Anyone have a Studio 1555 with HDMI audio that works?

These are my notes about HDMI.

To play audio through HDMI:

1 Turn off the computer and TV.
2 Connect the computer and TV.
3 Then turn the TV on. Adjust its setting to receive HDMI audio.
4 Next, turn on the computer to allow it to detect the connection to the TV.
5 Go to Start>Control Panel>Sound>Playback tab. Select the HDMI device as the default device. Click the Set Default button, and then click OK.

(from the Dell Technology Guide)

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HDMI uses its own audio driver separate from the Sigmatel or IDT audio system of the computer. It might be named "Audio device on high definition audio bus" in the Device Manager. It is actually included in the Intel graphics driver. Some forum members have had to update their graphics driver to get HDMI working, while others have had to go into the video driver on the hard drive and activate the audio portion as explained below.

The HDMI audio driver should be located in the HDMI folder of your graphics driver folder. Here are sample paths, but the path will vary depending on the name of your graphics driver:
C:\dell\drivers\R199173\HDMI
C:\dell\drivers\R207162\HDMI (GM945/965)

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"Just update the driver using the IntcHdmi.inf located there".

(Posted by forum member jemerson29

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"In the unzipped intel video driver (GM965) there's a folder named HDMI. It contains the driver for the audio device on high definition audio bus. To install, right click on the device in device manager (which has an exclamation mark on it), then update driver, and point to the HDMI folder. Once the driver is installed, the (!) exclamation should disappear in device manager. There's no need to reconfigure any audio settings. Audio will automatically be fed to the HDMI port, and when an HDMI cable is plugged into the port the laptop's speakers automatically mute."
(Posted by forum member extra hand with an Inspiron 1525)
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Mini10 
"The following updated Intel video driver will allow you to pass audio and video through the HDMI port. You will need to have your Mini10 connected to an hdmi TV for the audio properties to give you the HDMI option."
Intel Graphics_Media 945GSE/GM965
(Posted by forum member riotten22)
http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/download.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&releaseid=R207162&SystemID=INSPIRON1010&servicetag=&os=WW1&osl=en&deviceid=18334&devlib=0&typecnt=0&vercnt=1&catid=-1&impid=-1&formatcnt=1&libid=6&fileid=290030
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By warf0x0r in Audio
I was having a similar problem. Everytime I reinstalled the 965 Intel Graphics driver the default audio device was comming up as High Definition Audio. I had to update that devices driver and specify the intel driver file I got from dells driver download website for the m1330.

Just add audio cables and you'll have sound. Video card hdmi sends just the dvi video, not the sound. Attach RCA cables from your tv tuner card or your sound card to the tv and see if that works. BTW, hope you didn't fall for the $60 hdmi cable scam. You can buy a perfectly good hdmi cable for $5 or so online at Amazon or Meritline.

I should be so lucky!

After more than four hours of tech chats, nobody has yet been able to make the HDMI Audio device appear on the list of available playback devices. 

Even if we uninstall and delete all the audio devices, and reinstall the Intel HDMI audio device, it will appear in device manager but not in the Sound panel.  Device manager recognizes it and says it's working properly, Control Panel->Sound doesn't know it exists.

Unfortunately, that won't work for me.  My display is smart enough to know that HDMI includes both audio and video, so when it's set to HDMI source, it looks only at HDMI for both audio and video, I can't select a non-HDMI audio input.  (Works fine with my other PCs, since PC HDMI does include audio when it's configured right. Intel says its chipset does include audio out, and Dell acknowledges that there's supposed to be audio on the output.  They just haven't been able to get it working yet.)

Audio is part of the HDMI spec, after all -- a PC that doesn't put out both audio and video shouldn't be calling that port HDMI, because it isn't.

Video card hdmi sends just the dvi video, not the sound.

Mary G,

It's is true that HDMI does not send the sound from the laptop's audio system and thus you would have to use audio cables like you said if you want to connect the sound 'card' to the tv. However the Intel graphics driver includes a separate HDMI audio driver just for sending digital audio to the HDMI port. The problem is not that HDMI lacks the capability to carry audio, but rather that it is ridiculously tricky to get it configured to do so. Almost everyone who has posted here on the Laptop Audio board about it has used a different method from everybody else. However it can be done, at least with some models. We know that because of the posts from forum members who have gotten it to work.

Perhaps it does not work for all Intel graphics models or for other brands. The original poster of this thread, jmputnam, asked specifically about the Studio 1555 and I don't remember seeing a post about HDMI and that model, but based on what others have discovered and shared I believe that it might be possible for jmputnam to have HDMI audio.

After a few more hours with tech support, and escalation to Level 3, we still haven't gotten HDMI Audio working on my 1555.

Since we have identical problems on two different machines with identical configurations, the latest theory is that it is specific to the hardware configuration.  Here and on other forums, I've found multiple references to working HDMI Audio configurations on Studio 1555 laptops with ATI video cards, but no postings anywhere from users of the Studio 1555 with the integrated Intel video.  (Further update, I've now tried it with three different HDMI TVs from different manufacturers, all work with a different HDMI laptop but not with this one, so I'm pretty sure it's a problem with this laptop.)

As of the last time I spoke with tech support, they're probably going to dispatch a service technician with a replacement motherboard and ATI video card, and see if they can get it working.

I will post an update when I know.

I don't know if you've solved this yet, but I had the same issue the day I got my 1555. The solution that worked for me was simple once I found it.

First, connect the HDMI cable to the TV and your 1555 (be sure the TV is on). Then: Control Panel>Additional Options>IDT Audio Control Panel

At this point, a new window pops up. The bottom center area will have 4 vertical sliders, one for main, computer speakers, headphones, and HDMI (which is represented by a TV). Click on the image of the TV. One option will appear above the sliders (where the horizontal sliders and SRS logo were). That option sets HDMI as the default audio output. Click the radio button. This should resolve the issue, it did for me. Also, when you disconnect the HDMI from your 1555, the HDMI (TV image) option disappears from that window and your computer speakers return as the default audio. You should not have to switch this again, but even if you do, it's easy.

Hope that solves your issue also!

jmputnam, any update on this issue?

Well, so far they've now replaced the motherboard twice, the second time with a different model, and still haven't solved the HDMI audio problem.  But they did somehow leave the computer unable to charge its battery off the 60W charger it came with, so now I'm told they're building yet another new machine for us, and will actually test it before they send it to us to make sure it really works like it's supposed to.

The latest update: They called me today, but wouldn't answer the phone.

That is, they called me, then had an endlessly repeating message asking me to press 1 for this, press 2 for that, etc.  Except they called me while I was on the freeway and I'd answered on a voice-actuated headset, so I couldn't press anything.

I can see having an incoming line that ignores people who aren't on a touch-tone phone.  But for Dell to place outbound calls on a system that only works if the recipient answers on a touch-tone line? 

They didn't leave a call-back number, so I'll just have to wait for them to call me again, and hope they don't catch me on I-90 again....

I  wonder if your problem is related to the one I am having with a Studio 1735 HDMI connector not providing sound when connected to a YAMAHA amp. I believe my issue has to do with HDCP, but I can't figure out how to troubleshoot HDCP issues. My sound works if I connect directly to my SAMSUNG 46" TV, but not if I connect to the AMP first which is daisy-chained to the TV. I had been able to get my issue escalated past 1st level support a while back, but the tech who was working on my issue left the company, and then DELL stopped using the company that was providing me support in Canada so I am out of luck. I have had a bit more luck with Windows7 when I installed it on a 2nd HD I added to my machine. With that OS, at least I get some sound coming out the amp, but not hi-def.

Well, finally I got my 1555 with intel graphics to get audio out of HDMI under WIN7 64 bit ULTIMATE.

After strugling with no audio from my HDMI and  reading all your posts here for the last few days, I decided to uninstall my graphics driver and reinstall the graphics driver from DELL , then I switch my power plan to HIGH PERFOMANCE - not the DELL RECOMENDED one !!!

Then I powered off my 1555 , connected to the TV with HDMI, powered on and VOILA :emotion-1: here it is

 And the sound is beautifull as the picture :emotion-11:

That's a VERY ENCOURAGING post, Mr. Bond!  I have a Studio 17 (1735) in Canada and have had very limited success in getting audio out of the HDMI port.  I hope you will hang around this forum in spite of your success and perhaps help me (and others) determine the path to your success! 

I can summarize what the facts I have experienced so far, and perhaps together we can see what the difference(s) are between your setup (that works) and mine!

Basically, with Vista, the only time I got sound was when I hook the PC up directly to the TV via HDMI.  Then I get sound out of the tinny TV speakers.  With Win7 (32 bit), I got sound when I had my cabling done as I believe it should be, that is to say PC-HDMI-AMP-HDMI-TV.  Then, when windows boots, I get the startup sound.  But Blue-rays don't play (with just Win7 and no other sw players installed.

I also noticed the Sound applet showed the HDMI picture with the down-arrow sometimes, and noticed you could double-click that and sometimes see the HDMI picture you have pointed to on the right change when it is able tocommunicate properly with the audio output device.

Eskimo277!

first of all I can say that all my experience in this case is with WIN 7 64 bit  only. I never even looked at VISTA since the XP !!! I don't recomend anybody else to do so also.

Now, i have a strong feeling that  my success has something with the power plan, since the moment I chnaged to High Perfomance and  disabled inside any saving power option I had success with the audio thru HDMI.

Also I noticed that HDMI will be shown only when you keep this in mind :

YOU MUST FIRST POWER OFF TV, POWER OFF YOUR DELL, CONNECT THE HDMI CABLE, POWER ON YOUR TV IN HDMI MODE and only then POWER ON YOUR DELL and ensure it is powered by MAINS ! NOT BATTERY!.

It is importatnt to understand that the moment you will boot again with noTV connected you wil NOT SEE the HDMI in the SOUND PROPERTIES of your DELL.

In your cae I suggest:

TURN TV ON in HDMI MODE, THEN YOUR AMP also in HDMI MODE and only then your DELL (after you have switched to the high perfomance mode and then powered it off).

Hope that will do for you too.

Bond