no sound with Realtek ALC269 - on Sony Vaio VPCEB1S1E

here the log of vlc when I try to open a mp3

sux dienene vlc
VLC media player 1.0.2 Goldeneye
[0x882bf88] inhibit interface error: Failed to connect to the D-Bus session daemon: Did not receive a reply. Possible causes include: the remote application did not send a reply, the message bus security policy blocked the reply, the reply timeout expired, or the network connection was broken.
[0x882bf88] main interface error: no suitable interface module
[0x8768140] main libvlc error: interface "inhibit,none" initialization failed
[0x8768140] main libvlc: vlc wird mit dem Standard-Interface ausgeführt. Benutzen Sie 'cvlc', um vlc ohne Interface zu verwenden.
QGtkStyle cannot be used together with the GTK_Qt engine.
Qt: Session management error: None of the authentication protocols specified are supported
QInotifyFileSystemWatcherEngine::addPaths: inotify_add_watch failed: Permission denied
QFileSystemWatcher: failed to add paths: /media/C8A8FF4FA8FF3B10
QInotifyFileSystemWatcherEngine::addPaths: inotify_add_watch failed: Permission denied
QFileSystemWatcher: failed to add paths: /root
[0x8b34758] pulse audio output: No. of Audio Channels: 2
[0x8b34758] pulse audio output error: Failed to connect to server: Verbindung verweigert
[0x8b34758] pulse audio output error: Pulse initialization failed
ALSA lib confmisc.c:768:(parse_card) cannot find card '0'
ALSA lib conf.c:3513:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_card_driver returned error: No such file or directory
ALSA lib confmisc.c:392:(snd_func_concat) error evaluating strings
ALSA lib conf.c:3513:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_concat returned error: No such file or directory
ALSA lib confmisc.c:1251:(snd_func_refer) error evaluating name
ALSA lib conf.c:3513:(_snd_config_evaluate) function snd_func_refer returned error: No such file or directory
ALSA lib conf.c:3985:(snd_config_expand) Evaluate error: No such file or directory
ALSA lib pcm.c:2211:(snd_pcm_open_noupdate) Unknown PCM default
[0x8b34758] oss audio output error: cannot open audio device (/dev/dsp)

Hmm...thanks for the VLC log. It seems like it can't access dbus, pulseaudio or the alsa configuration.
What could cause these permission errors? Are you running inside a chroot or something?
I assume it isn't reproducable if you run Ubuntu from a Live-CD?

don't think so either - run ubuntu in recovery-mode over root-bash -> startx. Tried to run vlc via sux in her notebook - because when I choose in grub the "normal-ubuntu-mode" there comes a white screen after she logs in...

is there any output I should post also - so you can fix this problem in alsa?

Greets

Hi hannes,

Please be sure to confirm this issue exists with the latest development release of Ubuntu. ISO CD images are available from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/ . If the issue remains, please run the following command from a Terminal (Applications->Accessories->Terminal). It will automatically gather and attach updated debug information to this report.

apport-collect -p alsa-base 546769

Also, if you could test the latest upstream kernel available that would be great. It will allow additional upstream developers to examine the issue. Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds . Once you've tested the upstream kernel, please remove the 'needs-upstream-testing' tag. This can be done by clicking on the yellow pencil icon next to the tag located at the bottom of the bug description and deleting the 'needs-upstream-testing' text. Please let us know your results.

Thanks in advance.

    [This is an automated message. Apologies if it has reached you inappropriately; please just reply to this message indicating so.]

Did you find a solution?

Thank you in advance

I've had the same problem on Lucid. I've found a solution in Bug report #445889. I will quote Arwin Tugade:
"
There is this tool that lets you flip settings around but the changes aren't persistant: http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/HDA_Analyzer

To get my speakers working, I ran the hda_analyzer above and under "Node[0x19]" at the bottom in a pane called "Widget Control", I flipped the VREF to "HIZ" and that did the trick. Because I'm impatient, I flipped this value in the kernel source tree I'm using (stable 2.6.33.2):

<KERNPATH>/sound/pci/hda/patch_realtek.c

13479c13479
< {0x19, AC_VERB_SET_PIN_WIDGET_CONTROL, PIN_VREF80},
---
> {0x19, AC_VERB_SET_PIN_WIDGET_CONTROL, PIN_IN},

Recompiled and it's persistent. This is just informational and is by no means a official solution, so use it at your own risk, I just wanted to get this out of the way so I can get on to using my laptop. "

I haven't changed the value in the kernel source yet. But the non-persistent solution works for me so the persistent solution should work to. But it's quite harder...

Same problem, thank you so much for your solution, Pistolpete - worked GREAT.

Haven't tried the patch yet, but, yeah, the HDA Analyzer does the trick.

Sony VPCB1 running maverick - no sound until I followed your suggestion, had tried various meaningless things such as:
* options snd-hda-intel model=auto
* setting any of the options in sound preferences profiles (the various analog and hdmi ones) - actually, when I accidentally selected the input profile, my entire desktop locked up using 100% CPU until I restarted gdm from a VT - btw, it does that if you kill pulseaudio too - it didn't use to
* testing mplayer with: oss alsa esd pulse nas sdl openal
* making sure all channels were at 100% in alsamixer and unmuted (they are)
* plugging a set of external speakers into the headphone jack
* testing the various connectors under output in sound preferences.

all wild shots in the dark. thank you!

Now, I wonder why this is still an issue almost 5 months after a reported solution...

Oh, FWIW, I also had a volume of 0 on Speaker in alsamixer that I had to set to max. Everything looked fine in the sound preferences, so presumably once again there's some confusion on what channel things are playing on :)

Anyway, his solution is still working although making it permanent would be nice. Mildly annoying to fire up HDA Analyser, esp since it freaks out with some network error on startup if I'm not on a network.

Cool that you're on the track on finding something.
So to get this into the kernel permanently, I will need the following:
 * A verification that installation of the latest snapshot do NOT solve the problem: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Audio/InstallingLinuxAlsaDriverModules
 * Your alsa-info's to make sure you have the same hardware as the original bug reporter: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Audio/AlsaInfo
I'll then make a test package for you to test, and upon your positive verification, will submit it upstream.

I had that PPA enabled prior on a recommendation in #ubuntu+1 for about a week but since it did nothing, I disabled it again.
Sorry, forgot to mention that in my laundry list of failures I guess.
I will reenable it briefly and retest, then post my alsa info.

Damn.
Subsystem Id: 0x104d4300

Will attach the file, but I suppose that means you'll want a new bug.
Nonetheless, the issue may have overlap, and clearly at least 2 of us on these sony vpc series found this value to be a solution (no response from original reporter on whether he tried it too).

Sooo, I hope you can still provide a patch file.

Full output from alsa...

I have now researched this issue, and it seems like since only a week back, there is a quirk for all sony vaios having the ALC269 chip.

This means that if you retry https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Audio/InstallingLinuxAlsaDriverModules *now*, it should work without further changes.

Quoting some code below, I don't know if it makes sense to you:

 [ALC269_FIXUP_SONY_VAIO] = {
  .verbs = (const struct hda_verb[]) {
   {0x19, AC_VERB_SET_PIN_WIDGET_CONTROL, PIN_VREFGRD},
   {}

static struct snd_pci_quirk alc269_fixup_tbl[] = {
 SND_PCI_QUIRK_VENDOR(0x104d, "Sony VAIO", ALC269_FIXUP_SONY_VAIO),

Yep. All better after applying the most recent alsa driver modules package.

BTW, there was a warning saying I shouldn't be installing this package, but rather using a meta I didn't see. Hopefully whatever that is is an issue that won't be a problem in release.

Also. I still have to raise the volume on the Speaker item, which always seems to start at 0.

Otherwise I don't hear anything.

Fortunately, unlike some other systems I have, the Master volume still works fine. Just requires Speaker as well.

P.S.
Sorry for the delayed response. I was keeping an eye out for new e-mails, but I didn't get one from this bug for some reason.

FYI, I'd stayed on ALSA test, and the most recent update killed my sound again.
Going into HDA Analyser and changing it from GRD to HIZ again seems to do the trick.

I'm a bit puzzled since your patch suggests that GRD worked before? (assuming that was what was in the ALSA ppa up until now)

Apart from needing to set Speaker from 0 to 100% in alsamixer each time I log in (should probably add that to a startup script), everything seems to be working again in latest ALSA updates.

Derek, are you using GNOME or KDE? Specifically, are you using KMix?

Accepted linux into lucid-proposed, the package will build now and be available in a few hours. Please test and give feedback here. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you in advance!

Accepted linux into maverick-proposed, the package will build now and be available in a few hours. Please test and give feedback here. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you in advance!

daniel, WRT kde vs gnome, this is a brand new default install of ubuntu 10.10 - soooo, gnome :)

This bug is awaiting verification that the kernel in -proposed solves the problem. Please test the kernel and update this bug with the results. If the problem is solved, change the tag 'verification-needed' to 'verification-done'.

If verification is not done by Thursday, November 11, this fix will be dropped from the source code, and this bug will be closed.

See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Thank you!

Due to national holidays, the deadline for verification of fixes for the -proposed kernel has been extended thru Monday, November 15th.

If verification that this bug is fixed by the -proposed kernel has not occurred by that date, the change will be reverted and this bug will be set to incomplete.

If you have tested the kernel in -proposed and found that it fixes the bug on the original hardware, please change the bug tag "verification-needed" to "verification-done".

The new stable kernel release process under which these actions are being taken is still being refined, and is documented here:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/StableReleaseCadence

Discussions about the new process tend to take place in #ubuntu-kernel on IRC, so please contribute to the discussion there if you would like.

Thank you!

Verification that this bug is fixed has not been completed by the deadline for the current stable kernel release cycle.
The change will be reverted and this bug is being set to incomplete.

In order to have this fix considered for reapplication to the kernel, please follow the process documented here:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/StableReleaseCadence

Discussions about the new process tend to take place in #ubuntu-kernel on IRC, so please contribute to the discussion there if you would like.

Thank you!

The change has been reverted from the Maverick kernel for the same reasons given in #24 above.

Hm. Well. I'm not too clear on exactly why it was reverted, but I can attest as I noted previously, that it worked for a while using the ALSA team's package, but then, stopped working.

I've continued to use that team package. Currently am on: 2.6.35-22.201011231600

Since then, I've been using the HDA Analyser tool to fix 0x19 VREF to HIZ as suggested by Pistolpete, and it still fixes things.

Is just inconvenient since I have to do it on every startup, and I must have a network connection since HDA Analyser expects one.

@Derek -- once a fix is applied to the kernel via the SRU process it must be verified as working in the -proposed kernel within a week, else it has to be assumed as not functional and removed from kernel which is passed to -updates. This is to ensure that all fixes which are released actually are confirmed to fix their issues. This is a requirement of the SRU process, unverified fixes are not allowed to be released. If you able to test this fix, then you can request it is reapplied and a further chance to verify it in the next upload should occur.

The fix which is being SRUd under this bug has already hit mainline, first appearing in v2.6.37-rc1. Therefore this is already applied and uploaded in Natty. Closing out the development task:

  commit abdd8f510686da0a58e475bc0143d1069e5f53da
  Author: Takashi Iwai <email address hidden>
  Date: Tue Sep 21 17:38:14 2010 +0200

    ALSA: hda - Apply ALC269 VAIO fix-up to all Sony laptops with ALC269

    We've applied a fix-up for ALC269 VAIO only for two models. But all
    Sony VAIO models with ALC269 codec seem to require the similar fix.
    Let's apply it with vendor-id mask.

    Signed-off-by: Takashi Iwai <email address hidden>

This release has reached end-of-life [0].

[0] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases

lucid has seen the end of its life and is no longer receiving any updates. Marking the lucid task for this ticket as "Won't Fix".