Topic: Feature Request: Audio via HDMI when Screen is Off (Read 1600 times)

IAM4UK · « **on:** May 24, 2021, 04:58:27 pm »

It would be great to be able to play music in Media Center without having to keep the screen on. Because I use HDMI to an AVR, that is not possible on any of the versions of MC I've had since about v14...

rec head · « **Reply #1 on:** May 25, 2021, 06:21:59 am »

This is due to HDMI and your hardware not MC itself. There are workarounds but some of them aren't even 100%. Have you tried starting the computer without the screen on and using a remote (like JRemote) to control the music?

EnglishTiger · « **Reply #2 on:** May 25, 2021, 06:35:50 am »

Give the simplest solution of the lot a go - Try switching the PC screen off to see if that stops/effects the Playback on the AVR.

tzr916 · « **Reply #3 on:** May 25, 2021, 08:15:54 am »

My main tv has a "screen off" feature and I use it all the time. My AVR has a feature that allows playing music from iPod / USB / CD / Tuner / Bluetooth while displaying any video source. I use this often to play Howard Stern from my phone on the AVR speakers while playing live tv channels from JRiver on the tv screen.

A MC "screen off" or "black screen" feature would be great for rooms that don't have an AVR, or a tv with the feature. I used to use an hmdi "keep alive" device to accomplish this before I had a tv with the feature, but it wasn't 100% reliable.

Hendrik · « **Reply #4 on:** May 25, 2021, 08:34:47 am »

There isn't really something that MC can do about that - that I am aware anyway. Graphics Cards shut down the HDMI connection if the display goes away, so you can no longer send audio.
Any work-around would likely have to come on a driver or OS level.

If anyone has any further information that this should be possible in a software level, feel free to share, but as far as I know and have seen in the past, this is not under our control.

Nikkel · « **Reply #5 on:** May 25, 2021, 12:07:47 pm »

I suggest investing in a DAC or soundcard for music and run that via RCA, Optical/SPDIF or Coax

rec head · « **Reply #6 on:** May 25, 2021, 04:53:50 pm »

It can definitely be done but is totally hardware dependent. I have had different TVs and AVRs handle this differently. For a while I used an HDMI detective to Copy the TV's EDID so the AVR always thought the TV was on. You need to try different scenarios of when things get powered on or off. But it may not be possible at all with your gear.

IAM4UK · « **Reply #7 on:** May 27, 2021, 05:58:55 pm »

Quote from: Nikkel on May 25, 2021, 12:07:47 pm

I suggest investing in a DAC or soundcard for music and run that via RCA, Optical/SPDIF or Coax

Do you have a recommendation, or one you like?

EdBrady · « **Reply #8 on:** May 27, 2021, 10:44:11 pm »

My setup includes a DVI-connected monitor I use for computer stuff and an HDMI-connected AVR I use for media stuff. It would be very nice if there was a way to let the computer monitor turn off but keep the media AVR going. I've never found a way to do this. The computer monitor must stay on. This seems to be a Windows limitation, but how nice it would be if the clever folks at JRiver found a way to accomplish this.

rec head · « **Reply #9 on:** May 28, 2021, 07:05:27 am »

Quote from: IAM4UK on May 27, 2021, 05:58:55 pm

Do you have a recommendation, or one you like?

Does your motherboard have optical?

IAM4UK · « **Reply #10 on:** May 28, 2021, 08:53:57 am »

Quote from: rec head on May 28, 2021, 07:05:27 am

Does your motherboard have optical?

No. Nor coaxial.

IAM4UK · « **Reply #11 on:** May 28, 2021, 09:01:54 am »

A curiosity to me is that lesser apps (e.g. "Groove Music" that comes with Win10) can be heard via HDMI-to-AVR even if I turn off the screen.

Of course, the audio quality JRiver provides is superior, and my music is organized in MC, and that is why the ability to play audio in MC without having the screen on is desirable. My best work-around is to use the "HEOS" feature of my Marantz AVR, which can play music while only the AVR is on. But HEOS has severe limitations... MC is simply the best media player I know, and like so many other happy MC users, I have spent the time to organize media in MC using its Tagging ability and Playlists, as well as DSP power...

rec head · « **Reply #12 on:** May 28, 2021, 04:55:10 pm »

Have you tried powering on the equipment in a different order? Does it happen if you never use the TV at all?

I'm surprised another player works. I have no explanation.

B4Unyu · « **Reply #13 on:** May 28, 2021, 07:07:21 pm »

when i power off the displays here the music still plays. nothing special, a hdmi cable from a nvida card to the avr which passes the signal to a tv and a dvi cable (that also carries audio) from the same video card to another tv which is used as a pc monitor.

with both TVs turned off music will continue to play as long as the audio selection within MC is correct before powering them off. what may be relevant is this selection. on my pc, when the tv connected to the avr is powered on, MC see the connection as the tv, power it off and MC sees it as the avr. so as long as the proper selection is made within MC before turning off the display(s) it doesn't interrupt playback.

i would think this is generally how it works.

jmone · « **Reply #14 on:** May 29, 2021, 03:22:26 am »

Ahh the "joy" of EDID. You could use either a HW Device (Like HDMI Detective) or perhaps an EDID Editor to give your PC a non changing EDID regardless of if the TV is on or off. I've not used this one but it seems to be the most up to date - https://ez.analog.com/video/w/documents/750/advantiv-edid-editor

IAM4UK · « **Reply #15 on:** May 29, 2021, 01:59:07 pm »

Quote from: B4Unyu on May 28, 2021, 07:07:21 pm

...
with both TVs turned off music will continue to play as long as the audio selection within MC is correct before powering them off. what may be relevant is this selection. on my pc, when the tv connected to the avr is powered on, MC see the connection as the tv, power it off and MC sees it as the avr. so as long as the proper selection is made within MC before turning off the display(s) it doesn't interrupt playback....

Thank you for the reply. How do you tell what connection MC "sees?" How do you make the "audio selection within MC ... before powering [TV] off?" In MC Tools/Options/Audio, the Audio Device is always "marantz-AVR (NVIDIA High Definition Audio) [WASAPI]" and is never anything referencing the LG TV.

IAM4UK · « **Reply #16 on:** May 29, 2021, 02:07:51 pm »

Quote from: jmone on May 29, 2021, 03:22:26 am

Ahh the "joy" of EDID. You could use either a HW Device (Like HDMI Detective) or perhaps an EDID Editor to give your PC a non changing EDID regardless of if the TV is on or off. I've not used this one but it seems to be the most up to date - https://ez.analog.com/video/w/documents/750/advantiv-edid-editor

Thank you. I have downloaded and installed that, but I will have to try to research how to use it for the suggested purpose...

jmone · « **Reply #17 on:** May 29, 2021, 05:41:18 pm »

The hard bit is working out what is happening to the EDID when you turn off the screen. EDID is a dynamic combination that lets the PC know what formats are accepted over your HDMI connection. Your AVR is the one that is reading the EDID from the TV and then adds/modifies that EDID and sends the modified EDID to the PC. Unfortunately, it depends on how the AVR handles the EDID info when the screen is off. It could be changing the "Name" of the connection and hence MC no longer sees that one, or that the reported supported Audio formats is changed, eg to None if there is no downstream display (for some reason). I just tested on a Pioneer AVR and MC can play audio just fine with the screen being turned On and Off (and I think my newer Yami's are the same)..... but it was not always the case and I used to use (years ago) a DVI Detective to present a std EDID for the exact reason you mention. How old is your Marantz & what model is it?

IAM4UK · « **Reply #18 on:** May 30, 2021, 07:18:31 am »

Quote from: jmone on May 29, 2021, 05:41:18 pm

...How old is your Marantz & what model is it?

Two years; Model AVR SR 7013. (Which replaced an SR 7010 that got fried by a lightning strike, and which behaved the same with MC and screen/sound)

TheShoe · « **Reply #19 on:** May 30, 2021, 03:32:43 pm »

I have a Marantz av7703. I suspect yours - looking at the manual - can act as a media renderer. Mine for example shows up in Media Center as a Zone (DLNA device). I can play to it pretty much any format except for multichannel DSD. I don't do this as I have a multi channel DAC for audio, but the Marantz in this mode works just fine. IIRC however, when doing that the Marantz will change the display- so using something like JRemote to control Media Center is best.

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