HDMI sound output mysteriously no longer works in Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite)

Question

Everything was working fine with HDMI sound working as it should in Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite). Then recently:

• I turned off the laptop.
• 24 hours later I turn on the laptop
• Connected it to the HDTV via the HDMI adapter + HDMI cable.
• Select “Turn Display Mirroring On.”
• Run iTunes and open a movie.
• Movie is mirrored on HDTV but there is no sound anymore.

This was the exact sequence of steps with no system config changes, no weird download/install, no screwing around with system files. System info screenshots at the bottom of this question.

I tried to play around with the Audio MIDI Setup to no avail. I also tried different Mac OS X reset/boots to no avail as well. This happened last year once already, andI went through all the various solutions from Apple support, including a full OS re-install, all of which didn’t solve the problem.

And yes, I should have written down what fixed it when it happened last year, but I didn’t and now I forgot.

Does anyone have any idea how to delete the HDMI device that appears in “Settings,” so as to get Mac OS X to hopefully properly reset it?

Just throwing this out there, not sure that’s the solution, but can’t think of anything else.

Built-in speakers work fine but headphone output is all screwed up as well, as in different audio channels are all out of mix.

Solution

I am using MAC OSX El Capitain 10.11.1

I can only pass sound to the TV using HDMI doing this.

TV Sony Bravia KDL

Go to:

Spotlight Search > Audio Midi Setup

DisplayPort > Format: 48.0000 Hz 2ch-16bit

Hope that helps.

Comments

[Blaine]

I know in windows, when you plug in an hdmi device, windows will make this the default audio device, and if your TV is muted, then you won't have sound. The solution is to just go in to control panel and set the default audio device back to speakers and headphones. Is there a similar thing in OSX?

[Tetsujin]

@Blaine - Mac doesn't have a 'default' device structure like Windows. Any device can be used at any time, changing on the fly; different apps can be output to different devices, simultaneously - that doesn't mean the current device cannot have been changed accidentally, just that it doesn't use the 'default' structure.

[Tetsujin]

Having said that - it's always worth going into the sound control panel & toggling to something else & back again, just to see. Plugging in headphones then removing might also jog its elbow.

[isomorph]

tried all that (the toggling in Sound settings). it doesn't solve the problem. tried the same approach with Audio MIDI Setup, also no results. fast losing the will to live ;)

[Blaine]

if mac doesn't have a default set up, then what does say, an app like google chrome with no sound controls output to by default?

[isomorph]

Blaine, i don't understand what you mean. that being said, i narrowed the issue down to the damn Philips TV. the optical link between the TV and the BOSE sound bar doesn't seem to work anymore; when i connect a regular audio cable from digital out (TV) to digital in (BOSE sound bar) i can hear the audio that is output from the Mac via HDMI to the TV's HDMI port. honestly, i had it with Philips. good visual quality, but software is not up to snuff.