# LOW volume on HD channels



## tywahn (Apr 2, 2007)

Can anybody tell me why the audio on HD channels is so soft? I have to crank my receiver up quite a bit ..... then when it hits commercial WHOA! Speakers blown, kids awake, pictures falling off the wall ... OK a bit of an exaggeration ... but there is a significant difference.
I am running an optical cable directly to my receiver.

Thanks for any tips, hints or suggestions.


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## markrubi (Oct 12, 2006)

Commercials are louder to grab your attention. It's a marketing tool. TV has always been like this.


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## tywahn (Apr 2, 2007)

markrubi said:


> Commercials are louder to grab your attention. It's a marketing tool. TV has always been like this.


It's not just commercials. That was a poor example on my part. I was just making a comparison. It is between HD and SD that it is most apparent.
How about this ... what do you (anybody) running an optical cable directly to the receiver have your audio settings on the VIP 622 set on?
Is there some kind of a normalization setting?

Thanks.


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## Taco Lover (Jan 8, 2007)

Not sure how to get to it through the menu, but you need to get to the Dolby Digital settings. For some reason, the choice between Line mode and RF mode is a significant difference in volume. I believe I have mine on Line mode (the louder one).


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## Wu-Infinite (Mar 24, 2007)

the difference you hear is the fact that most hd shows are broadcast in 5.1 dolby digital, most sd shows are broadcast in 2.0 mode which means two speakers, depending on how you have your receiver configured you can change the mode and have it sent to all your speakers, but it is still not as great as 5.1 five speakers and a sub. if you change to the mode on the receiver you may not get the full sound you want, i know a lot of people don't want to push the volume button, but its not that big of a deal to turn it up to listen to great 5.1 audio and then turn it down for the standard audio.


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## whatchel1 (Jan 11, 2006)

Actually this is a small bug that took place w/ 401 update. The SD's are 3 db (twice as loud) hotter than the HD's. It is to be fixed in up-coming updates. No date know as to when that is. It has been reported in other threads.


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## Slordak (Dec 17, 2003)

Not a bug; Dolby Digital uses a lower reference level.


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## whatchel1 (Jan 11, 2006)

It doesn't have to be a Dolby Digital show the HD channel audio's are lower even if it is just a stereo show. BTW it is dynamic range that is expanded in DD 5.1. This way volume can be more realistic. It can go from very low to very high. It will have the full dynamic range that is closer to real life.


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## tnsprin (Mar 16, 2003)

whatchel1 said:


> It doesn't have to be a Dolby Digital show the HD channel audio's are lower even if it is just a stereo show. BTW it is dynamic range that is expanded in DD 5.1. This way volume can be more realistic. It can go from very low to very high. It will have the full dynamic range that is closer to real life.


HD channels by definition broadcast DD even if effectively MONO.


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## whatchel1 (Jan 11, 2006)

tnsprin said:


> HD channels by definition broadcast DD even if effectively MONO.


Where did you get this info. With what I know about the encoders for DD if the source of the show is in stereo it switches to stereo and if in 5.1 it will produce 5.1. If it is in mono it will be sent as 2 ch mono they aren't set for a single channel. An example of this are the promos that HBO run they are in stereo and are louder than the movies that are in 5.1. Which does show I'm in part wrong. I noticed this last night when DVR'ing the Star Wars series.


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## tnsprin (Mar 16, 2003)

whatchel1 said:


> Where did you get this info. With what I know about the encoders for DD if the source of the show is in stereo it switches to stereo and if in 5.1 it will produce 5.1. If it is in mono it will be sent as 2 ch mono they aren't set for a single channel. An example of this are the promos that HBO run they are in stereo and are louder than the movies that are in 5.1. Which does show I'm in part wrong. I noticed this last night when DVR'ing the Star Wars series.


As you say they encode the mono as DD 2.0. But it and all atsc standard (and currently all satellite HD) is dolby digital.


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## RF 2 HiDef (Feb 9, 2006)

tnsprin said:


> As you say they encode the mono as DD 2.0. But it and all atsc standard (and currently all satellite HD) is dolby digital.


 The ATSC standard is capable of passing Dolby Digital. However, this does not mean that every broadcast is received in Dolby Digital. There are a few variables to consider. The source content and, the network's feed determine what actually is sent to Dish Network and to your receiver.


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## Ken Green (Oct 6, 2005)

Slordak said:


> Not a bug; Dolby Digital uses a lower reference level.


It is a known issue.
The difference has definitely become more noticable with the 4.01 update.
Prior to 4.01, using the Line Mode setting on the DD menu page, made it close enough, but since 4.01 it is back to volume-up/volume-down, SD to HD/HD to SD.


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## dmspen (Dec 1, 2006)

The audio signal strength is the same for SD and HD. However, with HD, it's divided into 6 parts, whereas with SD it's divided into 2 parts. This is true whether it's got all 6 components of sound in 5.1 or not.

I'm looking at getting a receiver that has sound leveling. This sound issue is annoying.


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## Mike D-CO5 (Mar 12, 2003)

Is there such a receiver? I know presently if I want to level the sound between hd and sd I can put all sound into pcm . I then set the a/v receiver to movie mode and it sends it out to all 5 speakers like dolby digital sound. IT isn't perfect but it does level the sound.


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## icoczar (May 24, 2007)

it's less than 5% of the time, but does anybody else, when on a non HD channel, and using an optical cable, receive static (for a few secinds only)??


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## GeorgeHanson (Jun 16, 2007)

I experimented and set my 622 to PCM and RF mode. I set My Harman Kardon AVR7200 to Dolby II Movie Mode. By doing this all HD and SD have the same sound level and HD sounds louder and more detailed. If I am going to watch a movie I switch to Dolby Digital and Line mode, but for general TV watching the PCM and RF mode works wonders.


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## dmspen (Dec 1, 2006)

I believe several of the Onkyo AV receivers have sound leveling.



Mike D-CO5 said:


> Is there such a receiver? I know presently if I want to level the sound between hd and sd I can put all sound into pcm . I then set the a/v receiver to movie mode and it sends it out to all 5 speakers like dolby digital sound. IT isn't perfect but it does level the sound.


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## whatchel1 (Jan 11, 2006)

dmspen said:


> I believe several of the Onkyo AV receivers have sound leveling.


I have an Onkyo and the sound leveling is the ability to adjust the sound to balance the different inputs. Say the 622 is louder than a DVD player it is possible to lower the input from the 622 to match the DVD player. I wished it had a limiter but it doesn't. 
You can also set what is listed as maximum volume. I quote from the manual here: With this preference, you can prevent the volume being set too high by specifying a maximum volume level. 
When the Volume Display preference is set to Absolute, the range is from 50 to 99. When it's set to Relative, the range is -32 dB through +17dB. To specify no maxmium volume, select Off.


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## motts (Apr 11, 2006)

I used to require the volume to be around 10 or 11 on my tv, but lately I see myself putting up to 14 - 16, _particularly_ on HD channels. My hearing has not changed as I still way too young to worry about hearing problems and I have recently cleaned them anyway  So I agree with the need to put up the volume on HD channels. My configuration has not changed, btw.


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## Rick_R (Sep 1, 2004)

Dolby Digital 5.1 has a greater dynamic range than the stereo channels. This means that the loud passages are much louder than the average. On stereo the loud passages are only slightly louder than the average. Both have the same maximum volume. Thus the average volume of the Dolby Digital 5.1 is lower volume.

This has nothing to do with the fact that ads are louder but that is a separate issue.

Rick R


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## ls7dude (Jan 31, 2007)

whatchel1 said:


> Actually this is a small bug that took place w/ 401 update. The SD's are 3 db (twice as loud) hotter than the HD's. It is to be fixed in up-coming updates. No date know as to when that is. It has been reported in other threads.


I fixed this by changing it from DD/PCM in the menu to PCM only. The sound is back to where it was. I too was having to crank it up on HD channels.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

ls7dude said:


> I fixed this by changing it from DD/PCM in the menu to PCM only.


Watch your receiver's indicators to make sure that you are still getting 5.1 sound where appropriate.


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