2011-02-13, 17:31
Hi all - I just started using XBMC and was experiencing the "Audio Device Failed to Initialize" error that some others seem to be having. After not finding any documented successes here, I tried a few things myself and resolved the issue, so thought I'd post it for future search treasure.
Disclaimer: This was the solution to my issue, hopefully it works for you, but your mileage may vary! This particular box is Win Vista, so the specific menu names/routes may be different if you're using XP, 7, 3.1, 95, ME or NT
I'm also assuming that your audio works correctly outside of XBMC.
My setup:
Problem:
When attempting to play movies I would get the dreaded 'audio device failed to initialize' pop-up; no sound unless I switched the audio output setting in XBMC to analog.
My solution:
So why did that work for me? I've got no empirical evidence, but I suspect that the XBMC modules that engage the audio output system may not support or recognize a sample rate > 48KHz, or the codec has an issue being addressed as such.
Anyhow, I hope this helps you!
Greg B.
Disclaimer: This was the solution to my issue, hopefully it works for you, but your mileage may vary! This particular box is Win Vista, so the specific menu names/routes may be different if you're using XP, 7, 3.1, 95, ME or NT
I'm also assuming that your audio works correctly outside of XBMC.My setup:
- Win Vista x64
- XBMC 10.0
- VIA HD audio chipset/codec (although this shouldn't matter)
- Optical output from computer to optical input of receiver
- Receiver is both DTS and Dolby Digital capable
Problem:
When attempting to play movies I would get the dreaded 'audio device failed to initialize' pop-up; no sound unless I switched the audio output setting in XBMC to analog.
My solution:
- Control panel -> manage audio devices -> select the primary output device (in my case SPDIF Interface TX1) and click properties
- Chose 'supported formats' tab
- If you've got 'DTS Audio' and 'Dolby Audio' choices, check both (assuming your codec and receiver support them), although I don't believe this is actually part of the solution...
- Under the 'Sample Rates' section, check off all the boxes your receiver supports. I know mine supports all up to 96KHz. I had only 96KHz checked making a likely false assumption that the codec would push everything at that sample rate (and I like to pretend I have dog-like super hearing). Once I selected the lower sample rates, my problems went away!
So why did that work for me? I've got no empirical evidence, but I suspect that the XBMC modules that engage the audio output system may not support or recognize a sample rate > 48KHz, or the codec has an issue being addressed as such.
Anyhow, I hope this helps you!
Greg B.
