Volume level from TV vs. DVD player problem

Factual Questions
1

I have a one-year-old Somy LCD TV and a Sony DVD player about the same age. Both work fine, BUT…

Both of us have normal hearing. When we play the TV (in quite a large room), I set the volume at about 40 percent (as the bar shows onscreen). Have to lower it when so-called “background” music swells, as it is too loud. However, for dialog, this is fine.

On all DVDs we play, however, the dialog is way too low, and have to increase the level to between 70 and 80 percent to hear it adequately. Here too, lower it when music comes up.

Sony customer support had no idea what to do. I messed around in the DVD player menu to see if there was some adjustment, but nothing.

Is this common? Any way to tweak the DVD player for increased volume output?

2

Check the audio output setting on the DVD player as it might sound off if it’s set to 5.1 audio, but you’ve only got left and right speakers.

3

JVC TV. JVC DVD player. Exact same situation.

4

Hitachi TV, inexpensive Apex DVD. Same here, except for maybe 1 in 10 DVDs, which actually play at the same volume.

5

Panasonic TV and JVC DVD player (UK models) exactly the same. The real problem is when you stop the the DVD and it reverts to the broadcast programme at high volume!

6

I’ve had this problem with a few different TV/DVD player combos. I figured that’s just the way they made the DVDs.

7

Thanks to all for confirming that it must be the DVD itself. Now I’m consumed with curiosity as to why they record them at such a low level. Saving electricity :smiley: ?

9

This has been one of my pet peeves since forever. I just hate it that different devices have differen output levels. Has always been so. Get it together, guys!

10

I think the problem is that your TV is manufactured by the clearly inferior Somy corporation.

–FCOD

11

You get a volume regulator.

12

Wow, Will mega-thanks for that. I never heard of such a device, but got one and it works wonders.

For those who noted the same problem, here is what I got.

Searching turned up loads of these things, some pretty expensive, others not. So, from Amazon I ordered an Audiovox VR-1 at only $26.

All you have to do is take the RCA audio cables out of the input of the TV and plug them into this device, then plug the supplied cables from the output of that to the TV. Then plug it in with the power supply, and that’s it. It does have a little LED to show its on, and it just stays on all the time. There is no on/off switch You can hide it behind the TV if you want, as nothing more to do.

I set the TV to a comfortable level, about 35 percent, and then the DVDs play perfectly at the same level, instead of having to go all the way up to 70 percent or more.

As a bonus, it keeps loud commercials down to the same level, so no difference in volume when changing chanels.

And, best of all, when people are whispering it automatically raises the level, and when thundering music blasts out, it drops it down to the same comfortable level I chose. Miraculous.