[mythtv-users] Audio volume too low??

[Joseph Fry]

> I have even noticed that sometimes a specific show is at a different level
> (ie. the crap at the start of the recording is loud and then when I get to
> the start of the show it is lower or vice versa) and that sometimes AVIs
> downloaded or ripped are at a different level again.
>
 I thought that was normal... here in the U.S. there has actually been
legislation trying to prevent advertisers from boosting the levels on their
commercials.


> Looking at the Amp I am able to see what type of audio it is receiving and
> how many channels it is using (stereo/surround). Australian TV seems to
> broadcast an assortment of different audio (I notice more surround sound on
> network Nine) and there appears to be a correlation between the type of
> audio and the volume levels.
>


Not sure what your setup is exactly... but I used to notice similar issues
before I upgraded to 0.23.  Since I upgraded and can now upmix all my
playback to 5.1 channels, I no longer have the swing in volume from 2
channel and surround mixes.

I would wager that a bit of tweaking the surround levels on your amp and you
might get it better.  I know that most people keep their center channel
louder and boost the EQ for mids and highs as it makes it easier to hear
voices in a busy house.

When your receiver takes a stereo mix and plays it back in 3 channel
simulated surround it assumes that if the sound is the same on both channels
then it should be sent to the center.  Most stereo television content has
very little separation between channels so it's putting most of the sound
out of this boosted center channel and you perceive it as too loud.

A  proper surround mix does not put nearly as much audio on the center
channel, and what it does put there is much less "loud" (voices for
example).  You would perceive this as quieter than the stereo mix.

Not much you can do.  If you adjust the center channel to a proper level
(according to THX), it makes tv watching difficult in a noisy house as the
voices and other sounds are at a similar level.  I too keep my center
channel boosted for most of my tv watching, I only turn it down for movie
nights when I want to feel more immersed in what I am watching.

I know that now that I am on 0.23's and can finally upmix to 5.1 (didn't
work with my setup before) it must do some normalization as I no longer turn
the volume down on the stereo before starting a new show like I used to do.

I hope this helps.
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