FYI
hdmi audio hardware issue with this driver.
hdmi is connected to Yamaha av receiver. when the receiver is set to output "pure direct" audio, it repeatedly switches 'on and off', that is to say, the pure direct mode seems to try to engage and disengage continuously. but as long as an audio file is playing (while in pure direct mode,) it will stay engaged and play fine.
this symptom is not limited to playback in media software. as a test, if pure direct mode is engaged on the receiver while in the windows 7 desktop, this symptom is observed.
when connected to a dedicated video card (nvidia) hdmi port, the above does not happen. the receiver retains the hdmi (handshake?) signal.
the reason I'd like to use the Intel's integrated hdmi output is it's support of 88.2kHz and176.4kHz audio formats. the NVidia video card does not support these audio formats via hdmi.
I can playback up-sampled or down-sampled 88.1 & 176.4kHz files from the nviida hdmi port, but i'd rather have the file's unaltered bitstreamed data going to the receiver and playing that back in pure direct mode.
I have tried ASIO and WASAPI software drivers, but the same symptom occurs. there was some temporary headway made by changing the media software's buffering/latency values while using the ASIO driver. the rate of the "engagement" altered a bit but that's all.