[alsa-devel] Force an update of the ELD info?

[VDR User]

Hi. I was wondering if it's possible to force alsa/drivers to update
the ELD info yet? If not, is this something that can be added? Reason
being, htpc users may or may not have their receiver/surround sound on
at any given time. The ELD info can be used to determine this, and
thus audio playback can be appropriately set for surround/no-surround
at any given time. As it is now, to even use surround, the receiver
must be turned on before the system is booted. That may not always be
convenient. Also, leaving a receiver on 24/7 is a waste of power,
generates heat, and puts unnecessary wear & tear on equipment that's
not being used at the time.

I have been told one way to force an ELD update is to completely
unload alsa/drivers, and reload them. However, that's very
inconvenient as it requires plugging in a keyboard, or ssh'ing into
the box, unloading everything, toggling the receivers power state,
then reloading everything. That's a pretty disruptive process which,
if can be avoided, should be.

Also, could someone with the proper knowledge clarify is this is
something that alsa needs to support, the sound drivers need to
support, and/or the video drivers need to support? I've heard very
different answers and would like some clear info on this if anyone has
any to offer.

In case anyone is wondering, I have multiple linux htpcs connected via
hdmi to receivers, that are then connected to tvs. These boxes have
nothing more than an IR receiver connected to them for navigating an
OSD. All of the boxes are using Nvidia video cards with vdpau
decoding, and audio-over-hdmi with the snd_hda_intel.

Many thanks for any input!
-DK