diff -Naur a/src/audiolib.c b/src/audiolib.c
--- a/src/audiolib.c	2010-05-06 12:07:34.000000000 +0200
+++ b/src/audiolib.c	2010-05-06 12:08:06.000000000 +0200
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@
 struct alsa_device *alsa_open(char *input, char *output, unsigned long format, int channels, unsigned int rate)
 {
 	int result;
+	int rv;
 	struct alsa_device *dev = malloc(sizeof(struct alsa_device));
 
 	dev->fmt.format = format;
@@ -93,17 +94,27 @@
 
 //	snd_pcm_nonblock( dev->playback, 1);
 
-	alsa_set_params(dev->playback, &dev->fmt, 0);
+	rv = alsa_set_params(dev->playback, &dev->fmt, 0);
+	if (rv == -1) {
+		snd_pcm_close(dev->playback);
+		return NULL;
+	}
 
 	if ((result = snd_pcm_open( &dev->capture, input, SND_PCM_STREAM_CAPTURE, SND_PCM_NONBLOCK))<0)
 	{
+		snd_pcm_close(dev->playback);
 		free(dev);
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
 //	snd_pcm_nonblock(dev->playback, 1);
 
-	alsa_set_params(dev->capture, &dev->fmt, 1);
+	rv = alsa_set_params(dev->capture, &dev->fmt, 1);
+	if (rv == -1) {
+		snd_pcm_close(dev->playback);
+		snd_pcm_close(dev->capture);
+		return NULL;
+	}
 
 	return dev;
 }
@@ -212,8 +223,8 @@
 	snd_pcm_sw_params_alloca(&swparams);
 	err = snd_pcm_hw_params_any(handle, params);
 	if (err < 0) {
-		printf("Broken configuration for this PCM: no configurations available");
-		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+		printf("Broken configuration for this PCM: no configurations available\n");
+		return -1;
 	}
 
 
@@ -223,18 +234,18 @@
 	err = snd_pcm_hw_params_set_access_mask(handle, params, mask);
 
 	if (err < 0) {
-		printf("Access type not available");
-		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+		printf("Access type not available\n");
+		return -1;
 	}
 	err = snd_pcm_hw_params_set_format(handle, params, fmt->format);
 	if (err < 0) {
-		printf("Sample format non available");
-		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+		printf("Sample format non available\n");
+		return -1;
 	}
 	err = snd_pcm_hw_params_set_channels(handle, params, fmt->channels);
 	if (err < 0) {
-		printf("Channels count non available");
-		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+		printf("Channels count non available\n");
+		return -1;
 	}
 
 	rate = fmt->rate;
@@ -277,22 +288,22 @@
 	assert(err >= 0);
 	err = snd_pcm_hw_params(handle, params);
 	if (err < 0) {
-		printf("Unable to install hw params");
-		return -EINVAL;
+		printf("Unable to install hw params\n");
+		return -1;
 	}
 	snd_pcm_hw_params_get_period_size(params, &chunk_size, 0);
 	snd_pcm_hw_params_get_buffer_size(params, &buffer_size);
 
 	if (chunk_size == buffer_size) {
-		printf("Can't use period equal to buffer size (%lu == %lu)", chunk_size, buffer_size);
-		return -EINVAL;
+		printf("Can't use period equal to buffer size (%lu == %lu)\n", chunk_size, buffer_size);
+		return -1;
 	}
 
 	snd_pcm_sw_params_current(handle, swparams);
 	err = snd_pcm_sw_params_get_xfer_align(swparams, &xfer_align);
 	if (err < 0) {
 		printf("Unable to obtain xfer align\n");
-		exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+		return -1;
 	}
 
 	err = snd_pcm_sw_params_set_sleep_min(handle, swparams, 0);
@@ -331,8 +342,8 @@
 	assert(err >= 0);
 
 	if (snd_pcm_sw_params(handle, swparams) < 0) {
-		printf("unable to install sw params");
-		return -EINVAL;
+		printf("unable to install sw params\n");
+		return -1;
 	}
 
 	fmt->bits_per_sample = snd_pcm_format_physical_width(fmt->format);
diff -Naur a/src/tvtime.c b/src/tvtime.c
--- a/src/tvtime.c	2010-05-06 12:07:34.000000000 +0200
+++ b/src/tvtime.c	2010-05-06 12:08:06.000000000 +0200
@@ -1184,6 +1184,7 @@
     char prevloc[ 256 ];
     char *empia_device;
     int i;
+    int audio_state = 0;
 
     ct = config_new();
     if( !ct ) {
@@ -2061,10 +2062,14 @@
                session.
             */
 
-            if (empia_device && videoinput_get_audio(vidin) == NULL) {
+            if (empia_device && audio_state == 0 && videoinput_get_audio(vidin) == NULL) {
                     videoinput_set_audio(vidin, alsa_open(empia_device, "default", SND_PCM_FORMAT_S16_LE, 2 /* 2 channels */, 48000 /* rate */));
                     if (videoinput_get_audio(vidin)) {
+                            audio_state = 0;
+                            printf("starting alsa transfer\n");
                             alsa_start_threaded_loop(videoinput_get_audio(vidin));
+                    } else {
+                            audio_state = -1;
                     }
             }