I'd really like to configure Amarok for internet streaming audio. Not only can I not listen to Amarok, it will not listen to ME .

I have already installed the vlc back end and switched to it.

So I go in: Settings -> Configure Amarok -> Playback -> Configure Phonon -> Audio Playback -> Device Preference tab -> Music

There are no Audio Playback Devices listed in "Audio Playback Device Preference for the 'Music' Category Maybe that is a problem? Not the only problem, though. By the way, while doing this I am listening to Firefox stream some audio, so audio seems to be working in some ways.

Here is the frustrating bit: I can't get it to remember changes/fixes that I make.

I click on the Audio Hardware Setup tab, Selected for "Sound Card" is an HDMI thing, which won't work because my monitor does not have speakers. Plus the "Profile" drop-down has "Off" which does not sound promising. The drop-down for Sound Card has an entry for Built-in Audio, so I click on that because that is what Firefox is using to play music right now (Line Out from my motherboard). Then for Profile, Analog Stereo Output. In the Device Configuration section, it automatically brings in "Playback (Built-in Audio Analog Stereo)" and for Connector, "Line Out." This all looks good! I can click on the buttons for "Front Left" and "Front Right" and get sound. So I click Apply, OK, then go back in. The "Sound Card" is switched back to HDMI with a "Profile" of "Off".

I am running OpenSUSE Tumbleweed, and I'll close with the Amarok info. Thanks for any help!

Amarok Diagnostics

Amarok Version: 2.8.0
KDE Version: 4.14.32
Qt Version: 4.8.7
Phonon Version: 4.9.0
Phonon Backend: VLC (0.9.0)
PulseAudio: No

Amarok Scripts:
Amarok Script Console 1.0 (stopped)
Lyricwiki .2 (running)
Free Music Charts 1.6.0 (running)
Librivox.org 1.0 (running)
Cool Streams 1.0 (running)

Amarok Plugins:
AudioCd Collection (enabled)
DAAP Collection (disabled)
MTP Collection (enabled)
MySQLServer Collection (enabled)
MySQLe Collection (enabled)
UPnP Collection (disabled)
Universal Mass Storage Collection (enabled)
iPod, iPad & iPhone Collection (enabled)
Ampache (disabled)
Jamendo (enabled)
Last.fm (enabled)
MP3 Music Store (enabled)
MP3tunes (disabled)
Magnatune Store (enabled)
Podcast Directory (enabled)
gpodder.net (disabled)

Sound is rather independent of Amarok, the option you chose leads to the sound settings of KDE. So please check the sound settings in the KDE SystemSettings -> Multimedia, make sure you have everything installed correctly (e.g. phonon, the Phonon backend, pulseaudio) and this selection should just stick. If it doesn't, this should be reported as a bug to your distribution, as we haven't seen any sound issues in KDE 4.x or Amarok in quite some time.

Firefox is not a KDE application, so its sound doesn't use phonon. If you have no Audio devices listed, then something is wrong in your basic KDE installation.

FWIW: why do you switch to the vlc backend? The Gstreamer backend should work even better, provided you have at least version 4.8.x and use it with the gstreamer 1.x plugins. A mismatch of the gstreamer plugins can typically lead to problems like the ones you experience.

Thanks for your reply, Ms. Mamarok

Whoaw, I see what you were saying about changing the system settings: it behaves the same way when I change things there as when I change it in Amarok. Going out and back in again restores the noworky settings. Grrr.

Sigh. So, I guess it is a distro issue, as you say.

To answer your other question ("why VLC?") , I spent some time googling around before I posted here, and my impression was that gstreamer was unreliable, depending on a string of fussy resources all lining up exactly right. VLC had a better rep. Maybe that is a mistaken or old impression.

I guess you guys are locked into using KDE stuff; I have lots of other apps for which sound Just Works. But by the way, I love KDE in general; I made a decision many years ago to stop desktop-hopping and settle on KDE, and I have never regretted it. As a rule, solid, pretty, and zippy.

Again, thanks for your help.