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[dean70]

Hi

Currently running MC17 to a receiver via the onboard HDMI port of AMD llano setup.

Have an issue when I go into the receiver setup menus or switch to another input - the HDMI device (the receiver) disappears from Windows (Win 7 Home x64). This causes JRiver to lose the audio device and a reboot is required to get the sound back. (Using WSAPI event style)

Is there a way to make the HDMI device "stick" in Windows?

[Scolex]

not sure if this will help but have you tried enabling
tools-->options-->audio-->Settings-->disable display from turning off (useful for hdmi audio)

[Sandy B Ridge]

Unfortunately, HDMI is (to quote a phrase) : 'a bag of hurt'.

Part of the problem is the HDMI/HDCP spec and handshaking and part of it is Windows making a hash of detecting the handshaking. There are many threads on Avforums and Avsforum with many HDMI issues and kludges to overcome them. Some things that may help:

Update your Receiver firmware. I was having issues with losing audio by turning the TV off and a firmware update in the amp cured it (they decoupled the input and output EDID).

Delete/disable any windows audio devices that you don't use. The only windows output audio device that I have enabled is the HDMI (NVIDIA in my case) so that when HDMI comes and goes it is the only thing available to windows.

You may get help from little programs that keep the HDMI active or 'restart' it when it isn't. I think one is called HDMIon.exe. I haven't tried any of these, but heard of several.

Try to redetect displays with 'windows key + P' and 'enter'. You shouldn't have to reboot to get it back. Some have programmed a macro on their remote to do this!

Finally, one almost guaranteed solution is the Gefen HDMI Detective. It's quite pricey for what it is, but it is a kittle black box that keeps your PC thinking that the HDMI info hasn't changed and stops any handshaking.

Hope this helps!

SBR

[jmone]

It really does depend on how the ATI / nvidia / Intel GPU driver/hw decides what to do when the EDID info disapears.  Some MFR are better than others but I love my DVI Dectetive+ as it just works (or as SBR said the newer HDMI Detective Plus)

[dean70]

The video part is fine. When I go to Output options in MC under Audio, the only devices left to select from are the Realtek onboard sound. I have intentionally made the Realtek onboard sound the default audio device (HDMI out is non-default), so that I dont get any nasty surprises with Windows sounds or beeps, etc in the middle of a movie or music.

[Sandy B Ridge]

Ah OK.

I've disabled everything in Windows Audio except HDMI which makes the HDMI default. I have MC set to WASAPI exclusive/event style so that when audio/video is playing the windows sounds do not get a look in.
The only slight problem with this is that MC will crash if it is playing something and the amp switches off. I get around this by setting my Harmony Remote to automatically send a 'stop' command/Ctrl-S when it turns everything off. (I tried to train Ivy to press Stop before Off, but failed - she then complained that the next time she turned on the MediaPC that it wasn't working - but all is OK now!). If you lose the HDMI device even by just pulling up the Amp setup menu, then this could be very annoying!

As an aside - There used to be a setting to set the audio for video differently, but I couldn't find it recently, so it may have been changes.

[dean70]

Thanks, I will give that a try (disable onboard Realtek audio/HDMI as default/exclusive mode.

I assume the receiver is designed to disconnect all sources when entering the setup menu. (it is an OSD menu). Interesting in Windows Device manager, the HDMI device lists as the receiver model and shows all the possible modes the receiver can handle 

[Sandy B Ridge]

Interesting in Windows Device manager, the HDMI device lists as the receiver model and shows all the possible modes the receiver can handle 

Yes, it gets that from the EDID table during the dreaded handshake! You can change it with a Custom EDID which windows will use instead of the handshake one when it detects your device if you want. Sometimes useful if it misbehaves.

[dean70]

Tried the HDMI has default device and disabled all other audio devices - now can switch sources in receiver and go back & audio will still play.  :thumbsup:

This also gives me a way forward with the setup I intend to move to - to have a multi-channel processor via HDMI for movies and a secondary output as 2 channel DAC via Async USB for music. Will solve the issue when I switch away from the HDMI device.