Dolby 2.0 speaker calibration possible? (1 Viewer)

[Lee-c]

I've noticed on many DVD's that there will be an option in the audio menus for Dolby 2.0,
or just stereo sound (maybe it's sometimes called Dolby Stereo, can't remember for sure),
for those that don't have surround speakers.

I was wondering if it's possible to do a standard Dolby reference level volume calibration
with the Avia DVD on just the front main speakers and then play a DVD movie in either Dolby 2.0
or stereo sound, using just the 2 main speakers, and still have the movie's soundtrack play back
at the proper volume relative to Dolby reference level (depending how loud you turn up the volume
control, of course) just the same as if you were watching the movie with a full surround sound setup
in Dolby Digital mode?

In other words, does Dolby Digital reference volume calibration still work perfectly
even if you aren't watching the movie in 5.1 mode, but rather in just Dolby 2.0 or stereo sound?

Does it have to be Dolby 2.0 specifically for the reference volume to still apply to the soundtracks
of DVD movies (105 dB peaks), or is it true of any "stereo" soundtrack on a DVD movie?

Thanks for any help.

 

[John Garcia]

does Dolby Digital reference volume calibration still work perfectly even if you aren't watching the movie in 5.1 mode, but rather in just Dolby 2.0 or stereo sound?

Yes. Every form of Dolby goes through the same processor in your receiver, regardless of the number of channels. Calibration is the same for each. You won't need Avia for this either, you can do it with the internal test tones on your receiver, unless you are looking for other features offered by Avia.

 

[Lee-c]

John Garcia: Thanks for the info. So it has to say specifically Dolby 2.0 (or Dolby Stereo)
in the audio menu on the DVD in order for the soundtrack to be in accordance with Dolby reference volumes
for peaks?

I take it that just "stereo" sound in the DVD menu will not be in compliance with the Dolby
calibration necessarily, and one can expect volume fluctuations that differ from actual Dolby soundtracks?

 

[BruceD]

Lee,

I think it depends on how the signal is sent from the DVD player.

It you select the output format from your DVD player to be PCM (for stereo) instead of bitstream (used for all DD or DTS encoded data stream from Dolby 1.0 to 6.1), then maybe the calibration could be off (I'm not sure). But, if you select bitsream (or whatever other name your DVD firmware uses) your Dolby calibration should be fine no matter how many speakers are playing.

 

[John Garcia]

Yes, 2ch Dolby will usually be listed as Dolby Stereo. Other forms of stereo/2ch (which I haven't seen on too many DVDs, English anyway) will probably be close enough for government work too. I usually use PLII for Dolby stereo tracks on movies with good results.