Dish 722: Low volume on recorded programs

[JonUrban]

I have a Dish 722, and for some reason when I play back a recorded program I have to crank the volume on my TVs 3 to 4 times higher than when viewing live programming.

Is this normal? Is there a setting or something to adjust this?

THANKS

 

[highdefjeff]

Not normal. Signal is low or compromised.

 

[KAB]

Disregard HighDef Jeff (ALWAYS). As you described, nothing to do with signal.

 

[JonUrban]

Listen. I appreciate all the help I can get!

What I could not understand (if it's a signal issue) is why would it loud live and quiet when recorded?

oh well.

 

[bookworm370]

Jon,

A couple things.

1. Go to the Menu-System Setup-Dolby Digital (Menu-6-7) and try to change the DD from Line to RF or visa-versa.
2. Are you watching the live on something like HDMI and the recorded on one of the modulated output by any chance?
3. Again, when live are you using TV1 or TV2 and the same for playback?
4. I assume that you are using the same audio transport (TOS-Link, Coaxial or RCA) to your receiver. Or is the audio physically different just playing back on the TV?
5. If playing back through your receiver. Do you have Dynamic Range Compressor setting on the receiver? If it's set to something other than Standard (some have a range and even a MAX) then the receiver is playing with the DR and you are not hearing it the way the recording mixer wanted it to be heard.

My guess is that you will see some significant differences when you try number 1.

You also didn't specify. When it's louder live vs. recorded is it on all channels (OTA, SD and HD) or only on one of those types.

The above can help a lot in assisting us to diagnose further.

BW

 

[silentgarth]

I have sorta the same issue the op is having. But my problem is on live tv were SD channels are loud ( i have to have the volume on the TV down to the single digits) and HD channels ( were the volume is in the 50-60 range) Running an HDMI cable right to the TV. kinda annoying when switching back and forth. Now that I think about it it also happens on the locals also ( between the OTA feed and dish's feed)

 

[dlsnyder]

I have noticed the same thing, probably going on the last month or two. The audio level of HD programs seems to be about half or maybe 1/3 that of SD programs. I use HDMI between my 622 and my TV and have not tried analog. Perhaps a software issue?

 

[MikeD-C05]

HD programs are almost ALWAYS lower than the sd. First of all they are in 5.1 dolby digital most of the time, which splits the sound into 5 speakers vs the Regular digital sound-PCM you hear on SD channels , which goes to 3 speakers: center and R & L front speakers. I wish that they could get the sound level on all channels so I would not have to baby sit the remote control to adjust the a/v receiver all the time.

 

[teachsac]

PCM is delivered as 2 channels, FL & FR. The receiver will apply PL to separate the channels into 5.1.

S~

 

[bookworm370]

As was said before, in HD the dynamic range of the audio is not or minimally compressed to give you the best and most accurate sound reproduction. The problem is that on some programs or SD there is not the audio bandwidth so the broadcasters compress the DR which, as an artifact, make the sound louder.

As someone said before (I forget their ID) you would have to have a compressor/limiter built in the tracks it all in real time and either expand or compress the DR. Compressing the DR will not appeal to the purists as you loose audio fidelity. I.E. The soft oboe fading in from the background will just start blaring in instead of silently become louder and more pronounced.

If you have a receiver that can do DR compression on the fly (like my Sony can) then it will help. But I leave it off and understand that I have to raise the volume on concerts and HD movies because I want to not just see it the way the director shot it (HD) but I want to listen to it the way the sound engineer and foley artists wanted it to sound. I can't understand why people insisting on perfect pictures but will put up with distorted (yes, DR is distorting the sound because it's changing it) sound for the sake of 'volume'.

Oh, it doesn't have anything to do with PCM 2.0 or dolby 5.1 or 7.1. Each channel is discrete. I have noticed though that if the source is in Dolby DTS then there are different sound field rules that apply. My new Eagles DVD 'Live from Melbourne' is one of the few that is in DTS 5.1 and it sounds great but I have to use completely different sound field and volume settings.

 

[teachsac]

Bookworm,

Several errors in your explanation:

1. No such thing as Dolby DTS. They are two different companies that use different algorithms for digital signal processing. There has been an ongoing battle because the human ear "perceives" louder as better. There are other differences as well. Such as Dial Norm, etc.

2. What is DR? Do you mean DNR (digital noise reduction)? Does not affect volume. DN? Dialog Norm?

3. Audio compression affects quality not volume. In compression formats, audio information is discarded that the algorithm feels is unnecessary. Articacts can be hissing, echoing, etc.

4. Stereo is only discrete if that was the original recording format. With 2 channel PCM, the information is combined. PL will recreate the information into more than two channels. Most programming nowadays is recorded in more than two channels. 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 are all discrete full range channels.

S~

 

[whatchel1]

I said it in a tech thread

I'm using my quotes from yesterday. This a simplified explanation. before I became a TV eng I was a touring sound eng, then installed audio systems into clubs which morphed into working with sat.
Providers set the level they want and E* just passes it thru. To do what you are wanting would take a comp/limiter (compressor & limiter) that would have to follow the signal. This would also change the entire dynamics of programming that is being sent thru. Some A/V receivers have a limiter built in that can be set but I don't know of any that will completely balance out like you are wanting. Let's see now to add what you are asking for would only add around $500 to what the DVR cost to build so I doubt it is gonna happen.
The following is my statement about highdefjeff:
It's Highdefjeff spouting his incorrect understanding of the problem. I have a .9 meter dish peaked on 129 and it makes no difference in volume levels between SD & HD channels. I at present have a dish 500 peaked on 110 & 119 makes no difference. I'm about to install a .8 meter dish for 118.8/119 and a dish 500 w/single feed adapter for 110. If each feed is peaked on a sat it will be the best signal but above a certain threshold it only makes only a difference for rain fade. It will not affect volume levels of sound or the PQ it just gives you a margin before loss of signal.
Now for a little more detail:
Both Dolby Digital and DTS have wide dynamic range That trys to be as life like as possible. SD audio just doesn't have this: it is compressed to less than half due to the fact it doesn't have bandwidth needed. I'm including here a link to Wikipedia about surround sound in general if you want to read for a while. Surround sound - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yes I have a serious surround sound system It is a 7.1 w/ 2 spatial speakers as well ( so it is close to a 9.1 system) I also have a 42" panny 1080 24 p Plasma HDTV.

 

[bookworm370]

Sorry, by DR I meant as I used the same term in the same sentence and I thought it would be obvious. And you are correct, I was typing too fast, I should not have used Dolby DTS, just DTS.

 

[lakebum431]

Not normal. Signal is low or compromised.

You'll never stop will you? This has NOTHING to do with signal level. That doesn't even make sense with your backwards standard logic. If it was a signal issue it would happen both live and recorded. I think if someone tells Jeff that they have been coughing lately and they wonder why, he'll tell them that their signal is bad...

 

[bookworm370]

Now that's funny!

 

[KAB]

My air conditioning went out in my truck. Damn that bad signal.

 

[highdefjeff]

You'll never stop will you? This has NOTHING to do with signal level. That doesn't even make sense with your backwards standard logic. If it was a signal issue it would happen both live and recorded. I think if someone tells Jeff that they have been coughing lately and they wonder why, he'll tell them that their signal is bad...

Simply not true. Using the DVR requires more signal than not using the DVR. That is one reason why there are sometimes errors on recorded programs that weren't/aren't observed during live viewing.

I think that info is in this link:

Read it for yourself! Very interesting! http://ip.hhi.de/imagecom_G1/assets/pdfs/Overview_SVC_IEEE07.pdf​

 

[whatchel1]

Bad link

Simply not true. Using the DVR requires more signal than not using the DVR. That is one reason why there are sometimes errors on recorded programs that weren't/aren't observed during live viewing.

I think that info is in this link:

Read it for yourself! Very interesting! http://ip.hhi.de/imagecom_G1/assets/pdfs/Overview_SVC_IEEE07.pdf​

Can't read anything on this link it goes to a blank page.

 

[highdefjeff]

Works for me. PDF...takes time to load...

 

[KAB]

Can't read anything on this link it goes to a blank page.

It's all techno-babble.