Ubuntu On Sony Vaio FW Series

Here is another script which you can link for example to AV Mode button, to switch sound output to HDMI and back. First I thought I can use Alsa, but it works only with one application, other application can not play sound while another one is playing. So then I did it with PulseAudio which works correctly. This switcher works for all native Gnome/gstreamer sound applications, and some applications e.g. SMplayer refuse to switch their sound regardles what default output set in PulseAudio. If you have playing sound and then switched to HDMI, it will still play through old way and you need to restart your sound e.g. push stop/play button to point sound through new way.

First of all you need to prepare PulseAudio configuration. For some point PA does not add HDMI output to devices itself. We should add it and rename internal sound card to something readable. Open /etc/pulse/defauld.pa in editor with root privileges (e.g. sudo nano /etc/pulse/default.pa in terminal) locate line “#load-module module-pipe-sink” there. Open terminal and run this command there: aplay -l | grep -o -e "card [0-9]:.*[0-9]:" | sed -e "s/card \([0-9]\): \(.*\) \[.*device \([0-9]\).*/load-module module-alsa-sink device=hw:\1,\3 sink_name=\2/"

Command returns two lines which we need to add to default.pa file after that line you located earlier. In my case this lines look like:

#load-module module-null-sink
#load-module module-pipe-sink
load-module module-alsa-sink device=hw:0,0 sink_name=Intel
load-module module-alsa-sink device=hw:1,3 sink_name=HDMI

### Automatically load driver modules depending on the hardware available

Then you should restart PulseAudio (sudo /etc/init.d/pulseaudio restart) to changes make effect. You can check that devices added correctly by running pacmd list-sinks in terminal, you should see “name: <HDMI>” and “name <Intel>” if you have got the same names as in my case, theese names must be the same as after “sink_name” in lines you added to default.pa.

Ok, now to switcher:

#!/bin/bash
#
# Sound output switcher using Gnome,gconf,PulseAudio,Alsa,libnotify
#
# by Anton Veretenenko <anton[email sign]veretenenko.ru>

notify_show=1
notify_delay=500
hdmi_card_num=1
internal_card_name=Intel
hdmi_card_name=HDMI

is_hdmi_on=`amixer -c $hdmi_card_num cget numid=4,iface=MIXER,name='IEC958 Playback Switch' | grep -i -c -P -e "values=on"`

if [ "$is_hdmi_on" == "1" ]
then
 amixer -c $hdmi_card_num cset numid=4,iface=MIXER,name='IEC958 Playback Switch' off > /dev/null
 gconftool --set "/system/gstreamer/0.10/default/musicaudiosink" --type=string "pulsesink device=\"$internal_card_name\""
 gconftool --set "/system/gstreamer/0.10/default/audiosink" --type=string "pulsesink device=\"$internal_card_name\""
 gconftool --set "/system/gstreamer/0.10/default/chataudiosink" --type=string "pulsesink device=\"$internal_card_name\""
 pacmd "set-default-sink "$internal_card_name""
 if [ $notify_show -eq 1 ]
 then
  notify-send -u normal -t $notify_delay -i gnome-sound-properties "HDMI Off" "Sound output switched to $internal_card_name"
 fi
else
 amixer -c $hdmi_card_num cset numid=4,iface=MIXER,name='IEC958 Playback Switch' on > /dev/null
 gconftool --set "/system/gstreamer/0.10/default/musicaudiosink" --type=string "pulsesink device=\"$hdmi_card_name\""
 gconftool --set "/system/gstreamer/0.10/default/audiosink" --type=string "pulsesink device=\"$hdmi_card_name\""
 gconftool --set "/system/gstreamer/0.10/default/chataudiosink" --type=string "pulsesink device=\"$hdmi_card_name\""
 pacmd "set-default-sink "$hdmi_card_name""
 if [ $notify_show -eq 1 ]
 then
  notify-send -u normal -t $notify_delay -i gnome-sound-properties "HDMI On" "Sound output switched to $hdmi_card_name"
 fi
fi

Here you need to change hdmi_card_num to number of your HDMI sound card (you can get it by aplay -l in terminal) and internal_card_name to name you found earlier and hdmi_card_name to hdmi card name which you saw after “sink_name” parameter.

This switcher will show a popup notification, like you see when changing brightness

P.S. How to link this script to AV Mode button (XF86Launch2) read in post about headphones switcher script.

I’m not defining a “hippo” model for “snd-hda-intel” to make headphones detection about we talk earlier. Because I’m using my headphones plug very rarely, I decided to write a shell script to switch sound to headphone and back and link it to to S1 button. This information could help you if you want to make S1 button to do something else too.

Here is a switch script, when you run it, it detects if headphones are switched on then it switch it off and vice-versa. Front mixer channel will be switched off if headphones switched on and vice-versa.

#!/bin/bash
# by Anton Veretenenko <anton[email sign]veretenenko.ru>

is_front_on=`amixer -c 0 cget numid=2,iface=MIXER,name='Front Playback Switch' | grep -i -c -P -e "values=on,on"`

if [ "$is_front_on" == "1" ]
then
 amixer -c 0 cset numid=2,iface=MIXER,name='Front Playback Switch' off
 amixer -c 0 cset numid=3,iface=MIXER,name='Headphone Playback Switch' on
else
 amixer -c 0 cset numid=2,iface=MIXER,name='Front Playback Switch' on
 amixer -c 0 cset numid=3,iface=MIXER,name='Headphone Playback Switch' off
fi

To link S1 button to this script (make a shortcut) you need to delete shortcut from System->Preferences->Keyboard Shortcuts for this button, if you have it. I guess you saw that S1 button named as “XF86Launch1″ in keyboard shortcuts, you need this name later.

Open gconf-editor (Alt+F2, type gconf-editor, Run). On the left tree select apps->metacity->global_keybindings the on the right you should see a list of keys, select one you like (I choose “run_command_1″) and edit it (right click, Edit Key), enter name of S1 button (“XF86Launch1″) into value field. Then select “keybinding_commands”  on the left.

Edit “command_1″ key, into value field you should enter path to the script, in my case it is “/home/egaistek/scripts/alsa-front-mute”. That’s all, it should work now.

P.S. Do not forget to add executable permissions to a script file (chmod +x in terminal or File->Properties, Permissions tab, set “Allow executing file as program” in Nautilus/File Explorer)

P.P.S. This works only for Gnome without Compiz running. If you want to add shortcuts with Compiz, use Compiz configuration tools.

It’s not Vaio related, but I’m experiencing this second time. Gedit just stops remembering it’s position on the screen and it’s window size, does anyone experincing this too? Or it’s just me did something bad again with configs =) It opens always at the same place and with the same size.

I have wrote about turning off bluetooth and simple shell scripts to do it. Because we have a single switch for wifi and bluetooth, I have wrote a simple gnome panel applet to switch bluetooth off and on when I need it, just in one click.

When bluetooth is turned off the icon is gray, when you click on it, it switches to color and turn on bluetooth, click again to turn off.

If peopele need it, I can package and write a little howto about installing it