diff --git a/libao2/ao_oss.c b/libao2/ao_oss.c
index 393d8b065e..94eaf92ee0 100644
--- a/libao2/ao_oss.c
+++ b/libao2/ao_oss.c
@@ -215,17 +215,32 @@ static int control(int cmd,void *arg){
 static int init(int rate,int channels,int format,int flags){
   char *mixer_channels [SOUND_MIXER_NRDEVICES] = SOUND_DEVICE_NAMES;
   int oss_format;
+  char *mdev = mixer_device, *mchan = mixer_channel;
 
   mp_msg(MSGT_AO,MSGL_V,"ao2: %d Hz  %d chans  %s\n",rate,channels,
     af_fmt2str_short(format));
 
-  if (ao_subdevice)
+  if (ao_subdevice) {
+    char *m,*c;
+    m = strchr(ao_subdevice,':');
+    if(m) {
+      c = strchr(m+1,':');
+      if(c) {
+        mchan = c+1;
+        c[0] = '\0';
+      }
+      mdev = m+1;
+      m[0] = '\0';
+    }
     dsp = ao_subdevice;
+  }
 
-  if(mixer_device)
-    oss_mixer_device=mixer_device;
-
-  if(mixer_channel){
+  if(mdev)
+    oss_mixer_device=mdev;
+  else
+    oss_mixer_device=PATH_DEV_MIXER;
+  
+  if(mchan){
     int fd, devs, i;
     
     if ((fd = open(oss_mixer_device, O_RDONLY)) == -1){
@@ -236,10 +251,9 @@ static int init(int rate,int channels,int format,int flags){
       close(fd);
       
       for (i=0; i<SOUND_MIXER_NRDEVICES; i++){
-        if(!strcasecmp(mixer_channels[i], mixer_channel)){
+        if(!strcasecmp(mixer_channels[i], mchan)){
           if(!(devs & (1 << i))){
-            mp_msg(MSGT_AO,MSGL_ERR,MSGTR_AO_OSS_ChanNotFound,
-              mixer_channel);
+            mp_msg(MSGT_AO,MSGL_ERR,MSGTR_AO_OSS_ChanNotFound,mchan);
             i = SOUND_MIXER_NRDEVICES+1;
             break;
           }
@@ -248,11 +262,11 @@ static int init(int rate,int channels,int format,int flags){
         }
       }
       if(i==SOUND_MIXER_NRDEVICES){
-        mp_msg(MSGT_AO,MSGL_ERR,MSGTR_AO_OSS_ChanNotFound,
-          mixer_channel);
+        mp_msg(MSGT_AO,MSGL_ERR,MSGTR_AO_OSS_ChanNotFound,mchan);
       }
     }
-  }
+  } else
+    oss_mixer_channel = SOUND_MIXER_PCM;
 
   mp_msg(MSGT_AO,MSGL_V,"audio_setup: using '%s' dsp device\n", dsp);
   mp_msg(MSGT_AO,MSGL_V,"audio_setup: using '%s' mixer device\n", oss_mixer_device);