Ubuntu

Finding the alsa recording device of the TV Tuner

From time to time, Ubuntu reorders the sound cards on my system, and I always have to find the recording device where the TV Tuner outputs the sound.

This is to later use it in VLC on a line like:

~$ arecord -l
**** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ****
card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0: ALC1200 Analog [ALC1200 Analog]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 1: ALC1200 Digital [ALC1200 Digital]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 2: ALC1200 Analog [ALC1200 Analog]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 1: SAA7134 [SAA7134], device 0: SAA7134 PCM [SAA7134 PCM]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 2: CinemaTM [Microsoft® LifeCam Cinema(TM)], device 0: USB Audio [USB Audio]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 3: Live [SB Live! 5.1 [SB0060]], device 0: emu10k1 [ADC Capture/Standard PCM Playback]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 3: Live [SB Live! 5.1 [SB0060]], device 1: emu10k1 mic [Mic Capture]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
card 3: Live [SB Live! 5.1 [SB0060]], device 2: emu10k1 efx [Multichannel Capture/PT Playback]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

From the output, the SAA7134 is the TV Tuner and it has only one device, the recording one (number: 0). Thus, the correct value to use for VLC is hw1,0

Leave a Reply