_2048,STREAM_TYPE_DTS_512,STREAM_TYPE_EAC3,STREAM_TYPE_TRUEHD
2022-03-26 14:37:56.373 T:2759     INFO <general>: CActiveAESink::OpenSink - initialize sink
2022-03-26 14:37:56.373 T:2759    DEBUG <general>: CActiveAESink::OpenSink - trying to open device ALSA:pulse
2022-03-26 14:37:56.373 T:2759     INFO <general>: CAESinkALSA::Initialize - Requested layout: FL, FR
2022-03-26 14:37:56.373 T:2759     INFO <general>: CAESinkALSA::Initialize - set digital_codec 0
2022-03-26 14:37:56.373 T:2759    DEBUG <general>: CAESinkALSA::Initialize -- unmuting HDMI
2022-03-26 14:37:56.373 T:2759     INFO <general>: CAESinkALSA::Initialize - Attempting to open device "pulse"
2022-03-26 14:37:56.377 T:2759     INFO <general>: CAESinkALSA::Initialize - Opened device "pulse"
2022-03-26 14:37:56.379 T:2759    DEBUG <general>: CAESinkALSA::InitializeHW - Request: periodSize 2048, bufferSize 8192
2022-03-26 14:37:56.420 T:2759    DEBUG <general>: CAESinkALSA::InitializeHW - Got: periodSize 2048, bufferSize 8192
2022-03-26 14:37:56.420 T:2759    DEBUG <general>: CAESinkALSA::InitializeHW - Setting timeout to 186 ms
2022-03-26 14:37:56.420 T:2759     INFO <general>: CAESinkALSA::Initialize - speaker layout 0
2022-03-26 14:37:56.423 T:2759    DEBUG <general>: CAESinkALSA::GetChannelLayout - Input Channel Count: 2 Output Channel Count: 2
2022-03-26 14:37:56.423 T:2759    DEBUG <general>: CAESinkALSA::GetChannelLayout - Requested Layout: FL, FR
2022-03-26 14:37:56.423 T:2759    DEBUG <general>: CAESinkALSA::GetChannelLayout - Got Layout: FL, FR (ALSA: none) (CEA: 0)
2022-03-26 14:37:56.423 T:2759    DEBUG <general>: CActiveAESink::OpenSink - ALSA Initialized:
2022-03-26 14:37:56.423 T:2759    DEBUG <general>:   Output Device : PulseAudio Sound Server
2022-03-26 14:37:56.423 T:2759    DEBUG <general>:   Sample Rate   : 44100
2022-03-26 14:37:56.423 T:2759    DEBUG <general>:   Sample Format : AE_FMT_FLOAT
2022-03-26 14:37:56.424 T:2759    DEBUG <general>:   Channel Count : 2
2022-03-26 14:37:56.424 T:2759    DEBUG <general>:   Channel Layout: FL, FR
2022-03-26 14:37:56.424 T:2759    DEBUG <general>:   Frames        : 2048
2022-03-26 14:37:56.424 T:2759    DEBUG <general>:   Frame Size    : 8

and later this when I start playback

2022-03-26 14:37:56.925 T:2758     INFO <general>: CAESinkALSA - Unable to open device "btaudio" for playback
2022-03-26 14:37:56.932 T:2758     INFO <general>: CAESinkALSA - Unable to open device "jack" for playback
2022-03-26 14:37:56.935 T:2758     INFO <general>: CAESinkALSA::EnumerateDevice - device pulse description PulseAudio Sound Server
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>: CAESinkALSA - Unable to open device "hdmi:CARD=AMLMESONAUDIO,DEV=0" for playback
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>: CAESinkALSA - Unable to open device "usbstream:CARD=AMLMESONAUDIO" for playback
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>: Found 1 Lists of Devices
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>: Enumerated ALSA devices:
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>:     Device 1
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_deviceName      : default
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_displayName     : Playback/recording through the PulseAudio sound server
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_displayNameExtra: 
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_deviceType      : AE_DEVTYPE_PCM
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_channels        : FL, FR, BL, BR, FC, LFE, SL, SR, UNKNOWN1, UNKNOWN2, UNKNOWN3, UNKNOWN4, UNKNOWN5, UNKNOWN6, UNKNOWN7, UNKNOWN8
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_sampleRates     : 5512,8000,11025,16000,22050,32000,44100,48000,64000,88200,96000,176400,192000,384000
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_dataFormats     : AE_FMT_FLOAT,AE_FMT_S24NE3,AE_FMT_S24NE4,AE_FMT_S32NE,AE_FMT_S16NE,AE_FMT_S16LE,AE_FMT_S16BE,AE_FMT_U8
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_streamTypes     : No passthrough capabilities
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>:     Device 2
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_deviceName      : pulse
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_displayName     : PulseAudio Sound Server
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_displayNameExtra: 
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_deviceType      : AE_DEVTYPE_PCM
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_channels        : FL, FR, BL, BR, FC, LFE, SL, SR, UNKNOWN1, UNKNOWN2, UNKNOWN3, UNKNOWN4, UNKNOWN5, UNKNOWN6, UNKNOWN7, UNKNOWN8
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_sampleRates     : 5512,8000,11025,16000,22050,32000,44100,48000,64000,88200,96000,176400,192000,384000
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_dataFormats     : AE_FMT_FLOAT,AE_FMT_S24NE3,AE_FMT_S24NE4,AE_FMT_S32NE,AE_FMT_S16NE,AE_FMT_S16LE,AE_FMT_S16BE,AE_FMT_U8
2022-03-26 14:37:56.940 T:2758     INFO <general>:         m_streamTypes     : No passthrough capabilities

Tom_Doyle · 26 March 2022 14:58

Hi,

Need full debug logs, details below:

To get a better understanding of the problem you are experiencing we need more information from you. The best way to get this information is for you to upload logs that demonstrate your problem. You can learn more about how to submit a useful support request here.

Depending on the used skin you have to set the settings-level to standard or higher, in summary:

enable debug logging at settings->system->logging
reboot the OSMC device twice(!)
reproduce the issue
upload the log set (all configs and logs!) either using the Log Uploader method within the My OSMC menu in the GUI or the ssh method invoking command grab-logs -A
publish the provided URL from the log set upload, here

Thanks for your understanding. We hope that we can help you get up and running again shortly.

OSMC skin screenshot:

grahamh · 26 March 2022 15:22

Get rid of pulseaudio. It doesn’t work with the latest releases. If you need bluetooth audio, see here.

ticktack · 26 March 2022 16:42

@Tom_Doyle Thank you for reply.

I have uploaded logs here: https://paste.osmc.tv/raw/aricavohak
Hope it helps to resolve my problem.

I hope you don’t mind I redacted the file (see below)

As a side nide, please let express my concern about this process.
I believe you should not require such a detailed log as a first instance of debugging.

grab-logs -A is quite a privacy and security threat for your users. If anyone just blindly executes it… If I did not manually check the file content first, my MySQL server and password would just get “silently stolen” by the script without me ever knowing…

Looking aside from fact it contains server addresses, filenames etc… which can already be private
It contains advancedsettings.xml as plain text. That means it LEAKS PASSWORD IN PLAIN TEXT
- E.g. if anyone has MySQL configured in there, this process would make it public without users even knowing

ticktack · 26 March 2022 16:43

@grahamh Thank you for your answer. I don’t think that is a problem, I don’t really need Bluetooth.

I have used it in the past for headphones. But trying to follow your advice, it tells me it is not even installed…

osmc@vero4k:~$ sudo dpkg -r armv7-bluez-alsa-app-osmc
dpkg: warning: ignoring request to remove armv7-bluez-alsa-app-osmc which isn't installed
osmc@vero4k:~$ sudo dpkg -r armv7-bluez-alsa-osmc
dpkg: warning: ignoring request to remove armv7-bluez-alsa-osmc which isn't installed

bmillham · 26 March 2022 17:01

From your logs:

Start-Date: 2018-08-17  20:50:34
Commandline: /usr/bin/apt-get-real install a2dp-app-osmc

Try removing that.

EDIT:
To remove do not use apt-get-real! Just use apt as in:

apt remove a2dp-app-osmc

grahamh · 26 March 2022 17:01

I only mentioned BT because that’s the only case where OSMC has used pulseaudio. Did you remove pulseaudio? (after uploading your logs)

grahamh · 26 March 2022 17:10

I thought we had a sanitiser in grab-logs. We’ll check that. Having said that, I’m not sure whether users would be compromised by revealing access credentials which apply only within their sub-net firewall. But I’m no expert.

ActionA · 26 March 2022 17:45

They wouldn’t.

ticktack · 26 March 2022 17:54

I thought we had a sanitiser in grab-logs.

Could be possible, I didn’t dig that deep. The temporary file (resoult of the command with -C) uploadlogs.txt is not redacted.
If you redact the file before upload, then I guess all good.

I’m not sure whether users would be compromised by revealing access credentials which apply only within their sub-net firewall.

Although unlikely, I believe it is possible to use non-private-subnet MySQL and just any address, even public one.

Anyway, just wanted to raise it, maybe you guys have it covered.
You are doing great job with OSMC, please don’t let my curiosity be an issue here

bmillham · 26 March 2022 18:00

Yes it is possible, but not recommended as MySQL isn’t really that secure over a public network. The most secure way would be to have the public MySQL only respond to local requests and use an SSH tunnel to create a secure port to connect to the MySQL server. That’s how I do it and it works great and is just as secure as SSH. With that method, even if someone got your MySQL password it would be useless unless they also had local access to the MySQL server.

ticktack · 26 March 2022 18:05

Thank you @bmillham, that was it.
And thank you everyone for a prompt response, you guys are amazing!

apt-get-real remove a2dp-app-osmc

did the trick.

Thank you anyone involved with OSMC.
Vero 4K has been amazing ever since it was introduced and I got my hands on it early on…

bmillham · 26 March 2022 18:08

Glad I was able to help. I should have been a little more clear about the command. We don’t recommend using apt-get-real. Just use apt or apt-get. They are a custom wrapper for apt to prevent people from doing an upgrade instead of dist-upgrade.

I updated my original post to reflect that.