How do I get both “Analog Stereo” and “Digital Stereo (HDMI)” to show up in PulseAudio output ports?

Question

As the title states, I'm unable to see both the built-in Analog Stereo and Digital Stereo (HDMI) as output options in PulseAudio. I can change the profile in the Configuration tab and switch between Analog Stereo Output and Digital Stereo (HDMI 5) Output and sound output works as expected. However, the Output Devices tab only ever shows one output sink or the other, so the PulseAudio tray plugin does not give me the option to change output ports.

Output from pacmd list-cards:

$ pacmd list-cards
1 card(s) available.
    index: 0
    name: <alsa_card.pci-0000_00_1f.3>
    driver: <module-alsa-card.c>
    owner module: 7
    properties:
        alsa.card = "0"
        alsa.card_name = "HDA Intel PCH"
        alsa.long_card_name = "HDA Intel PCH at 0x601d170000 irq 164"
        alsa.driver_name = "snd_hda_intel"
        device.bus_path = "pci-0000:00:1f.3"
        sysfs.path = "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1f.3/sound/card0"
        device.bus = "pci"
        device.vendor.id = "8086"
        device.vendor.name = "Intel Corporation"
        device.product.id = "34c8"
        device.product.name = "Smart Sound Technology Audio Controller"
        device.form_factor = "internal"
        device.string = "0"
        device.description = "Built-in Audio"
        module-udev-detect.discovered = "1"
        device.icon_name = "audio-card-pci"
    profiles:
        input:analog-stereo: Analog Stereo Input (priority 65, available: unknown)
        output:analog-stereo: Analog Stereo Output (priority 6500, available: unknown)
        output:analog-stereo+input:analog-stereo: Analog Stereo Duplex (priority 6565, available: unknown)
        output:hdmi-stereo: Digital Stereo (HDMI) Output (priority 5900, available: no)
        output:hdmi-stereo+input:analog-stereo: Digital Stereo (HDMI) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 5965, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround: Digital Surround 5.1 (HDMI) Output (priority 800, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround+input:analog-stereo: Digital Surround 5.1 (HDMI) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 865, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround71: Digital Surround 7.1 (HDMI) Output (priority 800, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround71+input:analog-stereo: Digital Surround 7.1 (HDMI) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 865, available: no)
        output:hdmi-stereo-extra1: Digital Stereo (HDMI 2) Output (priority 5700, available: no)
        output:hdmi-stereo-extra1+input:analog-stereo: Digital Stereo (HDMI 2) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 5765, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround-extra1: Digital Surround 5.1 (HDMI 2) Output (priority 600, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround-extra1+input:analog-stereo: Digital Surround 5.1 (HDMI 2) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 665, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround71-extra1: Digital Surround 7.1 (HDMI 2) Output (priority 600, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround71-extra1+input:analog-stereo: Digital Surround 7.1 (HDMI 2) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 665, available: no)
        output:hdmi-stereo-extra2: Digital Stereo (HDMI 3) Output (priority 5700, available: no)
        output:hdmi-stereo-extra2+input:analog-stereo: Digital Stereo (HDMI 3) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 5765, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround-extra2: Digital Surround 5.1 (HDMI 3) Output (priority 600, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround-extra2+input:analog-stereo: Digital Surround 5.1 (HDMI 3) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 665, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround71-extra2: Digital Surround 7.1 (HDMI 3) Output (priority 600, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround71-extra2+input:analog-stereo: Digital Surround 7.1 (HDMI 3) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 665, available: no)
        output:hdmi-stereo-extra3: Digital Stereo (HDMI 4) Output (priority 5700, available: no)
        output:hdmi-stereo-extra3+input:analog-stereo: Digital Stereo (HDMI 4) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 5765, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround-extra3: Digital Surround 5.1 (HDMI 4) Output (priority 600, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround-extra3+input:analog-stereo: Digital Surround 5.1 (HDMI 4) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 665, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround71-extra3: Digital Surround 7.1 (HDMI 4) Output (priority 600, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround71-extra3+input:analog-stereo: Digital Surround 7.1 (HDMI 4) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 665, available: no)
        output:hdmi-stereo-extra4: Digital Stereo (HDMI 5) Output (priority 5700, available: unknown)
        output:hdmi-stereo-extra4+input:analog-stereo: Digital Stereo (HDMI 5) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 5765, available: unknown)
        output:hdmi-surround-extra4: Digital Surround 5.1 (HDMI 5) Output (priority 600, available: unknown)
        output:hdmi-surround-extra4+input:analog-stereo: Digital Surround 5.1 (HDMI 5) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 665, available: unknown)
        output:hdmi-surround71-extra4: Digital Surround 7.1 (HDMI 5) Output (priority 600, available: unknown)
        output:hdmi-surround71-extra4+input:analog-stereo: Digital Surround 7.1 (HDMI 5) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 665, available: unknown)
        output:hdmi-stereo-extra5: Digital Stereo (HDMI 6) Output (priority 5700, available: no)
        output:hdmi-stereo-extra5+input:analog-stereo: Digital Stereo (HDMI 6) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 5765, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround-extra5: Digital Surround 5.1 (HDMI 6) Output (priority 600, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround-extra5+input:analog-stereo: Digital Surround 5.1 (HDMI 6) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 665, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround71-extra5: Digital Surround 7.1 (HDMI 6) Output (priority 600, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround71-extra5+input:analog-stereo: Digital Surround 7.1 (HDMI 6) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 665, available: no)
        output:hdmi-stereo-extra6: Digital Stereo (HDMI 7) Output (priority 5700, available: no)
        output:hdmi-stereo-extra6+input:analog-stereo: Digital Stereo (HDMI 7) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 5765, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround-extra6: Digital Surround 5.1 (HDMI 7) Output (priority 600, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround-extra6+input:analog-stereo: Digital Surround 5.1 (HDMI 7) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 665, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround71-extra6: Digital Surround 7.1 (HDMI 7) Output (priority 600, available: no)
        output:hdmi-surround71-extra6+input:analog-stereo: Digital Surround 7.1 (HDMI 7) Output + Analog Stereo Input (priority 665, available: no)
        off: Off (priority 0, available: unknown)
    active profile: <output:analog-stereo+input:analog-stereo>
    sinks:
        alsa_output.pci-0000_00_1f.3.analog-stereo/#2: Built-in Audio Analog Stereo
    sources:
        alsa_output.pci-0000_00_1f.3.analog-stereo.monitor/#2: Monitor of Built-in Audio Analog Stereo
        alsa_input.pci-0000_00_1f.3.analog-stereo/#3: Built-in Audio Analog Stereo
    ports:
        analog-input-internal-mic: Internal Microphone (priority 8900, latency offset 0 usec, available: unknown)
            properties:
                device.icon_name = "audio-input-microphone"
        analog-input-mic: Microphone (priority 8700, latency offset 0 usec, available: no)
            properties:
                device.icon_name = "audio-input-microphone"
        analog-output-speaker: Speakers (priority 10000, latency offset 0 usec, available: unknown)
            properties:
                device.icon_name = "audio-speakers"
        analog-output-headphones: Headphones (priority 9900, latency offset 0 usec, available: no)
            properties:
                device.icon_name = "audio-headphones"
        hdmi-output-0: HDMI / DisplayPort (priority 5900, latency offset 0 usec, available: no)
            properties:
                device.icon_name = "video-display"
        hdmi-output-1: HDMI / DisplayPort 2 (priority 5800, latency offset 0 usec, available: no)
            properties:
                device.icon_name = "video-display"
        hdmi-output-2: HDMI / DisplayPort 3 (priority 5700, latency offset 0 usec, available: no)
            properties:
                device.icon_name = "video-display"
        hdmi-output-3: HDMI / DisplayPort 4 (priority 5600, latency offset 0 usec, available: no)
            properties:
                device.icon_name = "video-display"
        hdmi-output-4: HDMI / DisplayPort 5 (priority 5500, latency offset 0 usec, available: yes)
            properties:
                device.icon_name = "video-display"
                device.product.name = "SAMSUNG"
        hdmi-output-5: HDMI / DisplayPort 6 (priority 5400, latency offset 0 usec, available: no)
            properties:
                device.icon_name = "video-display"
        hdmi-output-6: HDMI / DisplayPort 7 (priority 5300, latency offset 0 usec, available: no)
            properties:
                device.icon_name = "video-display"

Do I need to define a custom PulseAudio profile that contains both audio sinks? I have not seen this issue on other installations, where new output ports appear automatically when connected. I'm using Xubuntu 20.04.1 LTS on an LG Gram 17.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

As the analog and various HDMI sinks are from the same card the default configuration seems to configure them all into a single profile, meaning only one can be used at a time. So a custom profile is indeed required to workaround that.

For my case I followed the instructions for writing profiles in pulseaudio. I created 2 files:

/etc/udev/rules.d/91-pulseaudio-intel.rules

# Custom Profile for onboard Intel 8086:a171

SUBSYSTEM!="sound", GOTO="xpulseaudio_end"
ACTION!="change", GOTO="xpulseaudio_end"
KERNEL!="card*", GOTO="xpulseaudio_end"

SUBSYSTEMS=="pci", ATTRS{vendor}=="0x8086", ATTRS{device}=="0xa171", ENV{PULSE_PROFILE_SET}="intel-hdmi+analog.conf"

LABEL="xpulseaudio_end"

/usr/share/pulseaudio/alsa-mixer/profile-sets/intel-hdmi+analog.conf

[General]
; # Instead of defining all profiles manually, autogenerate
; # them by combining every input mapping with every output mapping
auto-profiles = yes

[Mapping analog-stereo]
device-strings = front:%f
channel-map = left,right
paths-output = analog-output-speaker analog-output-headphones
paths-input = analog-input-internal-mic analog-input-headset-mic
priority = 15

[Mapping hdmi-stereo]
description = Digital Stereo (HDMI)
device-strings = hdmi:%f
paths-output = hdmi-output-0
channel-map = left,right
priority = 9
direction = output

[Profile output:analog-stereo+output:hdmi-stereo+input:analog-stereo]
description = Analog Stereo + Digital Stereo (HDMI) + Analog Stereo Input
output-mappings = analog-stereo hdmi-stereo
input-mappings = analog-stereo

[Profile output:analog-stereo+output:hdmi-stereo]
description = Analog Stereo + Digital Stereo (HDMI)
output-mappings = analog-stereo hdmi-stereo

After that it was a matter of running

$ sudo udevadm trigger -ssound
$ pulseaudio -k

and the sinks were now separated.

I only needed analog-stereo and HDMI-0 as sinks and the mic as source. You mentioned HDMI-5 so you might want to use hdmi-stereo-extra4 in paths-output. If you also want additional HDMI sinks just add their mappings and - if you want the option to use all them individually - one profile for each combination of "enabled" sinks and sources.

The file /usr/share/pulseaudio/alsa-mixer/profile-sets/default.conf in Ubuntu 20.04 (or in pulseaudio git repository) has various mappings that you can copy from.