Dolese

Q: No Hdmi volume control

Last week I purchased a Mac mini for the purpose of a home entertainment computer. I was replacing a Dell that I have had for years for the very same purpose. One problem I've come across is that  I cannot control the audio going through the HDMI via the keyboard. I have been doing research, and it doesn't look like it is possible. However, the Dell that I was using was hooked to the very same TV via HDMI and I could control the output from the keyboard. I have a hard time believing that the my 5 yr old dell had the capability to do so and not my new Mac Mini. The only reason this is an issue for me is because I am trying to eliminate remote controllers. Any thoughts?

Mac mini, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4), Base line Mac mini

Posted on Aug 23, 2013 8:08 AM

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Q: No Hdmi volume control

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  • by lllaass,

    lllaass lllaass Aug 23, 2013 9:07 AM in response to Dolese
    Level 10 (187,759 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 23, 2013 9:07 AM in response to Dolese

    If you use the HDMI output for sound you can only control the volume via the device.

    On the Del can you connect another sound input and still use the HDMI input for video? If so connect the input to the Minis audio out and select the output in the Mini Preferences.

  • by Dolese,

    Dolese Dolese Aug 23, 2013 9:33 AM in response to lllaass
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Aug 23, 2013 9:33 AM in response to lllaass

    I apologize if I wasn't clear, I am using the Mac mini replacing the dell. Not its just the Mac mini connected Hdmi to the TV. No other devices. Is three some 3rd party software than can do this? Quite disappointing though.

  • by a brody,

    a brody a brody Aug 23, 2013 1:37 PM in response to Dolese
    Level 9 (66,781 points)
    Classic Mac OS
    Aug 23, 2013 1:37 PM in response to Dolese

    You may need to setup your Audio-Midi Setup utility under Applications -> Utilities to change its Audio out:

    Screen Shot 2013-08-23 at 4.36.53 PM.png

  • by tman52100,

    tman52100 tman52100 Jul 13, 2014 10:23 PM in response to a brody
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 13, 2014 10:23 PM in response to a brody

    I've discovered a solution.

     

    Yes these is an app you can buy. I just searched "volume control" and it gave me a list of these volume control apps. some are pricey but I'm going with the .99 cent one called AudioSwitcher (one word). It has great reviews, and super cheap. I have a problem where I sometimes need to plug my head phones in and when the plug is in the back I don't like to reach back there. So I'd like to just have my headphones plugged in and just toggle through the different sound output options. My computer is also plugged into my TV as well. When every I'm listening through my TV it won't let me control the volume so that gets annoying as well.

     

    Good luck.

  • by John Lockwood,

    John Lockwood John Lockwood Jul 14, 2014 9:18 AM in response to Dolese
    Level 6 (9,215 points)
    Servers Enterprise
    Jul 14, 2014 9:18 AM in response to Dolese

    HDMI is a digital interface, when sound is sent over it the sound is therefore also digital. To change the volume of a digital signal means completely altering the digital signal. Apple appear to take the view that the end-point device i.e. the device actually outputting the sound should be responsible for volume control.

     

    If your HDMI goes to an AV Receiver and the AV Receiver has the speakers plugged in to it, then the AV Receiver is responsible for converting it back to analogue (for sound is an analogue waveform) and therefore the AV Receiver should be also responsible for doing the volume control. It would be able to do this in the analogue form rather than the digital form since it will already have had to convert it back to analogue to play through the (analogue) speakers.

     

    The same would apply to a TV with built-in speakers.

     

    Now what is annoying is that even with the above there would still be a way for the Mac to send the volume control to the end device using a standard called CEC (Consumer Electronics Control). This allows sending such commands via the HDMI interface to be processed by e.g. the AV Receiver. The Mac would then be telling the AV Receiver to increase or decrease the volume, this would still mean the digital signal is unchanged and the AV Receiver still gets to do it in the analogue realm.

     

    Unfortunately it is my understanding that Apple do not support the CEC standard although I have seen some people claim it 'works for them'.

     

    For what its worth there is a USB gadget that can 'insert' CEC commands in to the HDMI signal, the computer would send the commands via USB to this gadget and the gadget then inserts the signal in to the HDMI signal. However the software your using has to support this gadget. I believe XBMC for Mac does so but iTunes etc. would not.

     

    See http://www.pulse-eight.com/store/products/104-usb-hdmi-cec-adapter.aspx

     

    I would guess any software like AudioSwitcher is converting the sound to analogue, altering the volume, and then if needed converting the sound back to digital to send over the HDMI, and then the AV Receiver (or TV) will have to convert it back to analogue again. As you can imagine this would make a small loss of quality and possible audio delays due to the repeated conversion. This is why I believe Apple don't do it at the Mac end. Although an AV Receiver generally also has the ability to set an offset to compensate for audio delays (TVs don't).

     

    Again nothing would prevent Apple supporting CEC which does not have this problem.

  • by biggdaddymiller,

    biggdaddymiller biggdaddymiller Nov 14, 2014 4:55 PM in response to Dolese
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 14, 2014 4:55 PM in response to Dolese

    THANK YOU! It is NOT hard for them to have set it up. This is disgraceful, and I will pursue action on this. I was told that it could do it, and that was a lie. I was also told that it work that with AUDIO INTERFACES like my STEINBERG for music. The thing is, is that this is an INDUSTRY STANDARD EQUIPMENT! I am not going ask you twice. If you don't set this up right I am filling A LAW SUIT! GOT IT! Even you gotta spend money to replace my system, get it done!

  • by Csound1,

    Csound1 Csound1 Nov 14, 2014 5:56 PM in response to biggdaddymiller
    Level 9 (50,202 points)
    Desktops
    Nov 14, 2014 5:56 PM in response to biggdaddymiller

    biggdaddymiller wrote:

     

    THANK YOU! It is NOT hard for them to have set it up. This is disgraceful, and I will pursue action on this. I was told that it could do it, and that was a lie. I was also told that it work that with AUDIO INTERFACES like my STEINBERG for music. The thing is, is that this is an INDUSTRY STANDARD EQUIPMENT! I am not going ask you twice. If you don't set this up right I am filling A LAW SUIT! GOT IT! Even you gotta spend money to replace my system, get it done!

    You realise that you're not talking to Apple here, just other Apple users, like you, or maybe not exactly like you but similar.

     

    If you would like to threaten Apple try this link: Apple.com/Feedback

  • by _Matej,

    _Matej _Matej Jul 30, 2016 2:01 AM in response to Csound1
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jul 30, 2016 2:01 AM in response to Csound1

    As a brand new Mac owner and OS X user, this was the first issue I noticed immediately after setup. Initially I assumed I was just not proficient with the OS yet, until I searched online for a solution and discovered discussions such as this one, and learned that OS X simply does not support output volume control for HDMI devices through the menu bar.

     

    I was astonished to learn that such a basic function is missing, as for the past ten years I have grown fond of monitors with built-in speakers because I prefer not cluttering up my desk with speakers and wires. My audio needs are simple, mainly including Netflix and YouTube. All the versions of Windows I have used allowed for HDMI volume control without issue, even the terrible Vista, and I have come to appreciate adjusting the volume from the system tray as the most convenient way of sound control for my needs.

     

    Please do not get me wrong, I do like everything else about OS X so far. I am mainly just curious if it is an intentional design choice, and if so, what the reasoning behind it is, or if for some reason it is not possible to implement due to the Mac's hardware, though that would make even less sense, especially after it has been around for several generations.