Keep HDMI audio alive when monitor sleeps

[JD]

As per the title, any insights on how to keep HDMI audio alive when the monitor goes to sleep? For now, I've set the screensaver to "blank" and disabled the power options to put the monitor to sleep (I have an OLED monitor so this seems relatively fine) but wondering if there's any more elegant solutions? I tend to leave music playing on my PC while doing other things.

Current setup is HDMI from the onboard AMD iGPU over to a Sony STR-DN1050, which is a bit old and only has ARC. If I disable HDMI output on the AVR, the audio stops working. Likewise if I unplug the monitor from the AVR, there's no audio (even though I'm using DP for my actual screen output).

My monitor (Samsung G85SD) does support ARC/eARC, but I tried that briefly and only got 2 channel audio. Uncertain if buying an eARC receiver would allow that to pass 5.1 or not. But I don't see how this would solve the issue of audio dropping when the monitor sleeps though.

As for using SPDIF, and something I had looked for in my X870 motherboard dilemmas, I overlooked the fact that nobody seems to ship with Dolby Digital Live or DTS Connect anymore. I recall using RTKDeviceConfig on my old X570 board to "unlock" DTS Connect support, but that tool doesn't appear to work with the ALC4080 on this board. SPDIF does not output 5.1 sound for games without it being wrapped in DD/DTS.

This board does come with Dolby Atmos licensing, but that doesn't seem to offer any ability to encode SPDIF output as DD. The Atmos for Home Theatre option doesn't actually work at all (but this AVR does not support Atmos).

Is anyone even using 5.1 speaker setups on Windows for gaming? Or has that phase passed and everyone's using USB headsets or just 2 bookshelf speakers?

I suppose I can just find other methods of getting music to the AVR too...

 

[sswilson]

Would an HDMI splitter/breakout box do the trick?

 

[lowfat]

Use optical for music and then use hdmi when gaming?

 

[sswilson]

Is anyone even using 5.1 speaker setups on Windows for gaming? Or has that phase passed and everyone's using USB headsets or just 2 bookshelf speakers?

I missed this when I first read the OP.... yes, some of us are indeed doing 5.1 speaker setups (well... in my case, 5.1 without the center speaker... ). I'm doing it through analog connections to the speakers as opposed to through a receiver though.

 

[JD]

Use optical for music and then use hdmi when gaming?

Heh, hadn't thought of that, but suppose that's the easiest solution

 

[jtf2]

my 2 cents after a lot of pain lol trying to figure this out for my setup
for hdmi audio always on

Sound Keeper v1.3.4 [2024/09/15] — VEG.BY

veg.by

i use the default setting and have had no issues
i am using an old onkyo txsr309 avr and display is a 34 inch alienware
dp from 3080-to monitor
hdmi to input on avr
a $15 amazon headless emulator on the avr output
windows of course see`s the avr as 2nd monitor-i set resolution to 720p 800x600
i then just adjust settings in sound cpl
it works
good luck

 

[JD]

a $15 amazon headless emulator on the avr output

Yeah I was wondering about these if that would help. I'll probably grab one with my next Amazon order then.

I have found it's a bit better to keep my AVR is what I presume is a sort of "quick resume" mode but then I hear the transformer buzzing all the time too. At least I don't get the stupid animation of plugging in a monitor whenever I turn the AVR on.

I've used Sound Keeper for many years now, didn't seem like it was having any effect with HDMI though. It helped with optical in the past to eliminate those sort of "pops" you'd get sometimes.

 

[jtf2]

Yeah I was wondering about these if that would help. I'll probably grab one with my next Amazon order then.

I have found it's a bit better to keep my AVR is what I presume is a sort of "quick resume" mode but then I hear the transformer buzzing all the time too. At least I don't get the stupid animation of plugging in a monitor whenever I turn the AVR on.

I've used Sound Keeper for many years now, didn't seem like it was having any effect with HDMI though. It helped with optical in the past to eliminate those sort of "pops" you'd get sometimes.

i also used soundkeeper with with optical,and personally had the issue with hdmi so i just run it