Intel UHD Graphics 630: Getting Displayport Audio to work

I have a Lenovo ThinkCentre M720q that I use for entertainment purposes mounted besides the flat-screen TV at home. This works wonders, except that I could not get the darn HDMI audio to work.

As workaround, I used a mini-jack cable to connect the PC and the TV. This is OK, but the noise from the mechanical fan is transmitted over the wire to the TV and thus amplifying the noise a bit.

Annoying to say the least!! especially considering the fact that the PC should indeed support Audio over Display-port / HDMI.

In the weekend, I decided that I would experiment in getting the audio to work. And I succeeded!

Firstly, I identified the embedded graphics adapter of the PC to be an Intel UHD Graphics 630. For an integrated graphics adapter, OK high end.

Next, I updated the driver of the graphics adapter from the standard driver delivered by Lenovo. Not directly possible it would seem since installing the official Intel driver was blocked by the installer with a message “Contact the PC manufacturer for support”.

I was not able to locate any newer driver on Lenovos website. Instead, I unpacked the Intel driver and forcefully updated the graphics driver using Windows Device Manager (and braced myself for a blue-screen of death). Steps:

• Enter Device Manager
• Find the Display adapter under Display Adaptors
• Right click and click Update Driver
• Then Click “Browse my computer for driver software”
• Then Click “Let me pick from a list…”
• Then Click “Have Disk” and find the folder where the Intel driver was unpacked.
• You should then be able to select the new driver.

If everything goes according to plan, the screen should flicker and Windows might restart. Then you should be able to select HDMI Audio out in the Task Bar under the Speaker icon (refereed to as ‘Select Playback Devices’).

I quickly learned that removing the HDMI while powering down the PC and re-powered it without HDMI being attached HDMI Audio would stop HDMI audio from working. I could no longer select the playback device under Select Playback Devices.

Getting HDMI Audio to work after this required that I downgraded the driver and upgrading the driver once again.

Such a hassle! But at-least I avoid the noisy fan in my speakers :-)