Revisiting Ubuntu and Trine 2 Audio Issue

I'm still running some tests on a possible solution to the problem.  I edited /etc/modprobe.d/alsa-base.conf and added the line: options snd-hda-intel model=auto.  We'll see if it works.

Nintendo Wii U and the Samsung HT-BD2

So, after studying how to get the my Wii U to work with the Samsung bluray home theater system, I figured out a few things.  First of all, most likely due to a recent firmware upgrade, it is now possible from the TV setup menu of the Wii U settings to set the audio to go to HDMI, A/V cable, or both.  This became key to setting up the system (and it's very easy to miss!) as the Samsung HT-BD2 does not have any HDMI input.  For you to use the home theater system with other devices, you either use the digital audio in (which was abysmal the last time I've seen it used) or the auxiliary in (which worked much better).

Using the Wii component cables, I had hooked up the audio cables on the AUX in ports of the home theater system.  I also set the Wii U to use both HDMI and A/V cables for audio.  It worked really well but I realized that if the home theater system was turned on after booting the Wii U, the Wii U detects there's no device active on the A/V cables so it will automatically disable those.  To recover from this, you'd want to turn on the home theater system first before booting the Wii U.  If you get into the situation where the Wii U disables the sound, visiting the Settings app on Wii U re-enables the sound settings saved.

Starting EA Origin in Offline Mode

From this forum thread, the parameter is "Origin.exe /StartOffline".