Stereo Audio with 5.1 Profile Selected

[wunderBarr]

Has anyone else run into issues with their Steam Decks not outputting 5.1 through the dock even with the option set in the audio settings?

I have my Steam Deck set to output to HDMI with the 5.1 profile selected, but my receiver still indicates it's only receiving a Stereo signal. I'm connected through eARC on my TV. Plugging my PS5 into the same port on the tv has the receiver showing a 5.1 input as expected.

Receiver: YAMAHA RX-V385
TV: LG C1 OLED65C1PUB

[wunderBarr]

For anyone who stumbles across this I found a solution: for some reason the TV was not passing through all the channels, whether that's because it's deciding to use eARC or not i'm not sure (all options for eARC are enabled). To resolve this under the Advanced Sound Options menu in the LG Sound System section make sure that the Digital Sound Output is set to "Pass Through".

[Barnwell]

I struggled with this for a while as well. I have an LG CX, and what fixed it for me was actually just turning earc off and on again. (Already had it set to pass through)

[deaddoof]

Originally posted by Barnwell:

I struggled with this for a while as well. I have an LG CX, and what fixed it for me was actually just turning earc off and on again. (Already had it set to pass through)

wpctl status

Open konsole in game mode and run this command. It should tell you the default setup

[HappySpaceInvader]

I can’t get this to work on LG CX even after toggling eARC and pass through.

I did have it briefly working a few days ago, but I think that was a fluke after switching everything off, disconnecting all cables, and then reconnecting and powering on.

I just connected the Steam Deck directly to an HDMI port on the TV, and still cannot get anything other than Stereo.

I think the simple fact is the Dock is buggy.

[deaddoof]

Originally posted by HappySpaceInvader:

I think the simple fact is the Dock is buggy.

Nope. HDMi is buggy. The TV is pretty much decided that the deck signals are invalid and refuse to display anything.

https://hackaday.com/2023/07/11/displayport-a-better-video-interface/

HDMI is design to fail if you sneeze at it aka making your cool setup works. You tried to make a cool setup work, but you end up sneezing at HDMi.

Content owners believe they can own a feed to your TV. Yep, they succeeded and now we all experience black screen.

DRM is all about taking away your rights as consumers. Now, they can pretend the deck is buggy when the whole standard sucks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_rights_management

The whole mafia hate reliability and drawn first blood.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/02/hdmi-forum-to-amd-no-you-cant-make-an-open-source-hdmi-2-1-driver/

[HappySpaceInvader]

Originally posted by deaddoof:

Nope. HDMi is buggy. The TV is pretty much decided that the deck signals are invalid and refuse to display anything.

My TV and Atmos amp have no problems with any other devices (AppleTV, PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, nVidia Shield TV Pro). They all connect and produce their respective surround sound audio via HDMI with 100% reliability.

Before the latest Dock update, I could only get my Steam Deck to produce a picture by disconnecting the power cable from the Dock first. And I was reliably getting 7.1 surround sound.

This latest update seems to have fixed that and added some HDMI-CEC, but now will not recognise the Steam Deck as anything other than a 2.0 stereo device.

So in this case, it’s clearly the Steam Deck that has the problem.

[HappySpaceInvader]

I have managed to get it working, albeit with the most inconvenient workaround.

I disconnect the dock from power for 30 seconds and reboot the undocked Steam Deck into Desktop mode.

Then I connect the power to the Dock and the Dock to the Steam Deck. At this point, the audio test in Desktop mode confirms I have 7.1 audio (displays on my amp as “Linear PCM 7.1 3/4.1 48kHz”).

Then I restart into game mode and I still have 7.1 surround sound, and this lasts until I put the Steam Deck into sleep mode restart the Steam Deck or disconnect it from the Dock and reconnect it. At that point I’m back to Stereo 2.0 and have to repeat the above procedure.

[deaddoof]

Originally posted by HappySpaceInvader:

Originally posted by deaddoof:

Nope. HDMi is buggy. The TV is pretty much decided that the deck signals are invalid and refuse to display anything.

My TV and Atmos amp have no problems with any other devices (AppleTV, PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, nVidia Shield TV Pro). They all connect and produce their respective surround sound audio via HDMI with 100% reliability.

Before the latest Dock update, I could only get my Steam Deck to produce a picture by disconnecting the power cable from the Dock first. And I was reliably getting 7.1 surround sound.

This latest update seems to have fixed that and added some HDMI-CEC, but now will not recognise the Steam Deck as anything other than a 2.0 stereo device.

So in this case, it’s clearly the Steam Deck that has the problem.

You do realize you have to have big enough marketshare for TV to care about your use cases. You listed multi billion dollar companies who are known members of the hdmi mafia.

You are saying for HDMI to work. You need to be an active member who are destroying consumer tech rights and TV vendors will write workarounds for your consumer device.

Sounds about the right. The answer is always politics.

[HappySpaceInvader]

Originally posted by deaddoof:

You do realize you have to have big enough marketshare for TV to care about your use cases. You listed multi billion dollar companies who are known members of the hdmi mafia.

You are saying for HDMI to work. You need to be an active member who are destroying consumer tech rights and TV vendors will write workarounds for your consumer device.

Sounds about the right. The answer is always politics.

Good grief… we seem to be well into “tin foil hat” territory now!

I don’t buy your conspiracy theory, partly because Valve have a net worth of $7.7 billion (and therefore a multi-billion company), partly because I have other devices from far lesser companies than Valve that have no HDMI issues, and partly because it seems an all-too-common (and suspiciously convenient) trend to blame all your failings on some conspiracy run by an elite cabal.

In fact it feels very similar to the console wars of days gone by, which I honestly thought we’d all grown out of.

[deaddoof]

Originally posted by HappySpaceInvader:

Good grief… we seem to be well into “tin foil hat” territory now!

I don’t buy your conspiracy theory, partly because Valve have a net worth of $7.7 billion (and therefore a multi-billion company), partly because I have other devices from far lesser companies than Valve that have no HDMI issues, and partly because it seems an all-too-common (and suspiciously convenient) trend to blame all your failings on some conspiracy run by an elite cabal.

In fact it feels very similar to the console wars of days gone by, which I honestly thought we’d all grown out of.

When a standard is made as difficult as they can be, the trade group is known to be anti consumer jerks. You do not need a tin foil hat. Those vendors do not care whether they pass bugs down to the consumer. As proof, none of them are willing to show their code.

In fact, one of them is sued for GPL violations.

https://fossa.com/blog/massive-implications-software-freedom-conservancy-vs-vizio/

You have to prove that your code do not suck. You do not deserve to exist on default.

Even if I do have a tin foil hat, I have the right to see why the code is utter ♥♥♥♥ as a consumer.

In fact it feels very similar to the console wars of days gone by, which I honestly thought we’d all grown out of.

Ahh. Console wars. Choosing two closed platforms..... Yea. I grew out of it and demand freedom from day one. HDMI will not give freedom at all.