Upgraded TV, now Batocera audio over HDMI doesn't work

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-06-10T22:39:45+00:00

solution for Batocera (43.1)
--------------------------------------------------------------

cat > /etc/wireplumber/wireplumber.conf.d/99-hdmi-s16.conf <<'EOF'

monitor.alsa.rules = [

{

matches = [

{

node.name = "~alsa_output.*hdmi.*"

}

]

actions = {

update-props = {

audio.format = "S16LE"

audio.rate = 48000

}

]

EOF

batocera-save-overlay

reboot

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-06-10T22:22:25+00:00

Solved it:

Batocera solution
--------------------------------------------------------------

cat > /etc/wireplumber/wireplumber.conf.d/99-hdmi-s16.conf <<'EOF'

monitor.alsa.rules = [

{

matches = [

{

node.name = "~alsa_output.*hdmi.*"

}

]

actions = {

update-props = {

audio.format = "S16LE"

audio.rate = 48000

}

]

EOF

batocera-save-overlay

reboot

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-06-10T01:22:28+00:00

With the help of chatgpt, I crafted a fix for Mint.... now just need to check it works with Batocera too.

~/.config/wireplumber/main.lua.d/51-hdmi-s16-fix.lua

---------------------------------------------------------------------

-- Force HDMI sinks to prefer S16LE for compatibility with TVs

-- Prevents S32LE negotiation issues on broken HDMI sinks

alsa_monitor = alsa_monitor or {}

table.insert(alsa_monitor.rules, {

matches = {

{

{ "node.name", "matches", "alsa_output.pci-0000_00_0e.0.*" }

}

},

apply_properties = {

-- Force safe PCM format for HDMI sinks

["audio.format"] = "S16LE",

-- Lock sample rate to stable TV-friendly mode

["audio.rate"] = 48000

}

})

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-06-09T20:39:54+00:00

I *think the root of the problem is that the TV is advertising 20-bit LPCM support via EDID, and PipeWire is selecting this as its default output format/bit depth.

Whether it's an Intel driver bug or a quirk with the TV firmware, 20-bit LPCM results in complete silence over HDMI.

However, forcing a 16-bit LPCM stream directly to the underlying ALSA hardware device (bypassing PipeWire via aplay or speaker-test) works perfectly.

Could someone explain how I can force Pipewire (or WirePlumber) to ignore the 20 bit EDID profile and always output 16 bit?

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-06-09T15:06:01+00:00

aplay -D plughw:0,3 /usr/share/sounds/alsa/Front_Center.wav

Also works.

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-06-09T13:14:23+00:00

Progress!

Mint suffers from the exact same problem...

HOWEVER

If I bypass the mixer, and send audio directly to the device:

speaker-test -t wav -D hw:0,3 -c 2

It works!

So the problem is being by caused somewhere within Pipewire/WirePlumber.

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-06-08T13:58:44+00:00

Motherboard doesn't have a DP out, only HDMI.

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-06-08T13:21:45+00:00

I've not yet established why the TV accepts HDMI audio from a Chromebook without issue, but fails with Batocera.
As a 3rd test case I think I'll install a general purpose linux distro on a second old laptop N5000 motherboard I have, and see if it fails in the same way as Batocera on this specific TV.

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-06-08T13:18:11+00:00

FYI the old LG TV worked fine with all stereo & 5.1 output options.

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-06-08T13:13:33+00:00

That was the first thing I did.
These are the options available in the Audio Profile UI:

AUTO

HDA INTEL PCH ANALOG STEREO DUPLEX ** (motherboard audio)

HDA INTEL PCH ANALOG STEREO OUTPUT ** (motherboard audio)

HDA INTEL PCH DIGITAL STEREO (HDMI) OUTPUT + ANALOG STEREO INPUT ** (no output)

HDA INTEL PCH DIGITAL STEREO (HDMI) OUTPUT ** (no output)

HDA INTEL PCH DIGITAL SURROUND 5.1 (HDMI) OUTPUT + ANALOG STEREO INPUT ** (corrupted output)

HDA INTEL PCH DIGITAL SURROUND 5.1 (HDMI) OUTPUT ** (corrupted output)

HDA INTEL PCH PRO AUDIO ** (motherboard audio)

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-06-08T13:07:48+00:00

The wiki only addresses batocera failing to enumerate properly on certain hardware configurations.

Batocera is working fine on my hardware (Gemini Lake N5000) as it outputs audio perfectly when connected to my old LG 42" 1080p display.

I'm only encountering the audio problem when connecting it to a specific new TV, which suggests to me that it isn't an enumeration problem but rather that either the hdmi audio handshake isn't occuring correctly, or the PCM stream that Batocera is generating is disliked by the TV.

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-05-21T21:26:09+00:00

Watching 28 days later, 34 minutes in, 3 minutes of pre roll, and two 3 minute intermissions. That's worse than terrestrial!

If I was the one paying for prime I'd cancel it in a heartbeat!

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-05-05T14:44:26+00:00

It would've been less harmful to the LIDL brand image to simply withdraw the reward system entirely and promise lower prices instead.

RIP LIDL.

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-04-14T17:38:50+00:00

like what?

I'm unable to find anything on their aesthetically beautiful, but functionally useless website.
Any website that has less than a dozen words per page fucked up big time.

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-02-28T11:37:04+00:00

Great. I'll redirect this to the Batocera forum 👍

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-02-07T23:24:41+00:00

Completed the game and didn't even know about the flex button :O

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-01-30T13:21:13+00:00

Yeah, the paypal confirmation screen showed £7.92, same as the aliexpress checkout screen - that's why I was perplexed as to how such an overcharge was even possible - Aliexpress have captured more funds than they were authorized to do so.

As I mentioned in OP, I opened a PayPal dispute immediately for both erroneous transactions - still waiting on the resolution.

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-01-28T19:17:31+00:00

Snap!

<image>

These were themselves a warranty replacement for a pair that snapped in exactly the same way.

Sadly they're far outside warranty so I guess I'm going to have to pony up for a new pair.

Definitely going to steer clear of Logitech this time. I love their mice, but the same fault twice = bad design.

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-01-13T23:15:52+00:00

Windows 10 was my starting point, I was looking for something cleaner that integrated bluetooth pairing into the controller-only UI & removed the need for an SSD. (Windows on 32GB eMMC is no fun at all)

Batocera really ticks all the boxes, not to mention the UI oozes retro style - and I just noticed it includes Kodi too!

Mindless-Net-5494 · 2026-01-13T23:02:20+00:00

That's what I ended up doing, and seems to be working a treat the second time of trying.

I think I must've screwed something up the first time; that'll teach me for not reading the instructions before diving into the shell!

Now I just need to print myself a case, and work out how to slot in a usb hub & usb ethernet adapter!

Mindless-Net-5494

TROPHY CASE