Sound level TV channel problem

[shepsan]

Recently, I downsized from a large house to a small cottage. I left behind, all of my HT equipment except for my MK speakers.

Once in the cottage I purchased a plasma HDTV, an AVR and a Blu-ray player. All these units are cabled via HDMI.

Whereas I had both a terrestrial antenna and also satellite dishes at my former home for HDTV local and satellite programming, my television programming is now delivered solely by Cox Cable. I subscribe to digital and HDTV tiers.

The video and sound quality of my setup is excellent. The quality of Blu-ray DVD is breathtaking. CD's also sound outstanding. However, I have encountered a problem with television that I have not yet been able to solve. And, it greatly perplexes me.

The decibel levels of TV programs substantially differ from channel to channel. Setting the listening level for one channel becomes much too low or ear-splitting loud on other channels. I cannot find a DB setting on my AVR that works well for more than one TV channel.

After exhausting my modest expertise to no avail, I phoned Cox Cable for support. The tech sympathized but told me that he experienced the same situation at his home and knew of no remedy for different sound levels between different channels.

I think this is a ridiculous response. I cannot believe that a cable company does not have equipment to monitor and maintain a standard level of sound for all of its channels.

Any suggestions to help me correct this problem will be sincerely appreciated.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

What an *** beating, the only thing I have seen is some gadget from Parts Express but I have never tried it.

 

[Djizasse]

LOL
In Portugal this is the same. If you have the will to get a computer next to the tv you can get a software to manage the volume. A quick search on google for "auto volume level" returns some links to Auto Volume Control.

Searching for "auto volume level hardware" led me to this link that mentioned this fine gizmo from audio vox, the VR1 - TV Volume Regulator :

Amazon.com has it (labeled as Terk, but it's the same product). Check their user reviews.

I love google

 

[MDS]

This is an age old problem that is even worse today with the digital channels. The analog channels are much louder than the digital channels and the commercials trump them both. There is a limit for the maximum level but not the average level so the commercials in particular are compressed to the hilt to raise the average level (kind of like a modern CD). The ear perceives 'loudness' based on average level.

I've never tried one of the volume regulators but to work they'd have to digitize any analog signal and then perform on the fly RMS normalization. I just ride the volume control on the remote...

 

[shepsan]

Thank you. I appreciate your responses. They tell me that the problem is not specific to my system but appears to be universal because of the changing technology.

Guess I too will ride the remote volume control.

 

[TLS Guy]

Thank you. I appreciate your responses. They tell me that the problem is not specific to my system but appears to be universal because of the changing technology.

Guess I too will ride the remote volume control.

It has nothing to do with new technology. It is the misuse of technology period!

It results from a lack of professionalism, ignorance, stupidity and greed. The latter being if I sound loudest, I must be the best, and will make more money. The cable company is not in a position to solve this without harming those that do a professional job. This problem has to be solved at the source, those sending the feed.

By the way the quieter channels are more likely the ones to be using technology correctly and adhering to professional standards.

 

[stratman]

I have Direct TV, I've noticed (and confirmed by some friends too) that HD channels play softer, while their standard def counterparts play louder.

 

[Hi Ho]

I have not noticed any significant volume variation between channels on Dish Network but I work with Comcast cable every day at work and that's a different story.

I don't know what kind of cable box Cox has in your home but the Motorola boxes used by Comcast in this area have an option to turn on dynamic range compression. That option helps with the varying volume.

 

[TLS Guy]

I have not noticed any significant volume variation between channels on Dish Network but I work with Comcast cable every day at work and that's a different story.

I don't know what kind of cable box Cox has in your home but the Motorola boxes used by Comcast in this area have an option to turn on dynamic range compression. That option helps with the varying volume.

And when you turn it on the good stuff now sounds the sane as the bad stuff.
It is dynamic range compression that has a lot to do wit this problem in the first place

 

[Hi Ho]

I'm not a fan of DRC either but it does help with the problem.

 

[Halon451]

I have to side with TLS and a couple others who touched on the real nature of the issue. Don't blame your cable company. They are simply collecting transmissions and rebroadcasting them in a neat, tidy package to their loyal customer base. They put out what they receive, more or less. The issue begins at the source, and every commercial, every channel (major networks, be them in digital HD or analog SD formats) put together their broadcasts in different ways.

I've gotten into a discussion on this before - there is a lack of standardization in the broadcast industry, and it's getting even worse with the introduction of all-digital programming, and a thousand and one different ways to get a signal from point A to point B. And yes, he who shouts loudest gets the most attention - these are the companies who shoot the commercials, thereby taking it even a step further back from the major networks.

Another prime example of this: Commercials that are shown for the elderly, be it assisted living care, or the medic-alert button thing, or whatever. Companies that market this stuff know that their target audience is obviously elderly, and most likely hard of hearing - therefore they record their commercial's audio at ear-splitting levels to anyone with normal hearing, so that the elderly folks can hear and understand. These commercials are sent and broadcast as-is.

Go easy on the cable guy for now - sure there are plenty of things to get upset with him over, but this isn't one of them.

 

[Biggiesized]

Don't blame the cable companies, eh? Is that why Comcast deliberately raises the decibel level of their commercials even though I'm already a freakin' subscriber?

Here are a few solutions:

If you're TV has a setting to auto-level the volume between different channels (my Samsung HL-S6187W does and it's an older set), that'll fix that at the expense of using your TV speakers (if you TV has optical out then maybe it'll auto-level and then you can send it back to your receiver). The TV auto-level setting doesn't affect the dynamic range. Think of it as a built-in ReplayGain.

Your other option is to turn on your set top box's DRC setting, but that sucks and it only helps slightly.

Certain channels have louder volumes for the same reason that CDs are mastered for loudness--to catch your attention.

 

[Hi Ho]

It's not just the source. There is definetely a difference between cable in this area and satellite (Dish Network). The cable channels are all over the place with some blasting and some way too quiet. I have never noticed any significant varation between the same channels on Dish Network. I don't really know about commercials because I don't watch many of them with my DVR.

 

[shepsan]

I appreciate the comments made by the members of this forum. After reading them, I experimented with the setup menus in the Scientific Atlantic Set Top Cable Box 4240HDC and the settings in the Pioneer AVR VSX-82TXS.

I found that regardless of the db transmitted by different TV channels, the cable box settings menu governs the sound levels transmitted by each channel to the AVR. Once I established this fact, I was able to correct the problem.

Here is the procedure I used:

Cox Universal remote: pressed the settings button twice.

General settings screen: scrolled down to the three audio options.

They were, Audio Digital Out, Audio Range and Audio Volume Control.

At Digital Out: set Digital Out to HDMI (because STB is cabled to AVR by HDMI cable).

At Audio Range: Set to Narrow.

At Audio Volume Control: Set to Fixed.

0db has now been established as the baseline for all cable channel signals being sent from STB to AVR. The result is that a constant db level is heard regardless of what channel is tuned.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[Halon451]

At Audio Range: Set to Narrow.

I believe by doing this you may have sacrificed some sound quality due to compression though - sure it may have an effect on regulating sound levels, but this setting is more or less DRC for the cable set top box.

 

[Biggiesized]

I believe by doing this you may have sacrificed some sound quality due to compression though - sure it may have an effect on regulating sound levels, but this setting is more or less DRC for the cable set top box.

Yep. I'd leave this off too. I think you fixed it just by setting the volume level to 0 dB. The volume range setting to low will activate DRC I believe.