Hi I was really pleased with 1.4.0.99, on my kubuntu feisty AMD64 setup with HDA audio

But yesterday a kernel update to x86_64, 2.6.20-16-generic arrived and all my audio, including Skype stopped working.

I'd had some experience of this before, so I guessed it was the ALSA drivers that were causing the problem (HDA audio cards seem to be a bit problematic), so I installed the latest version 1.0.15rc1. Hey presto my audio is back, even without the tinkering with HDA model numbers that I previously had to do to get the mixer to show the mic boost option!

So Audio is back - but for everything except Skype! - which says "problem with audio playback"

I have previously seen this same message from Skype before when I tried 1.0.14 a while ago. Somewhere on these forums (cant seem to find it now) is a statement from a Skype person saying that skype is incompatible with 1.0.14 - so at that time went back to 1.0.13.
So I purged the 10.0.15 drivers and went back to ALSA 1.0.13 - tried both from APT and from compliling source

But when I do this all the sound fails again. 1.0.13 seems to be incompatible with the new kernel.

So, my basic problem seems to be how to get Skype to work with the lastest versions of ALSA, 1.0.14 or 1.0.15

Any Ideas?

Skype should be fine with both 1.0.14 and 1.0.15 ALSA. With regards your sound device settings in Skype, do you have Skype set to use the default device, or an explicit hw: or plughw: address?

Andrew.

Thanks Andypoo. In fact have some more info

Yes, I am using the default device, but that worked fine before.
I also tried all the other options and none of them work either.


I now tried this on 4 different setups. (all of them are set with default device)

1. A fully updated Kubuntu on a AMD 64 system (with the necessary 32 bit libraries) - No good: 'Call Failed. Problem with audio playback'
2. A fully updated Kubuntu on a 32bit AMD system - No good: 'Call Failed. Problem with audio playback'
3. A fully updated Ubuntu on a 32 bit AMD system - No good: 'Call Failed. Problem with audio playback'

But here's the interesting one
4. A not quite fully updated Kubuntu on a 32bit AMD system. Skype works fine!

So what's different between the updated and not updated systems?
The updates that are waiting are:
libkrb53
libwrap0
linuxheaders 2.6.10-16
linuxheaders 2.6.10-16-generic
linux image 2.6.10-16-generic
tar
vim common
vim tiny

I'm guessing that if I apply these updates skype will s top working as it did on the other boxes

To me, it looks like something in this list breaks skype - or at least breaks the previous ALSA 1.0.13

I still cant find the post on this forum that said there was ain incompatibility between Skype and ALSA 1.0.14, buit I think it might have been Berkus who posted it - it was definitely a skype insider.

With Ubunty gutsy almost out this matter should be of quite high importance I think.

regards

spegru

2.6.10 is ancient. What kernel are you running on the machines, where it doesn't work?
Philipp

Need logs.

I have skype running on my laptop with the newest version of ALSA that I compiled (whatever version that is).
I also have it running on my 64-bit desktop with a Audigy 4. The only problem there is that I have to use "Audigy 4 [SB0610] (hw:Audigy2,0)" to make it work.

Perhaps you could try moving any .alsa files in your home directory and see if that helps after a reboot. (If it hurts you can move it back)

Are you referring to berkus' post in the following thread?:

http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=66544&st=40

Funnily enough, when I installed ALSA 1.0.14, Skype still worked fine on my PC, although I know of someone who had to do what berkus wrote in that post to get Skype working again.

For what it's worth, I'm using Skype 1.4.0.99, ALSA 1.0.14 and Sabayon Linux x86-64 3.4 Loop 2b (kernel 2.6.21-sabayon-r2) with the modification to /usr/share/alsa/cards/HDA-Intel.conf that I described in the above-mentioned thread.

try my fix in :

http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=96369

This might help. I also have the intel-hda and with my .asoundrc the mic and sound works just fine with alsa 1.0.14.

OK. I fired up skype from the command line instead of the icon. I got alot of error massages from my AMD64 setup when I log into skype

the result is is very long and the forum doesnt seem to want to let me post it so it should be in this file attachment.

- basically though it's many many statements to the effect of

Cannot open shared library /usr/lib/alsa-lib/libasound_module_pcm_empty.so


I have a feeling that the other machines may be different though. I'll report on those shortly


spegru

OK I tried the other machines and got no error reports. In fact it turns out that the use of non-default sound devices fixed the problem for them and skype now works OK (although a bit hissy). That is a change over previous skype behaviour though. Default was OK before.


So the problem seems confined to the AMD64 machine and its HDA audio card.
The other machines are running Ubuntu Feisty default ALSA which I think is 1.0.13 (cant find a way to check at present). The AMD64 is definitely running 1.0.15rc1 and I cannot get skype to work with any of the sound devices.
This problem also existed with 1.0.14 so I had to use 1.0.13 with some tweaks, (because it did not recognise the precise HDA model, and so failed to the show 20dB boost). 1.0.15 does not seem to need those tweaks but 1.0.13 now kills ALL sound with the new kernel - and Skype doenst seem to like either 1.0.14 or 15 with this HDA card.

thanks
spegru

Yes that was the post I was thinking of. Thanks. I tried Berkus's cure but unfortunately it made no difference.
I think your fix is for mic problems? Unfortunately mine is for ALL audio.


thanks
spegru

Hi Berkus, did the logs I posted tell you anything?

ALso let me reiterate that it makes no difference what audio device I use, and that this problem may be due to HDA audio. I am also using 64b Kubuntu

S

bump

I am having a simalur issue with Ubuntu http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=97244

My sound works fine with Gweled game, skype sounds when people sign in and out and with the test sound BUT when I try to make a call I get the "Call failed Problem with audio playback device". WTF?

I have seen a lot of Ubuntu post from the last few days. I think there needs to be a fix for us. I wonder is Debian OS is having the same problem. Since we are using the Debian install for Skype, is there a difference here that is the issue?

Rodney

Most of these ALSA related problems are due to amd64 platform. spegru, you compiled new ALSA version under amd64 arch in order to get support for your sound hardware under new kernel, but old version 32-bit ALSA libraries might be still on your system, and Skype can use only these.

There are NUMEROUS problems like this, mostly ALSA related, but also input related, only because Skype does not support amd64... Once Linux Skype gets camera and other features support, amd64 users will only get more & more problems if developers dont support amd64 arch.

Skype, please support amd64... It is important, people use it A LOT, isn't that obvious?

Umm.
1) didn't see the logs.of course these were not the logs we're looking for (create the logs by: exit skype, mkdir ~/.Skype/Logs; run skype; then quit skype and copy files from Logs directory; rmdir Logs after you're done or you will have several gigs of logs in there in a couple of days)
2) if it doesn't work on AMD64 all i can recommend is look for missing 32 bits libraries.
3) for sctech - you sure you don't run any soundserver like artsd or esd?

OFFTOPIC



Yeah, when it happens I will be the first happy person. But.

I'm still not convinced that 64 bits OS brings any extra value for the regular desktop user (besides the omnipresent problems of compatibility and absent libs/apps). Care to enlighten me, anybody?

Maybe it's a bit of a bold statement, but if everybody finally moved to 64 bits CPU manufacturers could at last chuck away the 32 bit part, freeing up some die area, leaving some space for improvements elsewhere.
Besides, packages compiled for amd64 use sse2 by default, which is not the case for i386 ones.
I'd like to mention, though, that 64-bit Skype is not the thing I'm waiting for the most. I'd very much prefer to have a polished 32-bit one than a flaky 64-bit port. Under Fedora, multilib is easy and painless. The only thing I could complain about is the lack of SCIM support - I am not sure if you can have it working in both architectures at the same time.

You are probably right. Present situation just spoils customer satisfaction for the lesser linux gods that can't seem to get your product running on their system because they inconsiderately tried installing a 64-bit OS, while you were trying to solve this semantic issue. 64-bit processors on desktops are a load of bullshit anyway.

True.

Unfortunately it is true due to some developer teams like yours. 64bit Linux desktops does bring omnipresent problems of compatibility because of, namely; Skype, Adobe Flash, few 32bit codecs... And that is almost all! ~98% of Linux software WORKS without even a single problem on 64bit desktop. Not to mention that most of the code, even some pretty complicated software suites, would compile on various platforms, without even changing any setting.
Performance gain is not spectacular, but at least in Linux OS it is guaranteed, especially for database, statistics, math, and simulation/emulation soft. Situation is much different than the Windows 32bit / 64bit scene, where most of the apps are still 32bit, and there are not clear gains in both speed and usability when these are run on 64bit OS. Skype comes from win32 world and we respect that, but it is time to overcome win32 restrictions and enter a new world of portability, or is it?

One more time, Skype developers, please support 64bit architecture, it is simply important. Skype runs on MASSIVE scale, its an MAJOR software and it is a SHAME it does not support 64bit arch unlike most of its competitors. More and more users are switching to Linux systems, and developing good and true portable Skype would only help improve user experience.

P.S.
Why is it so hard to compile 64bit version? Does Skype for linux links to some 32bit-only binaries that is used on windows/mac as well?

Just guessing, but...
A common problem with developing software (at least closed source with only binary distributions) is that as you increase the number of targets supported, so does your costs for quality assurance and support.
It could very well be that they believe that linux users trying to run a 32 bit Skype on a 64-bit OS is a smaller problem to deal with than having to deal with another target.
The fact that they build skype for a half dozen of linuxes is probably considered a problem already (we have seen numerous "debian package does not work" like questions in the past). Doubling that is presumably frightening.

In my own personal opinion the best thing would be to feature freeze the 32-bit Skype at this point and continue with a 64-bit one only (for linux) before it is too late. If you still use a 32-bit cpu, you can probably live with a 32-bit skype with less features.

This is the most reasonable comment I have seen on the whole issue for a long time

Basically, when you see Skype 64-bit for Windows, you'll see Linux happen at pretty much the same time. Not sure about Mac, but I suspect the situation there is the same.

64-bit support isn't a feature request just for Linux.

Andy.

This is great news! Like for Video!

I had this very problem myself: Feisty-- Acer Travelmate 2828 Pentium M laptop.

Skype ceased working after a kernel update. Since then I've tried updating skype, and even upgraded the system to gutsy. After a boot skype may work properly for a few minutes, but then I get: Error Messages: Call failed: Problem with audio playback or Problem with audio capture, regardless of the sound devices settings.
Is there any solution to this problem?

I don't know if this helps but I have just installed 1.4.0.99 on a fresh install of Feisty and got "Call Failed: Problem with Audio Playback"

My daughter on the LAN machine next to me can call me and it works fine ( it rings and we can talk both ways ) so it can't be the audio.