DVD audio too low
Discussion
Anyone know why some of the DVD's (films and TV shows) I have very low audio?. They are all retail copies I have bought, but the majority of them (particularly the films) the sound is so low that you have turn the volume right up to max so that you can hear it clearly, and if then it's often hard to hear. Anyone with hearing problems would be really struggling to hear it. It's not down the speaker of the TV as my other TVs have the same issue, and when it's switched back to antenna the sound is loud and audible. I never used to get this with commercial home video releases on VHS.
I bet the DVD is configured to output 5.1 audio into a stereo receiver - so most of the primary audio information is missing.
But without vital information like:
How is the DVD player connected to the amp / receiver?
Is it connected to a stereo amp or multi channel receiver?
If connected to a multi channel receiver, how many channels are configured with speakers?
If connected to a stereo receiver, has the DVD player been configured to output a stereo signal?
If connected to a TV, does the TV support multi channel audio or stereo only? And has the DVD player been configured to output stereo only?
'Don't know' is not a valid answer to any of the above.
But without vital information like:
How is the DVD player connected to the amp / receiver?
Is it connected to a stereo amp or multi channel receiver?
If connected to a multi channel receiver, how many channels are configured with speakers?
If connected to a stereo receiver, has the DVD player been configured to output a stereo signal?
If connected to a TV, does the TV support multi channel audio or stereo only? And has the DVD player been configured to output stereo only?
'Don't know' is not a valid answer to any of the above.

Mentions "some" not all? Is the source audio on the disk stereo or surround? Checked audio option on player?
Sometimes an incorrect downmix for a stereo only TV can be in the authoring metadata. I have had a few over the years that are difficult without a surround sound system.
There are many other versions for surround and basic audio.
Sometimes an incorrect downmix for a stereo only TV can be in the authoring metadata. I have had a few over the years that are difficult without a surround sound system.
There are many other versions for surround and basic audio.
One of the players is a Sony model, a very compact DVD player that I got from Asda (I think) with just a scart socket on the back, so no composite or component connections for hooking up to speakers. The TV its connected to has a scart connection, and that's about it.
I've often wondered if it's down to the audio mix of the DVD that's playing, but most of the DVD films and TV series I play are a mix of stereo, 5.1 etc, some are probably mono. As you say, maybe the audio mix needs adjusting for the TV it's playing through. As I say it's not down to the fault of the TV speaker, as once you switch back to TV the sound is loud.
I've often wondered if it's down to the audio mix of the DVD that's playing, but most of the DVD films and TV series I play are a mix of stereo, 5.1 etc, some are probably mono. As you say, maybe the audio mix needs adjusting for the TV it's playing through. As I say it's not down to the fault of the TV speaker, as once you switch back to TV the sound is loud.
I bet there are still a lot of SCART devices in use, you can still buy the cables and connectors as well. I found it a hateful connector to work with but fully loaded. Biggest gripe was no locking clips for certain applications. But explains in part perhaps why audio could be an issue.
I have found them useful to make adopters for wifi headphones for hard of hearing without messing up the main audio for the other people in the house.
I have found them useful to make adopters for wifi headphones for hard of hearing without messing up the main audio for the other people in the house.
I noticed the scart connection wasn't pushed into the player, so once I did I noticed a slight improvement in the audio, but even so it was still quite low compared to the TV signal. The DVD I tried was just a kids cartoon in 2.0 (either stereo or mono) so wasn't any surround mix. Some of the DVDs are better than others.
I would check in the DVD player settings, and ensure that any audio options are set to "Stereo" and "PCM".
It might also be worthwhile checking the TV audio settings to ensure the digital input is set to "PCM" or "PCM Stereo" as well.
Some DVD players try to be clever by reading the audio format on the disk and overriding any preset formats so that could be an issue too.
It might also be worthwhile checking the TV audio settings to ensure the digital input is set to "PCM" or "PCM Stereo" as well.
Some DVD players try to be clever by reading the audio format on the disk and overriding any preset formats so that could be an issue too.
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