[tlug] No sound with HDMI connection

[Thomas Blasejewicz <nyuwa@example.com>]

Good evening
Maybe this is not the "right" place to ask, but I dare asking anyway.

I playing with an old workstation: Dell Precision 3500 with 12 GB RAM 
and a Xeon processor (I don't remember the details).
I connected this machine, on which I first installed Linux Mint 20 on an 
SSD to a TV set to read books in bed (I know, I should not do that!).
The TV has no other input.
The computer has no other monitor.
The TV displays movies/videos (for fun) just fine, but only the built-in 
speakers of the PC are working.
Under "sound" those are the only listed output device and I was not able 
yet to get the TV listed there.

I searched the net and found, that this seems to be a widespread problem 
for which SOMETIMES highly complex
solutions requiring a thousand "sudo something" commands, reconfiguring 
system files etc. are listed.
But often those "solutions" do not work.
I tried updating, switching back to 19.3, also the alsa force-reload 
command (something that helped before with no sound on a note PC) etc.
So far, I have no luck.

On a Windows 7 note PC I connect the cable to the TV, switch the input 
method and that's it.

I was wondering .. is there a SIMPLE method to fix this.
I mean, something even a "non-computer nerd" like me could manage to 
achieve?
It would be wonderful, if there were.
If not, I will just forget the entire idea.

Thank you
Thomas