No audio from amp via laptop

[theboyfold]

Hi all

Got a bit of a strange issue which I need a little help with. I have a Yamaha DSP-AX763 setup which has been working fine with a Panasonic DMP-BD30 and Sky HD as the HDMI sources.

I've had no issues with these, however, I've no tried to connect my new laptop, it's a Dell Studio 1555 with a ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 on board card with an HDMI out.

Now my issue is that when I play the Dell through the amp I don't get any audio, the video works fine.
However, when I plug the laptop straight into the screen which is a Panasonic TH42PV500 I get sound and vision.

Any thoughts as to what could be the issues with the amp and the stream coming off the laptop?

[headcase]

Maybe the amp is looking at one of the optical/coaxial inputs for audio rather than the hdmi, you will proberbly be able to specify in the menu system where each input gets its audio from

Edited by headcase on Thursday 23 July 14:32

[theboyfold]

I've tried that, it's certainly looking at the HDMI. However, the issue seems to be that the amp thinks it's a DVI source, rather than an HDMI source, so it doesn't look for any audio.

I've done some searching around the issue (up until 2am last night fighting it) and it turns out I've managed to buy an amp and laptop combo that won't work together!

[headcase]

Is there anyway of changing the audio output type on the laptop? From PCM to MPEG or something like that?

[theboyfold]

I can get it to route via the HDMI and it will play it if I connect straight to the TV, however the issue seems to be with the amp. For some reason it can't see the audio stream on the HDMI.

[headcase]

Yes i understand that, in your laptop HDMI audio setting is there an option to change it at all, from PCM-MPEG for example

[theboyfold]

Not that I can see with the driver, I've installed the AC3Filter and that has options to playout in different PCM bit rates, and it can set the SPDIF passthrough to AC3, DTS or MPEG Audio.

However my laptop doesn't have a SPDIF port, only an HDMI.

[headcase]

Yeh, it does look like an incompatibility issue, if you have a headphone socket you could use that although not really a fix more of a bodge

The only other thing that comes to mind is that possibly the amp ignores 2 channel sound from the HDMI inputs. (just the rambling of my mind as im not to familiar with that particular amp)

Your sky HD box i presume has the hdmi connected to the amp and an optical also for the audio?

For testing purposes try removing the optical and re mapping the audio back to the HDMI input so that you only get 2 channel sound from sky, then when that is working fine unplug the sky hdmi and try your pc hdmi in the same socket and see what happens.

Then set up sky properly but using the other HDMI input on the amp, that way you can take the amp out of the equation, if you know that both inputs on the amp work properly with sky then it is a laptop issue more than anything else.

Other than that im all out of ideas :P

[theboyfold]

Sky has always been connected via an HDMI, and I'm 99% sure the audio goes through that as well (so all this time I've might have been living with 2 channel audio...).

I'll double check once I'm home and stick in a new optical cable if there isn't one in already.

[headcase]

Sky only outputs 2 channel audio via its HDMI, for 5.1 you have to use an optical also. Well if i havent helped with the laptop problem at least it brought that to your attention

Edited by headcase on Friday 24th July 18:49

[theboyfold]

headcase said:

Sky only outputs 2 channel audio via its HDMI, for 5.1 you have to use an optical also. Well if i havent helped with the laptop problem at least it brought that to your attention

Edited by headcase on Friday 24th July 18:49

Indeed! My life will be better from this point onwards

[theboyfold]

Got it working, just needed the simple fix of rolling back to XP from Vista! Still not plugged in the optical cable from SKY HD though.

Thanks for your help.

[headcase]

Id hardly call that a simple fix :P, wouldnt upgrading the vista drivers been easier

[theboyfold]

Believe me I tried with the drivers and nothing worked. Installed XP and hey presto almost straight out of the box. Anyway, I needed to install XP as it's needed for certain software I have to run for my freelance work.