[spiff72]

Hi all,

I just recently tried for the first time to plug in some external speakers to my 17" PB (1.67), and when i unplugged them, the audio didn't come back - i had to reinsert the jack again, and then pull it out once or twice...

Since then (maybe coincidence) I am not getting audio some applications (like windows media player, ircle, even some mpeg movies don't play with audio in Quicktime - MPlayer for OSX seems to work though...). It almost seems like only the Apple apps are still making sound correctly. I just installed the Apple DVD player update yesterday. Also installed the trial version of Ashlar Cobalt...

Any ideas? Most windows media player files seem to pop up a warning saying the file was compressed with an unsupported codec. I am certain this worked before. Some web pages that should have audio are not playing correctly, either.

EDIT: I have downloaded installers for both Quicktime and WMP, and this didn't seem to help. I am thinking it is a codec problem - caused by either new software, or by the fact that I plugged in the Audio cable, causing OSX to look for a digital or analog connection at the headphone jack...

Thanks,
Spiff

[f1000]

I believe that the headphone jack only outputs "dumb" analog. An inserted plug mechanically cuts off signal to the internal speakers and shunts it to the headphones.

The mechanical switch may simply be stuck in the "plugged in" position.

The next time you lose sound, plug in a pair of external speakers or headphones and see if the sound cuts out on those as well. My guess is that plugged in speakers will always work, in which case you may need to have the jack replaced. Get some canned air and give the jack a good blast.

[spiff72]

Originally Posted by f1000

I believe that the headphone jack only outputs "dumb" analog. An inserted plug mechanically cuts off signal to the internal speakers and shunts it to the headphones.

The mechanical switch may simply be stuck in the "plugged in" position.

The next time you lose sound, plug in a pair of external speakers or headphones and see if the sound cuts out on those as well. My guess is that plugged in speakers will always work, in which case you may need to have the jack replaced. Get some canned air and give the jack a good blast.

Sorry - I might not have explained it very well. I did get the internal speakers working again, but they only seem to play audio from certain applications (like iTunes, and the built in system sounds - it plays the feedback as I adjust the volume from the top menu).

The problem is that most websites that have stuff like Flash intros no longer play any sound, and Windows media player says that all files are compressed with an unsupported codec. Even Quicktime is struggling on some movie files (MPGS). They don't have sound, and won't play all the way thru smoothly.

The only thing that I can think of that I have installed recently is VirtualPC. Could this cause issues like I am having? I think I might try to uninstall it and see if it helps.

Thanks,
Spiff

[spiff72]

Just an update:

I found a post on macosxhints that said if you lose sound on non-apple apps, you should close all programs, start up Garageband, play something, and then quit Garageband. I tried this (I had to install Garageband since I didn't have it on my machine). This solved the issue.

It appears that the problem comes from the sample rate switching to 96000 HZ when the Powerbook tries using the digital input/output. It appears that this can be corrected within the Audio MIDI Setup utility in the Utilites folder under Applications. This means I can probably get rid of Garageband if this happens again...

Hopefully this might help others who have similar issues...

Thanks,
Spiff