ARMX6 sound/HDMI

I’ve had problems with the HDMI and sound output on my iMX6.
The problems stem from a “corrupt” EDID file on my monitor, which it seems is caused by last minute changes to it without the manufacturer updating the checksum.
So the file isn’t actually corrupt.
I was getting quite frustrated not being able to try this, so I thought I’d buy a HDMI splitter.
The splitter I bought has both optical and analogue outputs – at the moment I’ve only got an analogue setup.
Anyway, it’s fixed the problem of it not seeing the monitor properly – so now it reads and interprets the EDID correctly and the sound comes through the HDMI socket.
If anyone else is having this problem, this is a great solution – the one I got was around 20 quid.
The sound through HDMI – even converting to analogue (I’m assuming for 20 quid I’m not getting perfect translation) is breathtaking – just need a detached house now!
Also I get the “proper” modes for the monitor too.

You don’t give some details that would be useful:

1) What ‘splitter’ did you buy, and from where? (I’m hoping it wasn’t from the likes of Amazon or fleabay as I’d find a ‘real’ dealer more useful).

2) You don’t say if it works at all sample rates for the optical output. Nor give the details of what it lists from a !SoundCheck. This would be helpful.

Jim

If you don’t have !SoundCheck you can get it from
http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/software/index.html

It was from Amazon, just down to being lazy.
I don’t really know anything about sound systems, it was for an initial test really.
Once I can get onto windows and logged into amazon I can share the link to what I bought.
But I bought it with zero knowledge and just a largely random guess.
If anyone can recommend something that is better, I’d be quite happy to get a new one.

• System settings *
  -————————

Number of rates available = 7

Current rate index = 2 => rate 44100 samples per sec

List of available system rates:

Rate index 1 => rate 32000 samples per sec
Rate index 2 => rate 44100 samples per sec
Rate index 3 => rate 48000 samples per sec
Rate index 4 => rate 88200 samples per sec
Rate index 5 => rate 96000 samples per sec
Rate index 6 => rate 176400 samples per sec
Rate index 7 => rate 192000 samples per sec

Sound system supports 16-bit audio.
DAC clock is slaved to external clock
Oversampling ON

The next set of values are the defaults for 8-bit VoiceGenerators
-———————————————————————————————
Number of VoiceGenerator channels = 1
Nominal sample buffer length = 576
Nominal sample buffer period = 23 [microsec]
VoiceGenerator Channel Handler pointer = 4211032128
Schedule Pointer = 537332564
-———————————————————————————————

Sound ON
Speaker ON

Volume setting = 64
Nominal Volume gain scaling x 0.065 [ -23.71dB ]

Tuning offset = 560.2783 [% of Octave]

• Now see if the system supports multiple devices *
  -——————————————————————

DMA able to handle multiple devices OK. :-)

Currently selected device:

ID string for the current device = SoundDMA#HAL_0007_16000000
Name of device = i.MX6 HDMI audio controller

Enumerate all available devices:

ID string for audio device = SoundDMA#HAL_0007_16000000
Name of device = i.MX6 HDMI audio controller

ID string for audio device = SoundDMA#HAL_0005_41000000
Name of device = SGTL5000-compatible audio controller

• Probe HDMI Audio *
  -——————-

• SoundControl settings *
  -———————————

required size for results = -16
set size to 16 ⁴ = 1 devices
If this is zero we are OK! = 0

adj stereo on [ 0] System gain = 0.00 Min -40.00 Max 0.00 Step 0.06 [dB]

• SharedSound settings *
  -——————————-

Handler number = 0
No handlers present!
*

Thanks for the listing. It doesn’t show any obvious signs of a problem. So I suspect the problem is something it doesn’t probe. If you get the problem with 8bit sound rather than >= 16bit then I confess I largely ignored 8bit when writing SoundCheck. So if it was an 8bit ‘voice’/ wavetable I can’t help.

What are you playing, and what software is playing it, when you get the problem?

Jim

Sorry, I think there has been a misunderstanding, I currently don’t have any problems.
I was posting a solution to a problem I had.
It was fixed by the splitter – which I assume is acting as a “proxy” of somekind, rewriting the checksum.
Well, it’s not 100% as after I posted the initial thread the mode is not being displayed for 1920×1200.

I’ve not tried the optical output, don’t have anything I can plug into it (without getting shouted at)

So I’ll be doing some more digging and research to look for a good splitter that will go to higher resolutions and handle all sounds

This is my current HDMI splitter.
I’ve got all the modes working by selecting “Pass” (passthrough) and power-cycling the HDMI splitter.
I don’t really know about the tech though, This one looks a better offering and would be useful for hooking up-to a projector etc.

FWIW I personally never use Amazon or paypal as I put them into the same box as international tax dodgers, exploiters of their ‘employees’, would-be monopolists, etc. And I don’t trust them with any personal data. However ignoring these minor quibbles… :-)

A problem with the cheap breakout devices is that they may convert anything going in to 48k out. So may mangle the audio in an unknown manner.

The Richer one may well be rather better. CYP also do some that look OK. The main snag being, of course, a higher price. (The CYP one I have in mind says it works and gives optical out up to 192k. But is 200 quid.)

Sometime, I guess I’ll end up testing one or two… Maybe I can borrow one from Richer as I’ve some contacts with CA.

It would also be handy if R-Comp and/or CJE sold one that was a reasonable price and had been tested so people would know what to expect.

Jim

FWIW I personally never use Amazon or paypal as I put them into the same box as international tax dodgers, exploiters of their ‘employees’, would-be monopolists, etc.

I use Amazon heavily. The price of English books at a supermarket is generally (price in GBP x 2) which is ridiculous. Plus it is only useful for “bitfic” and Dan Brown type books.

And I don’t trust them with any personal data.

eBay/PayPal keeps wanting me to validate my account, because every purchase is made with a different MasterCard. Well, it’s a virtual card because there’s no way I’m letting that outfit near any of my banking details.
Mom got the grumps when I refused to by her an app that can record and identify bird song. Sounds useful, but if she wants it, she can register her plastic with Google or Apple. I’m not going there. Too damn many high profile outfits are getting details swiped…

A problem with the cheap breakout devices is that they may convert anything going in to 48k out. So may mangle the audio in an unknown manner.

My adaptor is usefully HDMI to analogue, so it sidesteps all these issues and has a socket that conveniently fits the plug on my desk speakers. The only problem is that the output is very very quiet!

I use Amazon heavily.

I hit an example of what pisses me off about them just a few days ago. A new book on Audio Power Amp Design has just been published. I thought I’d get a copy just to have a look out of curiosity. So I asked in my local, helpful, bookshop.

They said they could not buy a copy as it is only available new from Amazon. That means a monopoly supply, cutting out all independent and local booksellers. It also probably means Amazon pretend you bought it from “outside the UK” so they can dodge tax. Now tell me why shops on the high streets are closing and people are losing jobs.

When people talk about “Amazon” my mind tends to go to bloodsucking vampires. But, of course, I’m talking about bats. 8-]

My adaptor is usefully HDMI to analogue, so it sidesteps all these issues and has a socket that conveniently fits the plug on my desk speakers. The only problem is that the output is very very quiet!

You may feel that, but be mistaken, I’m afraid. It may still convert everything to 48k before it outputs analogue. And may do this poorly. So you’d need to test it to find out. I did test the analogue output from my monitor which is analog only. Got very weird results that show the audio is being messed up quite a lot. Cheap breakouts may do similar things.

Jim

They said they could not buy a copy as it is only available new from Amazon.

Exclusive licencing is nothing new. Look how watching certain sports requires you to cough up money to Sky; or buy it from elsewhere in Europe and endure the legal hassles this may involve…

That means a monopoly supply, cutting out all independent and local booksellers.

Perhaps it is printed on demand through their publishing platform? You might like to remember who the publisher is as I don’t believe Amazon are doing this alone – the publisher is probably getting a bigger cut for exclusivity.

Exclusive licencing is nothing new. Look how watching certain sports requires you to cough up money to Sky; or buy it from elsewhere in Europe and endure the legal hassles this may involve…

Yes, monopolistic behaviour isn’t new. What is new is the ways big international corprations play games to do it on a vast industrial scale. The EU are in the process of trying to outlaw ‘media companies’ and broadcasters from parceling up the market within the EU. But that would still leave the wider problem of the transnationals and their behaviour.

You might like to remember who the publisher is as I don’t believe Amazon are doing this alone – the publisher is probably getting a bigger cut for exclusivity.

From the POV of the end-user it doesn’t really matter if the publisher is Amazon, or they’ve got themselves into an ‘exclusive’ deal. Either way, it becomes a monopoly which cuts out any competition from other retailers. So is an anti-competitive practice that tends to work against the interests of both other retailers and then end user. If nothing else, it re-introduces price-fixing under another name, which was outlawed some time ago.

Sadly, the problem has become so endemic, and given the ‘convenient’ face of ‘the web’, that people get sucked into it without realising how they are being exploited. The end-result tends to there being just one publisher and retailer, or a ‘flocking’ of a few big players who act in lockstep. Bad for authors or those who make things. Bad for local or small enterprise. Bad for end users.

Jim

Jim,
Thoroughly agree about Amazon, won’t deal with them for anything.
Could you provide the ISBN/Title of the book, might be able to help.

Dave

Designing Audio Power Amplifiers by Bob Cordell. It was listed in Hi Fi World [ 1] as costing about 50 quid inc post and packing. No ISBN given there.

I have no idea if it is actually worth that. But since its a topic that interests me I fancied getting a copy just in case. However I was told you have to get it from Amazon.

[ 1 ] May 2016 issue. Which also ‘reviews’ the old Armstrong 626! Been quite a weird month. Seeing that and an Armstrong 730/732 selling on fleabay for 1,136 quid! Impressive for a 30+ year old amp.

Ah, and so the truth is slowly coming to surface.

Twenty seconds gives me the ISBN as 007164024X or 978-0071640244.

It’s a hardback from 2010, which means is quite likely no longer “in print”, and since the average bookshop doesn’t deal in second hand books, they decided it would be easier to spew some utter bollocks about Amazon.

Here’s the truth: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Designing-Audio-Power-Amplifiers-Cordell/dp/007164024X
27 used & new from £48.07 – Amazon itself doesn’t have it either, these are third parties selling via Amazon.

Still hate Amazon even though I’ve proven your friendly local bookshop a liar? Try http://www.abebooks.co.uk/9780071640244/Designing-Audio-Power-Amplifiers-Cordell-007164024X/plp (ships from the US), or you may or may not be able to get it from here http://biblio.co.uk/book/designing-audio-power-amplifiers-bob-cordell/d/499289471
There’s also a copy for twice what everybody else wants on eBay.

The book is published by McGraw Hill. There’s no reason for a company of that nature to do exclusive deals with Amazon (especially on a six year old technical book). Sorry, your bookshop totally lied to you. It is “only available on Amazon” because Amazon deals with third parties selling second hand books.

And here we come to an interesting point…

Sadly, the problem has become so endemic, and given the ‘convenient’ face of ‘the web’, that people get sucked into it without realising how they are being exploited.

Exploited? Don’t make me laugh. I’ve dealt with bookshops that could “order any book I wanted”, provided I didn’t mind a 5% surcharge for them getting in a special order. I manga of Appleseed? Doesn’t exist. No such thing. They even told me that after I showed them the one I was borrowing from Woking library.
Most bookshops hate the second hand book market. They see it as totally stealing from them, which is why you’ll find normal bookshops and second hand bookshops, but you’ll need a rather enlightened person running the shop that caters for both at the same time. I am going to read a dystopian fiction book. Mom got it in French and I can’t be bothered with all the verb tenses, so I picked up a copy for €0,57 (plus P&P). If it was at list price, I wouldn’t bother. It isn’t that important. But for that price, yeah, I’ll put in on my bookshelf and get around to it some day during the summer holiday. If it’s ~400 pages, I can do that in one long stretch, maybe two days if my concentration wanders.
Most bookshops have either entirely ignored the internet, or have designed websites that actively seem to encourage you to visit the shop instead of the website. Why? Was that the product of some deranged management consultant? I don’t want to physically go somewhere on a “well we might have this but…”. It’s 2016. I expect that if a shop has an online presence, that I can look to see what books are available, and maybe even place the order so all I need to do is turn up and collect it.
I know, I know, shops want you to go in, look around, buy stuff. Sometimes I do. But sometimes I want to go, get what I need, and get out without the hassles, without the disappointment, without the horrible music (play some Kalafina then I’ll hang around, play that song that goes “work-work-work-work-work-mwa-mwa-mwa-mwa-mwa” (at least, that’s what it sounds like) and I’m out the door).

Another instance of a proper online “experience” driving a successful sale. I was at a vide grenier last Sunday and I saw a Melodica. I know of it from animé (mostly Nodame), it seems less well known on this side of the planet. Anyway, guy wanted thirty euros for it, second hand. My face probably showed surprise as he hammered home the “we’re a charity stand” line.
So I looked because I thought thirty was way steep.
https://www.amazon.fr/Stagg-MELOSTA32RD-Melodica-touches-Rouge/dp/B00474EWDQ
So I bought that one. About half the price, and new.

Hang on, I’ll just grab some popcorn

Ooh, proper popcorn, not the microwave stuff, or worse – that cold sugar-coated gunk they try to sell at the cinema…

It’s a hardback from 2010, which means is quite likely no longer “in print”, and since the average bookshop doesn’t deal in second hand books, they decided it would be easier to spew some utter bollocks about Amazon.

Sorry to shoot down your presumptions about my local shop. But they did suggest they could try to get me a second-hand copy. Then did some searching but were only able to find examples with high prices. They showed me, on screen, their search results.

They’ve found second-hand items for me in the past.

And I’ve used the shop for many years, and know the people quite well. They are very helpful. They’ve never asked for any ‘surcharges’, etc. Just a small family firm doing their best when faced with the likes of Amazon and fleabay.

And since they are a part of the local economy and pay their council taxes, etc, I’d choose them over international tax-dodgers.

Sorry to shoot down your presumptions about my local shop.

Hmm, a slightly different story… I was basing my reply upon this:

They said they could not buy a copy as it is only available new from Amazon. That means a monopoly supply, cutting out all independent and local booksellers.

Which is untrue. Would you rant at, say, Waterstones if they had a huge warehouse and eventually became the “only” place to offer a book new? It isn’t a monopoly, it’s just a bigger warehouse…and for what it’s worth, Amazon doesn’t appear to have a new one either.

and know the people quite well. They are very helpful.

Glad to hear you have a good bookshop. I take back what I said earlier.

I’d choose them over international tax-dodgers.

Are you perchance a Daily Mail reader? Ask yourself why the government has been unable to do much about this. Answer? Simple. It’s the same mechanism our esteemed elite use to squirrel money away from the clutches of the tax man. Their behaviour is immoral, certainly, but it isn’t illegal and it isn’t tax evasion. It’s the tax system itself that is broken, and people are only getting upset because it’s a big hulking foreigner taking advantage of the brokenness.
Please, if you want to rant about Amazon at least pick on something that’ll stick, like audio books and ebooks and how you pay a good whack (sometimes close to list price) for something that is “licenced” so you never really “own” it.

Are you perchance a Daily Mail reader? Ask yourself why the government has been unable to do much about this. Answer? Simple. It’s the same mechanism our esteemed elite use to squirrel money away from the clutches of the tax man. Their behaviour is immoral, certainly, but it isn’t illegal and it isn’t tax evasion. It’s the tax system itself that is broken, and people are only getting upset because it’s a big hulking foreigner taking advantage of the brokenness.

Not a DM reader and I can afford bogroll, so have no need for it.

Yes, I agree with the first part of what you say, including the way the rich get the laws that suit them. But a lot of what goes on is only ‘legal’ in the sense that it is hard to take them to court because they are smart at hiding the evidence. And of course HMRC now have even their buildings outsourced and owned abroad. So I part with you because I feel that many things which are claimed/presumed to be ‘legal’ actually “not being illegal”. The snag is getting full disclosure so they could get to a court.

Similarly, many tax dodges get dropped as a case looks like approaching a court and the people involved shift their wealth to the next wheeze.

BTW My use of “new” was that was because that’s how the book was presented by the magazine. Right down to giving full details of the price, etc.

I can afford bogroll, so have no need for it.

ROTFL. Nice comeback. :-)

As for the rest, veering off-topic enough to suffer an signed overflow and start to come back on topic the other way… I think it is a long running game – the rich keep their money away from prying eyes and are usually pretty good at it (hence why the Panama Files are shaking things slightly). Accountancy? Always a creative enterprise. I had a brief insight into what can fly in the UK back around ~2000 what with how a Ltd company can “buy” stuff but somebody else owns it, so if the company folds much of the company things (car, materials, etc) turn out not to be company assets at all, and the Ltd part separates company things from private personal things. I can see that it could be a good security blanket for small family businesses, but the other side of the coin is…is does seem to suggest that it’d be rather easy to set up a shady operation to fleece people.
Not a world I have any interest in being a part of. Either the rich or the shady. All too often the only difference is how shiny their shoes are.

Back to the book. I’ve had a trawl through the various online resources (McGraw Hill claim not to know the ISBN, hmmm?) and I can’t find you a copy of this new. There are numerous other people selling their copies, at prices from around $35 to $tupid.

What I find interesting is that putting the book title followed by “pdf” found me a complete PDF copy of the book – I suspect it’d make more sense to you than it does to me.
Anyway, this means an “eBook” version exists. This got me thinking, maybe it might be simpler/cheaper to get an electronic version? I much prefer paper over on-screen stuff, but if that’s what’s available now… your choice:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Designing-Audio-Power-Amplifiers-Cordell-ebook/dp/B004BKIFCA – £30.41 – and it is “Amazon exclusive” by virtue of being a Kindle book.

Two McGraw Hill links were 404, they really aren’t interested in this title, are they?

http://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/designing-audio-power-amplifiers-/9780071640251 – will sell in ePub format (with DRM) for a variety of devices for £37.91. They claim this saves you 28% over the RRP.

I haven’t been able to find a legit PDF version of the book, so I’m guessing this might have extracted it from an ePub file or somesuch? Shame, it’s a pretty portable format.

Later:

Finally found it on McGraw Hill. Here’s a sampler – chapter one: http://www.mhprofessional.com/downloads/products/007164024X/cordell_ch01.pdf

The (e)book is listed on McGraw Hill’s American site – finally found it – http://www.mhprofessional.com/details.php?isbn=0071640258 $65.00 – given it is an ebook, can you buy it “overseas”?

The English version? Nothing. http://www.mheducation.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=9780071640251 and http://www.mheducation.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=0071640258 (plus author name, title name, etc).

Came across this along the way, might interest you? http://gamikaaudioexperiments.blogspot.fr/ Sadly it looks like there was ever only the one post.

I’ll see if I can get the pdf! I find screen=reading much harder than ink on paper. But in this case I’m really just wanting to examine the contents out of curiosity. Shame we no longer have a decent local library system…

What is weird about this is that the Hi Fi World ‘review’ starts with the reviewer saying they got their copy from McGraw Hill, etc. The price details, etc, are all quite specific. It all reads like a new book. I bought the magazine from the shop, and the starting reference they has was what I’d pointed out – the review on the magazine they were still selling.

I’m used to seeing daft or misleading things in audio magazines. But a review of a ‘new’ book that seems in reality to not be a ‘new book’ is weird even given that. Cue much confusion…

FWIW The bookshop I use is quite happy to get things secondhand. e.g. when a while ago I went in with a list of the ‘Honor Harrington’ books that have been published that I lacked, they found out what was available new, then found as many of the others as they could second-hand. I think they realise ages ago that the best survival strategy for a small shop was to offer a good service like this. I know I could often get things cheaper elsewhere. But I value the service and help. And like the idea of having the money stay longer in the local economy.