Why does the volume change when watching movies? | Why is action loud and dialog soft when watching

[@cheekster777]

Often wondered this. Thanks for the video.

[@MovieUniversity]

😎😎 My pleasure

[@tomasinacovell4293]

But we don't watch most movies in the theaters now days, and what good are these dvd's and streams to us now, there's very little mixed not even shows like Man In The High Castle, BOSH, DUNE etc that aren't all screwed up now because theater audio encoding, the soundbars just make it worse and muddier and the special settings are just under powered pacifier features that do nothing at all to fix this fucked up problem? Besides the dialog in movies at the theater has the same problem too, it's only a touch clearer but at least the sound mix won't bang your hearing like it will to home!

[@johnjay370]

If you dont adapt your film for the different theater systems because of artistic reasons you are vary arrogant. By simple percentages you can evoke the same effect over the lower quality sound systems. You can also put a disclaimer that the audio was adjusted to work on lower level sound systems. The point of optical meda is that it bread and butter is made by collectors that will be viewing on different types of systems. So give them all the possible options. When I create something I would want as many people to see it as possible. Also when people see a bad audo master thay believe the original was like that and this muddys a directors reputation. Even though its probably the studio fault. The best directors put in more effort to control their own products and keep the quality high on all systems. This requires multiple masters.

[@pugdawg4787]

I am so sick of not hearing what the characters are saying while my neighbours hear loud music, gun shots, babies crying, torture screams, and sex sounds.

[@RobertNowagarski]

Yeah I can’t stand it they need to figure this stuff out it’s terrible

[@MikeTXBC]

The only way to watch movies today is by enabling close captioning or subtitles. My wife and I have a 3.1 soundbar and it helps some, but nowhere near enough. Raising the volume on the soundbar doesn't help either as it increases the volume of everything. If I could individually increase the center channel that would be great, but that option doesn't exist. Turning on night mode and dialogue mode on the soundbar helps some, but still not enough. It's ridiculous that studios expect people to have separate sound systems. The vast majority of people won't have those and will listen with their TV speakers. Yes, I know TV speakers are crap, but that's what the majority use (due to cost or lack of space or both), therefore that's what should be designed for instead of the relative few who have a home theatre setup. And if you want to make excuses for movies, that this is the way it was meant to be heard theatrically... fine, but what about TV shows? They have the same problem! These shows were designed for television and those have no excuse whatsoever for not being mixed with TV speakers in-mind, yet the problem exists.

[@MovieUniversity]

Tell us how you really feel mike.

[@heavyferrum397]

With what shows did you experienced this problem? I've never had this issue with TV shows. only movies.

[@kurchak]

I disagree, but only sort of. I do think that the majority have just a TV, at most a soundbar, so we agree on that. But I also understand sound mechanics and engineering and know that to get the best quality requires high end equipment. There is no way to make a shitty tv sound good. Your cheap sound bar is not going to sound good because it is cheap. That's WHY it is cheap. A $300 sound system is $300 cause nobody would ever pay more than that for it. I have a mid level entertainment system, nothing super fancy, but it sounds good enough for me. 7 speakers, 1 sub and a receiver, and all were about $3000 total (Polk, HSU, and Denon), but that's the cost to get relatively decent home theater. You can't buy a sound bar and expect much. With a home theater system properly configured, this dynamic range isn't an issue. My denon reciever even has a setting for "dynamic range compression" which takes their "movie theater sound" and compresses it for home theater. Moral of the story is, if you want something that is above average, you are gonna have to pay above average price.

[@MusicStudent1]

It’s pathetic that we have to do that but if you want to preserve your hearing, (and sanity - who wants to keep adjusting volume levels while watching something?) you gotta do it. I do the CC trick myself.

[@annetteekeroth]

Well said. I'm watching an old Perry Mason episode, Season 8, on Prime Video and the dialogue is so soft I have the set at FULL volume and can barely hear. BUT any music or sound effects even at 50% volume will blow an ear drum.

[@Anytyme06]

I hate it when I'm watching a Blu Ray and the dialogue is so low I have to crank it up then there's an explosion out of nowhere that rattles the whole house.

[@MovieUniversity]

Same for me man.

[@Luigy2111]

It’s soooo annoying

[@HarishHarsh187]

Same problem here

[@bootroota1394]

Yep, I've given up playing with the volume and just use subtitles now. It's fucked, why can't there be a setting for a standard TV

[@darkstranger777]

I hate it to

[@MusicStudent1]

It’s because us old guys used to use graphic equalizers, balance controls, etc. and get the sound of our stereos just right. I think the reason is that’s a lost art. It’s 2022, just crank it up! CGI explosions, deep bass! It masks how lousy movies are nowadays. If the theater has to be as loud as a Metallica concert, you know the movie is lame. A good film, a good story doesn’t require hearing loss.

[@KingTairun]

Sound designers are idiots

[@flannelfield5255]

huh? i cant watch a movie at home and im glad somebody finally made a video about it.

[@MovieUniversity]

🤙🏽🤙🏽

[@nishantsrinivas2936]

Finally.. After so many years.. So many movies.. So much volume adjusting.. I know whyyyy... 😂

[@Scientist_Albert_Einstein]

Older movies don't have this problem! Only new movies, the "brilliant sound engineers" are trying so hard but failing so miserably! We just want to enjoy sound like in the old movies! When you watch the old terminator movies do you ever adjust the sound of your TV? NO!

[@hazelbell6984]

I’m watching predator right now and have this problem that’s why I’m here. I think it’s really steaming apps that are the problem

[@SuperHitman55]

This is not true. I am watching a lot of old movies via Amazon Prime and the sound is all over the place. Not only that, but there's a lot of mumbling too

[@rytmydjembe]

It is doesn't matter is streaming apps, on normal DVD with 5.1 you will have the same @@hazelbell6984

[@misterlexx2721]

​@@hazelbell6984 Turn PCM into " auto " if you are using digital optical cord or Pass through if you connect your av receiver or sound bar using hdmi in Earc port. It allows the sound to be unprocessed by your TV.

[@pantone41]

So, the vast majority of cable/streaming viewers are screwed. How nice. At least we got a numbingly detailed explanation as to why.

[@psilimit]

That was a fantastic explanation of why. Very informative. The solution section is massively lacking.

[@tomasinacovell4293]

Yeah, but it's still not fixed or addressed.

[@SEThatered]

No. It does not sound good in movie theaters either. Movie theaters try blow my ear drums even harder... And it was not the case 10 years ago.

[@bikeman7982]

Older movies use loud sound effects tastefully, reserving them for special scenes and climaxes (just like symphonies do). Modern movies are ridiculous in how they feel the need for a loud boom every other minute. I recently watched an episode of Masters of the Air on Apple TV. The sound of an aircraft crash and a human falling on a floor have almost the same bass level.

[@ganesang5537]

Thank goodness for dynamic compression.

[@QAT4969]

most of the comments here do not appreciate reference level, as how the producers intended it to be heard. ofcourse from tv speakers & cheap soundbars, this dynamic volume would sound crap..hence the availability to select night mode, enhanced vocal & dynamic range compressed/compression in the tv/soundbar volume option is made for selection. i for one, am a movie enthusiasts, audiophile & music lover, appreciate greatly the dynamic range in the volume. enjoyable, stunning & soothing all at the same time. takes you from being in your living/cinema room to the stage/movie..total immersion.

[@CoolStuffZone]

Just make voice dialog louder and action sequences quieter. In the movie theater, which no one goes to anymore, dialog is a little easier to understand, but action and explosions are still way too loud :(

[@timotheesonnier5349]

Yes adding a compression with the night mode helps or any compression like in the surround parameters or with audyssey (for denon / marantz) for example. But most off all something that made a huge difference for me is the calibration. Sometimes the room can boost some frequencies so much and the calibration really improve things

[@SealedOrPorted]

Nice video…and now a word from our sponsors AAAAHHHHH MY EARS!!! 😆 those commercial spots must be “artistically” created to 130 db

[@Awsomostmaximum]

The second fix. Dialog (usually) one channel, music/SFX usually all channels. Also, if surround speakers are closer to your head, they sound louder. So, adjust individual levels. ie: L/R: +5 Center: +10 SL/SR: +3 SBL/SBR: +6 Sub: +10 (plus independent control & crossover settings to optimize)

[@rytmydjembe]

Thanks for advice but on my stupid samsung tv I can control stupid soundbar where center I can do max +6 dB nothing more

[@mauricecatayan3406]

Turning up the center channel doesn't work, because it also plays much of the loud effects. The DTS guy summed it up well. The problem is mostly twofold: 1) most at home don't want or need to listen at the 85dB reference level designed for large theaters; and 2) at lower volume levels, we perceive the same dynamic range to be greater---a 20dB difference sounds more dramatic at lower volumes than at higher volumes. The only solutions are obvious: have a bigger room with acoustical treatments so you can play movies closer to or at the 85 dB level, studios provide a home theater mix on discs, with reduced dynamic range, or use dynamic range compression on avrs, soundbars, or media players. Another possible solution: have software that boost only the dialog track, not just EQs and or filters that boost the vocal frequency range.

[@tomasinacovell4293]

So why is he so complacent about this, they know the movies aren't correct when they still have the audio mix that impossible to use at home or on a pc etc, and to me it's another nightmare about this fucked up technology?

[@philadler9171]

Turning up the center does, in fact, "work" . It's primary purpose is to anchor the dialogue to the center of the screen and very few mixers use it for anything else. Bumping it up by 3 or 4 after calibration usually is all you need on a well balanced system. FYI, I'm a mixer. Professionally

[@tomasinacovell4293]

@@philadler9171 What's a "well balanced system" in that context what does that mean? The whole problem with all the soundbar systems this not withstanding is there really no way to actually do that enough, it's not like we even have any actual equalizer anymore, what's there is is a feeble pacifier at its best.

[@curtchase3730]

Just a home audio enthusiast here. From reading many of the comments, I feel the pain from the people who are having issues getting clear sharp dialog without being blown away by the music score/sound effects. I learned something that is hard to find here in the comments. If using a simple 2 speaker setup, or just the built-in TV speakers, be sure to choose stereo sound track if available. For those of us using 5.1 or higher, try to use the biggest center channel speaker possible. Biggest issue if user has nice big tall floor L & R speakers, and a little say, dual 3" w/a tweeter center channel box. The sound could be washed out even if the center level is maxed out. Don't crank up the surround channels to max just because you don't think you are hearing enough programming from them. IMO, those surrounds are just for filling in stuff that goes on in back or the sides. I think it's silly that most big box off the shelf receivers boast like 125 watts on every channel! Really? I know that's not true, but really, only like 20 watts of power is enough for those dedicated surround channels. Another thing that really irks me is that I have to really crank up the master volume when receiver is set to just about any surround mode. I have super sensitive speakers too. The mains are all horn driven, so like 5 watts is loud. Anyway, sometimes I notice the level indicated by the amp display around say -8db just for a realistic sound level from the speakers! -8db down equates to nearly 3/4 up the scale where as 0db is wide open/max volume. If I go into just stereo mode like old skool, I can get good audio levels at around -15 to -22 down. It's like the decoded audio in surround mode is not pre amped enough before it hits the output stage. I have had several surround receivers in the past and all have had the same issue! Any body agree? Thanks.

[@HeyJoe89]

Till this video I thought it’s a pure problem of stereo systems because TVs not doing the downmix of sourround soundtrack like it’s meant by dolby. Not easy to power active monitors trough a TV passtrough (without using it’s downmix) to a DAC as there are not much dolby stereo DACs on the market. Will try using the dolby capable macOS to play a movie and look if it makes any difference.

[@billyhelms]

Maybe Hollywood should be the ones responsible for mitigating the issue? It's really not hard to master it so that everyone can hear everything

[@jupmult9780]

I run all my audio through compression it's the only way. This helps keep the quiet bits louder while limiting the extremely loud portions.

[@SuperHitman55]

How would I do this on TV? Night mode doesn't help :(

[@thishero]

digitally through an avr

[@jelv.4142]

Great video! This has always bugged me, having to see a movie w my finger on the volume button. At least now i know what's up. With th shows, commercial volume are high.as opposed to the show itself.

[@PeTroL420]

I don't know what Brian Slack is talking about when he says the loud parts only seem loud because of the home environment because in reality, the loud parts are super loud. In a movie theater during an action scene, it gets super loud in the theater with all the speakers and subwoofers blazing. It's so loud that you can feel the sound through your whole body. This is fine in a theater where you don't have next door neighbors that you're worried about bothering. Back in the DVD days, the menu had an audio setting where you could set it to either 2.1 Sound or 5.1 Surround sound and when you chose 2.1, the dialog would be much louder but the studios stopped adding this feature most likely to save money.

[@reupsvideos]

On 2.1 it sounds much better than 5.1

[@Untilitpases]

What you feel in your body are low frequencies. Not because the volume is loud but because the subwoofers can produce it and that's how lows work. That said, cinemas, nightclubs, etc. are very loud, more than necessary. Probably as repeated exposure dulls senses.

[@HeyJoe89]

Was looking for a stereo output dac for proper (official) dolby downmix, nothing below 500$ on the market. I read that Dolby is made that it’s perfectly able to do a stereo downmix, you can read the multiple ways it’s done on their professionals webpage. So the soundtrack is already included and it’s either the way it’s mixed or (what I thought till this video) that especially TVs use hard- and software that is different (and without paying license fees to dolby) in contrast to “certified AVS-devices”. But as the video stated it’s a problem with all devices?? So I can stop investing and just keep using the stereo downmix the LG TV does? It’s told to be not a fine downmix from users from time to time.. Should try if I get a difference when my Macbook does the downmix, as dolby is implemented in macos for some years.

[@reupsvideos]

I have a 2.1 soundbar, when I'm watching KZbin with no surround sound it sounds amazing but when I'm on Netflix or Disney+ there is surround sound effect and the dialogue is inaudible

[@no89lan3]

True

[@dhavagokul]

Any solution for this

[@Mark-ut5oq]

@@dhavagokulchange your tv settings to output stereo audio instead of surround. You may have to manually force this.

[@dhavagokul]

@@Mark-ut5oq thank you

[@michael-4k4000]

I don't care why it happens, but it happens a lot and it happens to most people, and I have a high end sound system. the fact that some fool is mixing this together on purpose is mind boggling to me. NO ONE WANTS OR NEEDS THAT! We want to be hear the dialog not the plane crashing or helicopter over head at 100%. just make the dialog louder please.

[@bikeman7982]

I have a pretty decent audio system and I invested a good amount on extensive room treatments. I know not everybody has the flexibility of doing this, but acoustic treatment makes a huge difference in clarity. Movie dialogue is clear even at late night low levels.

[@cranbers]

Thank you for doing this video drives me nuts and ruins the whole experience.

[@MovieUniversity]

Glad I could help!

[@biff2k2]

I don’t want the explosions to wake up the kids. In my opinion the mcu movies are unwatchable when the kids are sleeping.

[@kamaljeet1806]

Amazon Fire TV stick has a settings... vocals/dialogue enhancer and a volume leveller. It works wonders. None of the android tv sticks/boxes I tried have that (Chromecast, Onn, Xiaomi). I love the Google UI and hate Fire TV stick... but this one feature in fire stick beats them all single handedly.

[@MovieUniversity]

Good to know. I never even thought about set pieces having this feature built in. I have an Apple TV device and now I’m going to see if it has it. The dialog from the unit sounds great.

[@arditg4429]

This is also very use, thank you so much!

[@bayarearob]

I wonder 🤔 if my Nvidia shield has this

[@mettakindness5999]

Great video. Many thanks for the explanation.

[@KASmonkeys]

Thanks! I wondered why I had my hand on the remote with every movie in my cinema 🤣

[@TheIgnoredGender]

4:38 It's like how going from 20 lbs to 30 lbs on lateral raises will feel like a huge difference. But going from 360 lbs to 370 lbs on a leg press doesn't feel much heavier.

[@TomBTerrific]

It’s because in the old black and white days the relied on plot. Today plot seems secondary. Remember 6dB increase doubles the sound volume.

[@strangemagic5502]

As I have a soundbar with subwoofer 3.1 I would turn the bass volume right down and as night mode isn't that effective. It certainly helps but these movie directors need to realise that it's off putting consumers buying or renting action movies. They are unbearable to watch when the wife makes a bigger noise than the movie with moaning

[@SuperEddieB123]

All thresholds (under-118db) can be leveled with a satisfying result! Eq's can be utilized for this reason. Especially when being mastered in studio for home use. Theater use should be different because of the experience. that's how to differentiate the differing types of usage (home and theater). A better movie watching experience could be attained if the sound engineers tailored movies for theater use and another for home use. More work for them and better results for the home viewer.

[@PaulFerzoco]

Lived with it for awhile then fixed it by dumping the stupid soundbar and brought back my full surround system. Full range matched speakers, substantial center channel, 7.2 plus 4 heights. Amazing! Convenience be damned!

[@MovieUniversity]

Awesome!

[@petermacias19]

How many speakers in total ?

[@avtechman77]

Movie University...I prefer the IMAX ENHANCED audio mix. It is not the near field mix

[@hmascuba]

My TV does come with a preset option that reduces dynamic range and makes dialog easier to hear without losing too much on the action effects. This does seem to work very well. Also lately I have been watching movies using my headphones from SONY. The headphones seems to match the theatrical experience well, so no need for any further adjustments.🤔

[@rytmydjembe]

which tv model you have?

[@hmascuba]

@@rytmydjembe Hisense tv, cheap from China. Terrible on image quality, although LCD screens usually struggle on that. But yes, it did come with a "dialog preference" under audio settings. I am sorry. I don't know the exact model, I could look into it later. However based upon Google results, websites from Hisense recommends the "Standard" setting which should fix the issue. All other settings would just simply increase the dynamic range to mimic the "theatrical experience".

[@HannTheftAudio]

Watching the near end i already have it covered ironically. 1) i have a 7.1 sound bar with 2) a center channel. And 3) this system has night mode option so I'm good on all 3. the only problem i have with my system is that there are only 4 level options available for it. C (CENTER) S (SIDES) R (REAR) WF (SUBWOOFER) C covers not just the center speaker, but the front left/right as well. And THAT'S where my problem is.

[@JohnWaynezgb]

can we on android streaming devices be able to do something with Poweramp equalizer app? That app have tons of settings and tweak but I don't know for what specific are they ...

[@bobbiehart39]

Bottom line is this, because of this problem we stopped A) Buying a lot of DVD's for home viewing and B) going to the movies how is that a win for the Studios ?? sounds more like a loss of $$$$ to my way of thinking

[@suman3vikram]

Stop doing this, sound engineers. It's very annoying. Half of the time I'm spending time with remote adjusting sounds and always switching subtitles on.

[@avidemuxer]

It must be somethin with the center channel. 4 channels for FX/ambience and just 1 for dialogue Fortunately there's a feature that allows to hear "clear voice" just boosting the center channel and narrowing the other channels.

[@chriscartoons32022]

I always switch the audio setting to Dolby digital when available. I can hear the dialogue and action better from that setting.

[@MovieUniversity]

is this on a receiver? Game console?

[@chriscartoons32022]

Right now I’m using an old Samsung soundbar and the Samsung blu ray player has an option to re-encode dts to Dolby digital. While I do have a Sony blu ray player, I was unable to find that option on there. And yes, consoles does have that option too like an Xbox one.

[@waltervanlille2263]

I often do that as well. Definitely makes a difference.

[@wiremonkeyshop]

It's always a dance. I have raised my center channel a few dB and that helps. But prolonged action sequences often require a bit of a volume tweak. I'm going to try the night mode trick soon to see how well levels are tampered.

[@MovieUniversity]

Agreed. I think I mess with mine a little bit each time I watch something.

[@Zytrazz]

Is night mode and midnight mode the same? Yes I am having this issue using Netflix. Since I use Netflix on PC i just enable loudness equalization to compress the sound. It does not sound cinematic though. I think that would be better than end up having ear drums damaged. It's hard to watch when the effects and music is so loud.

[@MovieUniversity]

Yes, they should be.

[@neilmarktaylor4386]

In the early days there was a problem with hearing dialogue with DTS soundtrack mixes

[@MrHamit64]

Ah that explanes everything. Yes I have on TV and meh some movies but I turn my speakers up til they sound as loud as I think the respective voice or sound actually would in reality. So maybe I go theater loud anyways.

[@lexruptor]

Look, if you're watching a DVD at home, it SHOULDN'T have a Cinema Mix, bottom line. A Cinema Mix should be a secondary mix, the Cinema Mix should be the thing they do AFTER getting a perfect home mix. Fact is, Cinema is dying, people watch on TV, Phone, or Laptop, but mostly Phone. Streaming is King now.

[@PartyTimeSpidey]

What a strange take. Mixing a blockbuster movie for a phone or laptop with a weak stereo set up is atrocious and will take away from the experience. People should either upgrade their setups (which is expensive), go to the theaters for a true experience (which can also be expensive) or just turn on nightmode like the video suggests.

[@tharii314]

This video should not be underrated!!!

[@kdexpressoo6023]

Some receivers/speakers are better for dialogue than others also. One Fullrange driver could be better at dialogue. Like some PC speakers. A separate Dolby dialogue track would fix this, well if there as a such thing as Dolby Dialogue on a separate track for tuner adjustments!! Make sure you don't have two dynamic ranges set at the same time.

[@Mr.PetePrice]

Good video, my experience is similar, both with soundtrack. On some movies, mainly streamed, dialog and effects are good, but when the music soundtrack plays it's barely audible.

[@Cinetiste]

All of this into consideration, the mixing of many movies has an excessive contrast between the voices and the various effects.

[@raymondlang]

Hello there..I don't have any of those names on my Dynamic range setting on my Yamaha home cinema amp I have MAX / STANDARD / MIN AUTO. When I click on the last one, I see it's set on MAX VOLUME +10, and INITIAL VOLUME minus 35. Didn't want to mess with anything till I get the answer to reduce loud sound effects and boost dialogue. My centre speaker is full up. Many thanks.

[@scottprice8994]

The movie studios need to increase the volume on dialog and lower the volume on sound effects. I do not actually need car crashes and gun shots in my ears. I understand it is not the actual loudness that you would experience in real life. That is okay. Oh, there is also the problem with small speakers on modern TVs. That is why a sound bar helps.

[@qlum]

As someone who primarily listens on stero headphones at a pretty low volume, yes I have noticed it quite a bit.

[@budgetaudiophile6048]

I don't typically run into this issue unless it's a bad mix (read compressed mix). I, like many other enthusiasts, have a dedicated theater room with 7 towers (bed layer), 4 bookshelves (Atmos layer), and (unlike many of my fellow enthusiasts) 22 individual subwoofer drivers. The subwoofers consist of 19 18s, 4 15s, and 3 12s that reside under the main seating platform. You SHOULD never . . .NEVER . . .have to touch your individual speaker levels once you've set them. If you have to raise/lower individual speaker levels, something's wrong with your configuration. The only exception I've ever seen to this is with the LFE/subwoofer channel. Some mixes run hot, some mixes run soft, so bumping up the subwoofers 3 or even 6 dB may help liven things up. Nowadays, with narrower bands for movies (because streaming audio is GARBAGE), we run into issues with dialog being overran by frequencies around 80-90Hz (the THX 80Hz crossover kinda bites us here).

[@sgtBilko75]

Incorrect: the decrease of the basic loudness (from cinema to home) should be measured as a percentage instead of a absolute number. Lowering the base volume with 10db and then also lowering the peak volume with 10db is nonsense. The peak should be lowered by the same ratio. Why not make the stereo (living room) version of a movie a “normalized” version and the 5.1 (or more) the cinematic mix?

[@MovieUniversity]

Incorrect… so you know better than a real sound engineer? I love Google keyboard warriors

[@RKKY-mf7fe]

DIalogue is inaudible in the theatres as well. Stop making excuses. Movie sound was better in the 80's and 90's.

[@michael-4k4000]

this is an excellent channel! you should do a talk with Andrew Robinson, would be cool to see a good talk between the two of you....

[@MovieUniversity]

Thank you!

[@jdmarjay]

I used to use an old xbox 360 wired headset that connects to the tv audio to watch tv and movies for years until I got a more secluded place.

[@germanasasecondlanguage9340]

But why do they have this crazy volumes for music, we are already engaged in a movie watching nicely then comes this loud Boom, disturbing everyone espercially at night. We now watch movies at home. I wish movie producers will adopt

[@CDPMATH]

I think receivers now have an option where you can increase the center to make it easy to hear dialogue.

[@MovieUniversity]

Depends on the the model, firmware version, etc. Some TVs also give this option too. However, it's not widespread either way.

[@CDPMATH]

What are your thoughts on Denon’s Dialogue Enhancer option? I currently have the x3800 model and it has that option.

[@MovieUniversity]

@@CDPMATH I don't have that model, but I don't have an issue with dialog enhancers. Generally speaking, most of them do a great job of what they're designed to do; enhance the dialog. The problem we have is that people wanted the "truest" version of a movie, the "exact" directors version. So studios now provide theater sound mixes. These mixes have loud explosions and other noises because that's what you expect at a theater and it's easy to hear low noises. However, not that people have the theater mixes we now complain about the volume being uneven.

[@benjaminsamuel4625]

Hi! I’m unsure if I should see the next Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in IMAX. The poster released the other day says it was "filmed for IMAX" but the IMAX website says it will be remastered using their DMR technology. I feel very mislead by the marketing for the film. Could you please clarify for me and those who want to see the film? Thanks.

[@MovieUniversity]

Thanks for the question. In short, no, don’t see it in imax. Rather, go see it in Dolby Cinema or Regal RPX or any other premium format. Shang-Chi was not shot with IMAX film cameras. Only movies like Dunkirk or the new 007 movies use real imax film and should be seen in a real imax auditorium when possible. What the production team for Shang-Chi has done is used some Arri cameras that have the same aspect ratio as IMAX (the square looking 1.9:1 ratio) (arri cameras are good, they’re just not imax film) for some scenes and saying it was “filmed for imax.” Complete play on words by the marketing department. At least the imax website admits as much.

[@michael-4k4000]

I listen at around 65DB, otherwise it just feels to loud, my family doesnt need or want it any louder.

[@MJ50]

Which soundbar will fix this issue without breaking the bank? I'm considering Anker Soundcore Inifini Pro or Bose TV speaker.

[@MovieUniversity]

Unfortunately this is one of those times you get what you pay for. The lower end brands will of course be an improvement over built in speakers BUT brands like Sony, Bose or Klipsch will provide a much higher quality playback for you. You’re looking at around $500 for a decent sound bar.

[@MJ50]

@@MovieUniversity just got JBL BAR 5.0 and very pleased!

[@arifsultan2009]

Change the dynamic range setting from standard to compressed improved the sound for me. But I donno how. Could you explain?

[@MovieUniversity]

Was this setting changed inside the audio receiver?

[@arifsultan2009]

@@MovieUniversity This setting was in sony x900h tv under volume setting called dolby dynamic range.

[@javtimestwo]

@@arifsultan2009 I have the very same TV, did the same thing and looked for an improvement. Not sure that helped much. I also have a Sony soundbar and sometimes feel the volume level is not where I prefer.

[@DjNC7]

I guess one solution is extract the audio from a movie normalize it and put it back on the movie. sometimes that dinamic range on the tv doesnt work on all movies

[@heavyferrum397]

If you take the time to release your "intended to be watched at theater" film to streaming, blu ray, or DVD as *HOME MEDIA* , mix it to sound audible for FUCKING *HOME!!!* The internet is filled with people complain about this kind of crap and for a good reason , living room ≠ theater and most people cant afford an expansive 5.1 system , and many that do own that still experience the problem because the environment in witch the 5.1 system is installed isn't built like how movie theaters do. I do pay for streaming services but the reason I resort to pirating movies is because VLC solves this problem with the Compressor feature, Netflix doesn't have something similar or any other sound features that help with this problem. So dear Hollywood and other pretentiousness sound mixers , Mix you damn audio for stereo systems like (most) TV shows does, Or Just boost any dialog track on the mix by couple of semi decibels, And don't complain about your content being pirated. Edit: The point of " Different mixes take up space" is massive bullsht excuse, There used to be 2.1 audio option on older films on netflix back in the (not so far) days. And another point: I wrote this comment 2 years ago and found out that the excuses the audio mixer gave on the video are totally wrong. There are tons of movies on Netflix that are exclusive for streaming, and hasn't released in theater.. that having the same audio issues as movies that are being released in theater first. Proving that its not really the decision of audio mixers, but highly probably not giving two shts about taking time for proper mix and level adjustment. Yes, Its a big deal for me.

[@1881Gordon]

@HeavyFerrum. Glad you got that off your chest... But in all seriousness, you do raise dome valid points.

[@no89lan3]

Didn’t dvds usually used to have 2.0 as an option? Not sure about Blu-ray’s as I never really got any, went straight to streaming

[@mardoquedelafuente]

Why in older movies the dialog was balanced not too soft not too loud

[@darrinlong8038]

i run into this issue everytime i watch a damn movie.

[@noneyabusiness2237]

Every multiplex I was ever in, you COULD hear the movies next door.

[@MovieUniversity]

Do you go to nice theaters or the cheapest showings? The lower end auditoriums can sometimes have audio bleed through which I’ve experienced during quiet movies but your big names ones I have never had this issue

[@robertburns1886]

My Roku tv is a problem using media player. How do I fix sound levels

[@SmokingDragon100]

Film makers need to check their egos then and realize this is a huge problem. It really is starting to ruin the movie watching experience.

[@SuperHitman55]

I agree. Someone else's comment also made a good point regarding the state of 5.1 audio movies. Before, you could simply up the center channel on your system to get good dialogue as this channel is reserved for voice. But now they add music into that channel, so by upping the center channel now will make it uncomfortably loud :(

[@debragotenks]

So what's the solution?

[@SuperHitman55]

Sadly there's none

[@jyothiprakash599]

V very useful info, thanks a lot.

[@MovieUniversity]

Glad I could help!

[@ikannunaplays]

They're using storage space as a reason for not doing a proper home stereo down mix? In a modern video audio is only about 1-3% of the total size of the video, space cannot be a legit reason because a stereo mix would be

[@TheDenialist]

But in all formats the wider the range the more bit it takes . Witch means they are choosing not to reduce storage size.

[@heavyferrum397]

I got really pissed off when I got to that part of the video, I also agree that is some bullshit excuse. It's plain laziness that audio isn't being re-mixed for home releases by the audio editors.

[@ikannunaplays]

@@TheDenialist What? We aren't talking bit depth, we are talking channels and down mixing 5.1+ to Stereo or 2 channels. Yes this still increases the file size, but even a 2 hr 2 channel audio recording 32bits at 48khz would still only add less than 100mb at best since the audio would be compressed using AAC. Considering the size of the video being 20-40gb you're argument is moot

[@rytmydjembe]

Watching movies on soundbar samsung + TV speakers I notice on dolby Atmos is better than watching 5.1. On 5.1 I need to make big changes on volume, on atmos +-2 is ok.

[@TheOriginalMistaluv]

Sweet!

[@jetski275]

Typically using the center channel sounds like poop. How do you make two speakers AKA stereo to where you can hear dialog and not be blown away by loud parts?

[@onmywatch9165]

DRC Dynamic Range Compensation or Night Mode is the easiest bet to solve this low dialogue high action audio.

[@SuperHitman55]

Sure, but voice is still inaudible. Try watching Tenet, or Interstellar. Hell. even things made in the 70s have this issue

[@AlexVaiphei]

I miss actual 5.1 channel audio where i can crank center channel which output only vocal and dialogue without any music. But now all 5.1 channel audio are crappy coz now the center channel came with music.. f..king music.

[@SuperHitman55]

You raise a very good point

[@KingTairun]

Sound designers are very stupid blaming TVs for their crap audio design. They are lazy and sell their crap design that doesn't work Home TV's. "it is meant for the theater" F the theater and its 100$ ticket prices!

[@heitor5998]

Do yourself a favor and put an audio compressor between the audio source and the amplifier. That's it.

[@tharii314]

Dynamic Range.

[@avosgame]

So what is the solution when watching at home? I'm tired to hold the remote constantly and shoot the volume button every 10 secs)

[@stephennuno4773]

My question is now then not at what is happening but why is there a contrast to beging with , I should if at least get if not to the spec at least every thing whould be withing a certain level overall without noticing the high and lows , I will say it's not quite like at home but there is a difrence in volume to an extent from vocals to sound fx ect that it does , to me anyways seem much better at home and considering g the volume levels they put as well still better at home

[@MovieUniversity]

bro...i need you to proof read that paragraph for me.

[@tairunking187]

So crap audio design because they are too lazy to fix it for home watching with stereo speakers?? This is know issue for years audio designers are crap at their job!

[@tammygarcia2340]

They want us out spending money thats why they did this! I don’t remember tv being like this when i was a kid! Someone make it an option if you want it like this or not… like yesterday please and thank you! Charge for it like everyone else does🙄🙄🙄 but give the viewer the dam option already!!!

[@akamiguelsanchez9985]

Dune was absolutely awful for this! Totally took me out of the story and left me genuinely feeling frustrated

[@MovieUniversity]

Same!

[@dawsonpage2647]

No way. I’m legit 20 minutes into dune right now and that’s why I’m on this KZbin video LOL. Can’t hear a peep when they’re talking but the loud parts rattle my apartment

[@ShowCat1]

Clear as mud.

[@sakitorihd]

so its not my audio systems fault but the disc it self !

[@tomasinacovell4293]

But we don't watch most movies in the theaters now days, and what good are these dvd's and streams to us now, there's very little mixed not even shows like Man In The High Castle, BOSH, DUNE etc that aren't all screwed up now because theater audio encoding, the soundbars just make it worse and muddier and the special settings are just under powered pacifier features that do nothing at all to fix this fucked up problem? Besides the dialog in movies at the theater has the same problem too, it's only a touch clearer but at least the sound mix won't bang your hearing like it will to home!

[@Melanie-ix4nq]

It's very annoying. It makes me hate TV.

[@SuperHitman55]

This never happens when you watch movies on Sky/Cable

[@dondon7979]

I know this video is like old. But I was haven this trouble. My set up is at my camp..I bought a Google tv. 30 inch. For inside the camper..I am in a park. The music was so loud, words I couldn't hear. I would sit and turn the volume up and down through out hole move. Come to find out. This TV has Bluetooth. I went and bought a jbl cylinder Bluetooth speaker. It resembles a home surround sound system..I put it on the table and the words are clear without the hole campground hearing what I'm watching/listening to. I block the one side of the speaker that's going out the window. Hope this helps anyone still searching for help .

[@MovieUniversity]

Video is a year old. SUPER old 😂

[@JunkerDC]

the movie theater away sounds so low like it needs to go up 3dbs or 6

[@mafyothu89]

how do i remove it? if i watch a movie on bsplayer on pc

[@MovieUniversity]

ummm. you can't. What you hear is what you get.

[@ronswoodshack3855]

So in closing…. To all you overpaid Movie Makers….. STOP FREAKIN DOING THIS!!! thanks….

[@i23intheplace2b]

So it's an issue with stereo. I thought something was wrong with my amp.

[@MovieUniversity]

nope. you're not crazy.

[@NeighborhoodBasketCase]

This drives me bonkers. None of the tricks work for my setup it completely ruins some shows and movies for me because I don't want to play the game of turning up and down the volume to keep my neighbors from getting annoyed

[@MovieUniversity]

have you tried various methods of sound insulating your room? Sound cushioning on the walls, carpets on the floor, etc.

[@NeighborhoodBasketCase]

@@MovieUniversity yeah I do have quite a bit of sound proofing but it also bothers me as well. I'm sensitive to loud noises in general so the constant switches between sound ranges is anxiety inducing