Comment 61 for bug 465942

I have a similar problem with a device disappearing - in my case on closing an application like Rhythmbox that was using it.

I have in .asoundrc:

 # Encode AC3 -> Directly on hardware
 pcm.Filter_A52Encode {
     type a52
     bitrate 448
     card NVidia
 }

 # Rate Converter to 48kHz, needed for Pulseaudio it seems
 pcm.Filter_RateConvert {
     type rate slave {
        pcm "Filter_A52Encode" rate 48000
     }
 }

and in default.pa:

 load-module module-alsa-sink device=Filter_RateConvert rate=48000 channels=6 tsched=0 sink_properties=device.description=SPDIF sink_name=SPDIF

    Music plays through AC3 via SPDIF through Pulseaudio and Alsa, but when I close the application (eg. Rhythmbox music player), the SPDIF (Filter_RateConvert) output "disappears".

    I have attached a back trace: pulseaudiooutput_rateconverter.txt

    I think it's here where the Filter_RateConvert sink gets unloaded for some reason:

     I: client.c: Freed 1 "Rhythmbox"
     I: protocol-native.c: Connection died.
     I: module.c: Unloading "module-alsa-sink" (index: #4).
     D: module-always-sink.c: Autoloading null-sink as no other sinks detected.

    Is the sink being wrongly unloaded? Or is it correctly unloaded on Rhythmbox exit but wrong that it is not then reloaded afterwards?