Windows 10: Only Stereo Sound Output via HDMI Cable When 5.1 Available

Hi


I have a Dell Studio 1749 laptop running Windows 10 64bit connected to a Bluray 5.1 surround sound home theatre system via HDMI cable for audio output through the 5.1 speakers and visual output on the HD TV.


I'm not sure exactly when this happened, but I recently noticed audio output had dropped from 5.1 surround sound to 2.0 stereo at some point recently (I suspect maybe a recent Win update at some point?). This happens regardless of the output type (ie I know the audio should be 5.1).


I have tested the output from the home theatre kit and it is fine. But all the options in Windows are for stereo 2.0 output only - all the options for 5.1 or greater output are greyed out. It insists I only have access to two speakers. The device manager confirms that audio output is via AMD HDMI Audio and is functional.


Dell support are a no-go as they won't touch any of their products that are over 5 years old with a poopy stick!


I have run trouble shooter and updated all the drivers I can. It's like Windows no longer realises it can output audio at greater than stereo 2.0 quality, but could if it only tried.


Any ideas?

:)

 

No surround output after connecting HDMI cable (only stereo) in Windows 10

Old title: No surround output

Hi All,

I have a "problem" with my Lenovo yoga laptop, I'm not able to get surround with HDMI cable (only stereo), is it because of my sound card (conexant smartaudio hd) or is it something that i can fix?

 

Sound not going through HDMI cable

Hello,

A quick question before we proceed:

Which troubleshooting steps have you tried?

HDMI cables do support audio signals, but not all HDMI-enabled video cards support audio. If your HDTV has an audio input, you might be able to connect a separate audio cable from your computer's sound card directly to the TV.
Otherwise, you'll need to connect the audio signal to a different output device, such as external computer speakers or your home stereo system. Follow these methods and check if it helps:

Method 1:

By default Windows does not route sound over the HDMI output. To change this we need to change the settings in control panel.

Note: This will turn off sound from the speakers or normal audio output on the laptop. To get that back you will have to reverse this process.

a) Press Windows key + X

b) Click on "Control Panel"

c) With the Control Panel in "Control Panel Home" view please click on "Hardware and Sound"

d) Where it says "Sound" in green letters there are three options below that are in blue click on "Manage Audio Devices"

e) This will bring up a window labeled "Sound"

f) On the "Playback" tab there is listed the sound options available to you. One should read "Digital Output Device (HDMI)" Click on that.

g) There should now be a check mark on that option, make HDMI sound output as default.

h) The Sound should then play through your HDMI hookups to the TV.

Method 2: Update the Sound driver.

Please follow the steps given here.

a) Press Windows key + X key when you are at desktop.

b) Select Device Manager.

c) Double-click Sound driver from the left panel to Update.

d) Right-click the device, and click Update driver Software

e) Windows will prompt you to confirm the device’s removal. Click OK to remove the driver.

Please reboot your computer.

Hope it helps. For any further Windows related assistance, feel free to contact us and we will be glad to help

 

Can't get sound through HDMI cable

I just upgraded to Windows 10 and can no longer get sound through my HDMI cable. The video works fine. I am on a Dell laptop and a Panasonic Viera TV. When I go to the start menu and go to sound, it says Realtek High Definition Audio output as a playback
device but there is nothing about HDMI. (Other posts/replies seem to suggest that HDMI should be listed.) I am not terribly sophisticated with this stuff so a simple solution would be much appreciated.