Audio Output Preset Not Persisting on Jetson Orin Nano

Issue Overview

Users of the Nvidia Jetson Orin Nano are experiencing an issue where the audio output preset does not persist between system startups. Specifically, when users change the audio output to an HDMI monitor in the settings, the system does not retain this configuration. As a result, users must manually change the audio output settings after each startup, which is inconvenient and disrupts the user experience.

Possible Causes

1. PulseAudio configuration issues: The default PulseAudio settings may not be properly saving or applying the user’s preferred audio output device.

2. Ubuntu-specific pulseaudio behavior: As mentioned in the discussion, this could be related to how the Ubuntu userspace application handles audio device settings.

3. Jetson Orin Nano firmware or driver issues: Since the problem doesn’t occur on the Jetson Nano, there might be specific firmware or driver issues on the Orin Nano that prevent audio settings from persisting.

4. System startup sequence: The audio subsystem might be initializing before the saved settings are applied, causing the default configuration to override user preferences.

Troubleshooting Steps, Solutions & Fixes

1. Set default audio sink:

   • Open the PulseAudio configuration file:

     sudo vim /etc/pulse/default.pa
     

   • Add the following line at the end of the file:

     set-default-sink 0
     

   Note: ‘0’ represents the HDMI sound device ID. Adjust if necessary.

2. Configure PulseAudio restart on startup:

   • Open "Startup Applications" (pre-installed on Ubuntu)
   • Click "Add"
   • In the "Name" box, enter "restart pulseaudio"
   • In the "Command" box, enter:

     pulseaudio -k
     

   • Click "Save"

3. If the above steps don’t work, try manually setting the default sink after bootup:

   • Identify available sinks:

     pactl list short sinks
     

   • Set the default sink (replace [device_name] with the appropriate sink name):

     pactl set-default-sink [device_name]
     

4. For troubleshooting purposes, you can check the current default sink:

   pactl get-default-sink
   

5. If issues persist, consider checking for and installing any available updates for your Jetson Orin Nano, including JetPack and Ubuntu updates.

6. Monitor system logs for any audio-related errors during startup:

   journalctl -b | grep -i audio
   

7. If the problem continues, report the issue to NVIDIA support, providing details about your JetPack version and Ubuntu version, as these details can help in further diagnosis and resolution.

Note: The solution provided in the forum discussion has been confirmed to work for some users. However, if you encounter any difficulties or if the issue persists, please refer to the NVIDIA Developer Forums for the most up-to-date information and support.