cross-posted from: https://piefed.social/c/nonpolitical_comics/p/1657114/mr-lovenstein-volume

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  • Nangijala@feddit.dk
    3·
    7 hours ago

    Subtitles can save you a lot of headaches.

    Our TV has a shit sound distribution so it is literally like in the meme and our solution became to always have subtitles on even now that we live in a place with soundproof walls and no longer have to mind neighbors.

  • Honytawk@feddit.nl
    2·
    8 hours ago

    By default I enable Loudness Equalization, which makes soft sounds louder and loud sounds softer.

    I don’t care about the dynamic range if you can’t understand what they are saying.

  • SoloCritical@lemmy.world
    10·
    22 hours ago

    And this is why I, a genius, watch my content with subtitles. So I can keep the volume at a perpetually low level whilst still understanding what is being said even when it isn’t in a language I speak.

  • Strider@lemmy.world
    13·
    1 day ago

    FYI this is one of the main differences between the Hollywood and German soundtracks.

    Here it’s mixed far better to listen in stereo while in surround cinematic you need to turn the front speaker up, if you have that system. And it doesn’t translate well to stereo.

    • Chais@sh.itjust.works
      1·
      9 hours ago

      Wouldn’t that be a question of studio sound versus scene sound? The original sound is usually recorded with a boom mic, resulting in a wider dynamic range, whereas the German voiceover can be recorded in a studio, without interference and the speakers much closer to the mic.
      The alternative would be to give each actor a lapel mic which would then have to be edited out of the video and would also be infeasible in some situations.

    • rumba@lemmy.zipEnglish
      11·
      1 day ago

      Hollywood mixes are just awful, have been for decades now. You can go to the theater and have quiet voices and blown-out eardrums from a race scene.

      I have a middle-to-upper-end 5.1 setup and have to fiddle with it like hell to keep the voices audible without ruining the action scenes.

          • rumba@lemmy.zipEnglish
            2·
            20 hours ago

            I haven’t watched it yet. Kinda want to, I have a low bar for video enjoyment. Maybe I’ll throw it on my phone and wait for a no-network time, but i’ll make sure i have subs for it :)

          • tetris11@feddit.ukEnglish
            1·
            19 hours ago

            Scene:

            • Important person walks into a room
            • “Needless exposition about how rich and influential that person is”
            • Another important person walks into a room
            • “More needless exposition about how rich and influential that person is”
            • “That person is rich and influential?”
            • *wry smile*

            Next scene, more of the same

      • Strider@lemmy.world
        2·
        24 hours ago

        Yes basically what I said, but some say it’s good for reasons that elude me. So I try to stay on the technical base to avoid discussion.

  • fennesz12@feddit.dk
    18·
    1 day ago

    This wasn’t a thing a couple of decades ago. To this day I can still watch movies from the eighties just fine, but need subtitles for anything made within the last 10 years.

    • LwL@lemmy.world
      1·
      10 hours ago

      Old movies feel much worse for me, voices barely audible but sfx blow my ears out. But I also have sound from headphones, maybe that just works better with the newer mixes.

    • Jyek@sh.itjust.works
      6·
      1 day ago

      I’m sorry but, the 80s were more than a couple of decades ago. 1986 was 40 years ago.

      Also 20 years ago this was still an issue. Plasma screen TVs were becoming accessible to consumers and surround sound was taking off in the home video space. TV was mixed for surround cinematic but not everyone had a surround setup yet. They had to write laws that said the tv commercials couldn’t be louder than the main content of the channel (though these laws were largely unenforced).

    • JordanZ@lemmy.world
      3·
      1 day ago

      Depending on how far back you go a lot of those movies were only recorded in stereo and sometimes even mono. So the mixing was pretty straight forward. Surround sound and pulling the bulk of voices to the center channel is a large part of this problem. Then you’re kind of at the mercy of your device as to how well it down mixes surround down to stereo. Some are pretty decent, and others are pretty terrible. Now things like DTS:X and Dolby Atmos that have 11+ channels I’d expect this issue is only worse(these still fallback to 5.1 surround if not supported).

      I have a 13 speakers Atmos setup sitting in my living room and this isn’t even remotely an issue. That’s absolute overkill for people that aren’t very into home theater though. As it’s an expense for sure.

      I will mention there is a rare movie (I own about 4 thousand titles) that I need to adjust the center channel volume but it’s like maybe 1:250 movies. So sometimes the mix does just suck. I don’t really watch streaming so that might be its own can of worms for audio.

      • fennesz12@feddit.dk
        2·
        1 day ago

        Yeah, maybe a lot of movies are mixed for the theater experience. I have a JBL soundbar with detachable back speakers, and I do struggle a lot with modern movies.

    • Fmstrat@lemmy.world
      1·
      7 hours ago

      Only of it was made for TV. This is often a problem with theatrical releases because the audio is not retuned for home viewing.

    • azertyfun@sh.itjust.works
      362·
      2 days ago

      No, blame the streaming companies. Dynamic range is a known standard. All they need is:

      • a “louder dialogue” toggle switch to amplify the center channel in the downmixing settings (Kodi, many TVs, and all dedicated receivers can already do this FYI for this exact reason)
      • a “night mode” toggle switch that turns on an audio compressor (my 20 year-old receiver has that feature – it’s hardly rocket science; I believe YouTube calls it “stabilized audio”).

      Upsides:

      • preserves high dynamic range mix for audiophiles
      • works with already released movies (!!!)
      • improves the life of people with tinny speakers, strict loudness requirements, or hearing impairments

      Downsides:

      • Can’t feel superior to audio engineers who are doing their jobs, I guess?
      • Streaming companies need to reinvest a few thousand dollars out of the billions they are making to add those two buttons
    • otacon239@lemmy.world
      51·
      2 days ago

      Part of it could either be that they’re not spending the time for a home release audio mix, don’t want to for purity’s sake or I’ve seen issues with trying to condense surround soundscapes down to stereo.

      It all comes down to dynamic range and they should be using all of it for theatrical release and then remastering for home release.

      TV shows do not get a pass. Cinephile audio engineers that think the vast majority of their listeners will have home theater setups are just plain delusional.

      • turdas@suppo.fi
        31·
        2 days ago

        The way they do dynamic range in movie theaters sucks too. I have to wear earplugs because it’s so loud.

        • pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip
          8·
          2 days ago

          Yes!

          I may get a shit sound experience at home, but at least I have an opportunity for an even worse sound experience at my local theater, first.

        • ohulancutash@feddit.ukEnglish
          1·
          2 days ago

          Turns out when they went digital and got the popcorn kid to press play instead of a skilled projectionist, sound calibration also went away. Now they deliberately turn it up beyond the sound mixer’s specs.

          • turdas@suppo.fi
            2·
            2 days ago

            Around here they do calibrate the theaters but the spec says they can still be insanely loud, as long as they’re not loud all the time. The peaks are well over 100 dB.

      • _‌_反いじめ戦隊@ani.socialEnglish
        6·
        2 days ago

        while I agree with:

        Cinephile audio engineers that think the vast majority of their listeners will have home theater setups are just plain delusional.

        I disagree:

        they’re not spending the time for a home release audio mix

        From my recollection, mixing audio for different scenarios is just a function you can let the speakers decide how it will mix. Not adding this basic accessibility function in the 21c is just callousness.

      • ryannathans@aussie.zone
        22·
        2 days ago

        Depend, people with proper high dynamic range surround sound systems shouldn’t be penalised when watching content

            • SapientLasagna@lemmy.ca
              3·
              2 days ago

              The high dynamic range 7.1 audio is already on the disc. What we’re wanting is a decent stereo mixdown. Could be 128kb mp3 for all I care. Not like I’ll be able to discern a higher bitrate on my tv speakers. That should require 86MB per 90 minutes.

            • otacon239@lemmy.world
              1·
              2 days ago

              Looking into it, there’s a range of standards for Blu-Ray in terms of video quality. I doubt there are a ton of discs that can’t afford a few of those 25-50GB. Just spitballing ways to make it approachable rather than say only one way is correct. There’s all sorts of fancy stuff going on with DTS. Maybe they could work compression into part of the standard and just include alternate mixes.

    • jimmy90@lemmy.world
      3·
      1 day ago

      if you’re using linux slap a couple of boosting compressors on the sound using easyeffects to turn up the quiet parts

      works remarkably well

  • ameancow@lemmy.worldEnglish
    33·
    2 days ago

    This is so common and so irritating that it literally makes me not look forward to watching movies, particularly at home in a shared living space. I don’t even watch many movies anymore because it’s annoying watching with subtitles all the time.

    This is what getting old looks like people, take note.

    That thing that mildly annoys you right now? It won’t go away, it will get worse, then your intolerance of thing will lead to avoiding the thing. Next thing you know, someone is asking you “Did you see the new Sooperfoob and Jerry movie? it’s amazing! Best one of the franchise!” and you’re going to be like… 😶

    • Honytawk@feddit.nl
      11·
      8 hours ago

      Or you could just enable something like Loudness Equalization on whatever device you are playing the content from.

      The getting old part is you not searching for a solution and just complaining.

        • Honytawk@feddit.nl
          1·
          8 hours ago

          No, but the solution is different if you were to have a sound bar or are using the build-in speakers.

        • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.techEnglish
          6·
          1 day ago

          Yes. TV speakers have gotten incredibly cheap and low quality. It’s audio/visual. You’ve invested a fair chunk into half of the experience with a TV, but ignored the other half.

            • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.techEnglish
              3·
              17 hours ago

              I think they were better at least, and mostly because there was space for them. In a CRT you had enough volume inside the TV to have even just little 2" drivers, now with ultrathins it’s hard to fit any even moderately okay speaker in there.

          • 87Six@lemmy.zip
            23·
            24 hours ago

            I didn’t, really…I can barely afford a 1080p TV. I’m not buying a sound bar, screw that, rather do something else.

        • ohulancutash@feddit.ukEnglish
          31·
          22 hours ago

          Yes, because there’s a limit to how thin a screen can be and still fit decent speakers, and that sailed by 20 years ago.

        • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
          81·
          1 day ago

          If you’re watching movies mixed for surround sound on the stereo speakers on your TV, you’re gonna have a bad time

          I would know, I do it all the time

          • 87Six@lemmy.zip
            72·
            1 day ago

            I’m glad I’m no avid of movies. Wasn’t enough that TV’s are so locked down and spying on me, now I’d have to buy extra stuff too… Screw that noise…

            • Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
              3·
              21 hours ago

              I appreciate TVs not wasting resources on putting decent speakers in it that I’ll never use because I did buy a soundbar over a decade ago that has decent sound and has outlasted the TV I bought it for. Plus TVs are so thin these days that they probably can’t even drive decent bass, and the speakers they do have are rear facing, so they don’t even drive the sound towards you.

              Modularity isn’t a bad thing IMO.

              • 87Six@lemmy.zip
                3·
                20 hours ago

                Okay this I can completely agree with actually, good take. You changed my mind and you’re right.

                I kinda wish some things would be simple but eh it is what it is.

                • Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
                  2·
                  20 hours ago

                  Oh yeah, I understand the sentiment entirely. With so many dark patterns dominating the world we live in because we live in a society that decided to embrace greed instead of seeing it as a primary motivator of evil, I can’t blame anyone that looks at the state of things with suspicion anytime there are downsides. And while it isn’t realistic to expect as good audio from a built-in system as a separate dedicated audio system, I do think it’s ridiculous that the standard is so dysfunctional that you either can’t understand what people are saying or explosions are way too loud. Especially in this digital world where mixing separate audio channels isn’t a difficult task. Streaming services should just have a stereo and mono version of the audio that is mixed well for that format if it is actually a harder problem than I think it is.

                  Some of it is practicality, but I don’t doubt that greed also plays into it. I mean, even on the modularity side, I don’t have the option of easily finding a TV without any speakers at all, or a TV without smart features that a) aren’t as good as other options I have to access those features and b) were actually thrown in to spy on data, as your previous comment mentioned.

                  So yeah, I don’t blame you at all for being suspicious of the companies that absolutely are trying to fuck their users because their real customers are data buyers, even if I do prefer my soundbar.

            • Corhen@lemmy.world
              3·
              1 day ago

              you’ve had to buy ‘extra stuff’ for decades. The TV is only half the equation.

              Its buying a DSLR camera, and being upset it didn’t come with the best lens. It comes with one that works, but you arn’t going to have good results.

            • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
              62·
              1 day ago

              Home theatre systems have been a thing for decades. Soundbars are the cheaper and simpler new alternative.

              Alternatively you can just use a media player thay compresses audio. This is easier if you use a PC connected to your TV but I’m sure some TV apps allow it too.

      • ameancow@lemmy.worldEnglish
        107·
        1 day ago

        “Whatcha doing housemate?”

        “Rigging 5.1 surround-sound that I can’t fucking afford, so that the bass and explosions absolutely rip through your walls, but at least I can hear the whispering.”

        Yeah fuck that. I’ve had surround sound before. It’s not remotely the issue I’m complaining about. It’s about audio volume mixing for home screens for average people who just have a TV and thin walls.

        • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.techEnglish
          66·
          1 day ago

          So, you haven’t invested in your audio. You have a TV, great, but tv speakers are basically phone speakers.

          You don’t need a big surround sound system, but you need something. Even the cheapest sound bars will likely solve this problem for you.

            • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.techEnglish
              45·
              1 day ago

              Your personal finances are your business. I am here saying why you can’t hear anything. If the audio is bad, the invest in better audio, simple as that.

              • ameancow@lemmy.worldEnglish
                64·
                1 day ago

                Yah I am dying to continue to feed the system that requires us to spend more money than we already did for stuff we own to get decent experience from it rather than add one fucking toggle that balances audio for people who aren’t interested in chasing optimization by feeding corporations more of our labor. Go play with your lootboxes.

                • luluberlue@lemmy.blahaj.zone
                  41·
                  20 hours ago

                  “The system” is physics. You can’t have tiny speakers embeded in a flat screen sound as good as a dedicated sound system due to how sound works. Same goes for phones camera, the tiny size just cannot compete against bigger, dedicated hardware due to how light works.

                  So go ahead and go fight the universe if you want, I’ll be here enjoying my audio on big ass speakers you can find in a thrift shop since those things existed for decades.

                  Pretty sure the “corporation” that made my speakers in the 70’s are well fed with the non-existant money I sent them.

                • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.techEnglish
                  41·
                  23 hours ago

                  K. You asked why your sound was bad, I gave an answer. Your opinions on if it should or shouldn’t be that way are not relevant, this is the way it is. If you want good sound, you have to buy it. I can’t change society or manufacturers for you, I am only a guy explaining how you can get good sound.

  • Eternal192@anarchist.nexusEnglish
    50·
    2 days ago

    One of the main reasons i watch everything with subtitles, people used to be amused when i would watch an english movie with english subtitles, then they got apartments with poor sound proofed walls and floors, they weren’t so amused anymore.

  • Treczoks@lemmy.world
    6·
    1 day ago

    I had such a situation years ago. I was listening to Mike Oldfields “Tubular Bells II” on headphones. For the first time. There is a sequence where the music stops, and a child is telling something. I turned up the volume to hear it, and got the last words “and nothing was ever heard of him again, except for the sound of tu-bu-lar bells”, and then came BANG the promised bell…

    • [deleted]@piefed.worldEnglish
      31·
      2 days ago

      Older movies tended to have audio mixes where the dialogue was clear even when loud things were happening, people shouldn’t need to use a compressor.

      • Chronographs@lemmy.zipEnglish
        71·
        2 days ago

        They also didn’t have much dynamic range, it’s much easier to compress the range than expand it

        • [deleted]@piefed.worldEnglish
          3·
          2 days ago

          I have not had a great experience with compression.

          A couple TVs would have the audio delayed slightly, enough that the last syllable spoken was after they closed their mouths. Most of them also did a terrible job playing from TV speakers if the audio was in the center channel and I could not set it to stereo.

          Also I find the leveling or night settings make it harder to hear because while the speaking volume is raised that doesn’t make it clearer. So if there is background music the same volume it is just muddled at a higher volume.

          Compression is better than nothing but in no way comparable to a mix that is actually intentionally made to reduce the dynamic range. Having one mix and letting the compressor software fudge the balance is lazy and has mediocre results.

          • Chronographs@lemmy.zipEnglish
            3·
            2 days ago

            I still feel like it probably works better than trying to expand a flat mix. Center channel dialogue is a different issue imo, there should definitely be 2.0 mixes available for streaming content auto-downmixing will always be bad.

            • [deleted]@piefed.worldEnglish
              2·
              2 days ago

              Center channel dialogue is part of the overall issue of only having one 5.1 high dynamic range mix available to play on a wide range of devices with vastly different setups.

  • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.techEnglish
    1312·
    2 days ago

    Pay for better audio people. TV companies make big shiny displays but out smartphone sized speakers in them. Gone are the days where you can get good audio from your TV. Even the cheapest sound bars will make a difference.

    It’s not your ears. It’s your sound equipment.

    • D_C@sh.itjust.works
      92·
      1 day ago

      Nope. Not always.

      I have a none cheap but not super expensive soundbar. We were watching the film Phantoms the other night and the sound was just terrible.
      The women’s voices were very clear but the men’s voices were inaudible whispers.
      Turn it up …FUCK YOU, ACTION SCENE
      Turn it down
      Peter O’Toole introduced. We can hear him clearly because he was classically trained.
      Go back to usual men talking and just whispers again.
      Turn it up. FUCK YOU I SAID, ACTION SCENE
      Oh FFS, turn it down.

      It was like that all the way through.

      I have all the clear voice options working. I have tinkered on the sound profile on my TV to help try to lose the bass and give a bit more clarity on the voices but sometimes it’s just the shit way the audio on the film is mixed.