Movie Soundtracks Not Compatible ? (1 Viewer)

[stymie222]

I know this question has been asked many times. Not only here but on several discussion groups. Could it be, that the movie soundtracks meant for theaters, are not compatible with "Home Theater" set ups ? Extremly low dialog and thunderous special effects are ruining my experience. My remote never leaves my hand while viewing. System adjustments do not help. Each movie is different. Is it possible to ask the movie makers if this could be a compatibility issue ? Can they remix for home audio ? Who can I contact ?

 

[Will_B]

The answer is YES, and only some video versions have the budget to correct for it. Heck even some films that you'd think would have a budget to correct the sound, like the Bourne Identity movie, are exercises in the volume knob.

 

[stymie222]

Just as I thought. So spending big bucks on equipment and speakers is really a waste of time and money There should be a way for all concerned to contact the studios and demand compatability labeling on all DVDs .

 

[Will_B]

Many receivers have "midnight modes" to try to correct for the _quiet dialog_ and THUNDEROUS EXPLOSIONS. So it isn't as if there's no recourse. Just have to turn on those modes when you find a movie with too-great-a-contrast.

 

[RobertR]

The LAST thing I want the studios to do is to KILL the dynamic range on movies for home viewing. If the movie had WIDE dynamic range in the theater, LEAVE IT THAT WAY. That's how it was MEANT to be heard. If you don't like wide dynamic range, engage the aforementioned "midnight mode", but DON'T mess with the movie. As far as I'm concerned, this is no different than chopping a 2.4 film to 16x9 to satisfy the "I must always fill my screen" philistines for home viewing.

 

[keithling]

RobertR, In some movies, the issue is not dynamic range. The issue is mastering the movie as one audio track instead of many little ones. In the theater, I had absolutely no problem hearing the dialogue to Thor. On my BD, I have to increase the center channel by 9 db.. I have a very balanced system which sounds great most of the time. Many movies are played back at rock concert volumes. That is part of the problem to begin with.

 

[RobertR]

RobertR, In some movies, the issue is not dynamic range. The issue is mastering the movie as one audio track instead of many little ones. In the theater, I had absolutely no problem hearing the dialogue to Thor. On my BD, I have to increase the center channel by 9 db.. I have a very balanced system which sounds great most of the time. Many movies are played back at rock concert volumes. That is part of the problem to begin with.

If the dialogue was mastered too low on the BD (lower than it was in the theater), it amounts to the same problem--altering the dynamic range (in this case, making the low part too low). So I disagree that the issue is not dynamic range. I don't understand what you mean by mastering "many little" audio tracks. The BD audio track should reflect what the intent was in the theater. As for playing at "rock concert levels", a properly designed home playback system should be capable of 105 dB from the LCR speakers, and 115 dB from the subwoofer. If your basic complaint is that some movies are "too loud", don't watch them, or engage "midnight mode". But please don't advocate changing the dynamic range to suit YOUR taste.

 

[keithling]

Robert, When movies are played back in a theater, they are mastered for a sound system that covers 200 people at minimum, and up to 600 on average. The volume levels do not translate well to a much smaller system in a 15' x 20' living room, or even a dedicated home theater close to that size. I can tell you the dialogue onthe Thor BD was much lower than in the theater, and the difference between dialogue volume and explosions is ridiculously greater than it was in the theater (True HD DTS). Your point was that you didn't want to reduce dynamic range, even if it seemed way too wide. My point is that the dynamic range should be true to how the soundtrack translates to the typical viewer in the theater. If the explosions are much louder relative to the dialogue, it defeats the purpose of the movie in telling a story. They also can cause hearing damage and speaker damage as well.

 

[RobertR]

I watched the BD, but didn't see the movie in the theater, so I can't say how the dialogue levels compare. The dialogue didn't seem overly low to me. Having said that, I don't think we're really disagreeing with each other, Keith. The sound design in the home should reflect the filmmaker's intent.