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Maxxarcade · 2019-11-03, 01:06

Today I tried the latest versions of Kodi and Ubuntu on my HTPC, and for some reason the passthrough function just gives static noise now. My receiver just says PCM, instead of Atmos/Dolby HD etc.

I put the drive with my previous OS on it (Ubuntu 19.04/Kodi 18.3) back in the system and compared all the settings both in the OS and in Kodi, and I can't find anything wrong. Has anything changed in the newer kernel or in Kodi that might have affected it?

When launching Kodi on either system, I use the command "KODI_AE_SINK=ALSA kodi". Both systems are minimal install, with just Pavucontrol and Kodi (added via PPA).

The system is a Ryzen 2400G, using HDMI to connect to the AV preamp. Perhaps there was a driver update that broke the bit-perfect passthrough?

**Klojum** · 2019-11-03, 01:12

(2019-11-03, 01:06)Maxxarcade Wrote: Perhaps there was a driver update

Ryzen works best with the very latest Linux kernels and very latest Mesa drivers.
How updated are those two on your setup?

Maxxarcade · 2019-11-03, 01:25

(2019-11-03, 01:12)Klojum Wrote:
(2019-11-03, 01:06)Maxxarcade Wrote: Perhaps there was a driver update
Ryzen works best with the very latest Linux kernels and very latest Mesa drivers.
How updated are those two on your setup?

It was just a fresh/stock install of Ubuntu 19.10, so it was whatever kernel and Mesa version that shipped with that.

Maybe tomorrow I can try the latest Kodi on Ubuntu 18.04 to see if the problem follows the OS.

Audio in Linux is still a big headache it seems, at least when trying to use passthrough. Things like Firefox need Pulseaudio, and Kodi needs ALSA for passthrough.

**Klojum** · 2019-11-03, 01:46

Not sure if a stock 18.04 is going to do better...

There are ways to update the kernel and mesa separately in Ubuntu.
Otherwise you may have to wait a while for specific fixes and whatnot.

Maxxarcade · 2019-11-03, 02:02

(2019-11-03, 01:46)Klojum Wrote: Not sure if a stock 18.04 is going to do better...

There are ways to update the kernel and mesa separately in Ubuntu.
Otherwise you may have to wait a while for specific fixes and whatnot.

Oops I meant 19.04 LOL. That's what I was using previously, and everything was working. Luckily I used a different SSD when I tried 19.10.

Preacher · 2019-11-03, 11:27

(2019-11-03, 01:06)Maxxarcade Wrote: Today I tried the latest versions of Kodi and Ubuntu on my HTPC,

You do know "latest" isn't a version, right?

Giving numbers could help distinguish exactly what version you're using for comparisons.

Maxxarcade · 2019-11-03, 14:20

(2019-11-03, 11:27)Preacher Wrote:
(2019-11-03, 01:06)Maxxarcade Wrote: Today I tried the latest versions of Kodi and Ubuntu on my HTPC,
You do know "latest" isn't a version, right?

Giving numbers could help distinguish exactly what version you're using for comparisons.

Ya, I forget that posts get old and "current versions" don't mean much at that point.

Upon further testing, I found that if I turn off "adjust display refresh rate" and restart Kodi, passthrough works fine. Normally I have it set to adjust on start/stop so that I can watch movies at 24Hz. On Ubuntu 19.04, this worked fine, but on 19.10 it seems to break the passthrough for some reason.