sa8300hd – low audio on hd?

[jshore]

In preparation for arrival of my new samsung 61"dlp, i just traded in my cox digital box for the sa explorer 8300hd. Audio is connected from optical out to optical in on my denon 3805. I been checking out some hd channels in advance and noticed that the audio levels are low – really low – on the hd channels, compared to the regular channels. Is this normal? Also, any suggestions on best audio setting on 3805 to watch tv so that anything broadcast in 5.1 is automatically picked up? Is "Direct" the best setting?

Thanks in advance!

[gparris]

I have the Denon 3805 and watch HDTV with my SA 8300HD DVR like you do.
First check your settings for the input sound on the DVR - I keep my level at 92.
Then check the input "box" display for 5.1 on the right side of the Denon display panel that shows what is being inputed.
If the HD channel has only the right and left boxs "lit" on the display, the sound could be less dynamic than 5.1, too, even with DPL IIx initialized.
Note, too, that some HD channels are not sent out equally, as Discovery HD seems to be just right whereas TNT-HD (since I have it) is much louder and both are 5.1.
Direct as I understand it, gave me only 2 stereo channels, no surround.
The Denon manual is poorly written but the product is excellent, so take time to adjust the settings to maximize its potential for your preferences, in your HT environment.
Hope this assists you. :)

[jshore]

how do i change input level to 92 as you suggested?

Is this something i do thru onscreen menu of 3805?

Step-by-step would be great – i did a quick cruise thru surround parameters and system setup and didn't see any settings like you're describing? I know how to switch around video input settings, etc, but not the audio input level....

thanks again!

[57U]

I don't know "how low" the audio is, but a 10 dB difference is often "normal" as many of the HD channels are DD5.1 and the sound from DD5.1 is often "low" when compared to the other DD2.0 channels.

[gparris]

Go to the "Settings" on the remote of the 8300HD DVR and then hit the "A" button for "More Settings", then scan up and down for the audio level and recording level, that is what I meant...sorry you got confused. :(

57U is correct that you can get a significant variance in audio levels, nevertheless.

I had a setup with the same DVR and the client got rid of the DPL II default on the Dolby 2.0 programmes and went to Pro Logic-only for the default as the volume would get quieter.
It seemed as though the receiver's amp had to work harder to get out the DPL II 5.1 at a louder setting to do the surround processing, then the client would get sound-blasted with Dolby Digital 5.1 programmes as channels/programmes would get changed.
It all depends on what you have on and what you prefer, too. :whistle:

[DoubleDAZ]

gparris,
Aren't you using TWC with Passport software? If so, the SARA software used here in Phoenix doesn't have those options for setting audio levels.

jshore,
There isn't much you can do. The audio levels vary not only from channel to channel, but they can vary on individual channels depending upon what is being broadcast.

I have the 8300 volume turned up to maximum, the General Settings/Audio: Range set to Narrow, and the General Settings/Audio: Volume Ctrl set to Fixed. I use my Denon 3803 exclusively to control volume settings and tend to ensure that I lower the volume BEFORE switching from offending channels to others.

I find that StarZ-HD seems to be lowest while KTVK (Cox 003) and Fox News (Cox 047) are very high. Some of the other HD channels, like ABC-15 (Cox 715) and SHO (Cox 740), are also low at times and that is probably when they are broadcasting in DD5.1 or something.

I don't often surf channels during primetime because most of what I watch then is recorded. I surfed a bit last night/this morning and didn't noice a wide variance. However, I surfed a bit during today's football games, tennis match, news and the variance bordered on extreme between the live games and other channels, particularly Fox News, HGTV, etc.

I guess the bottomline is you'll just have to learn to lower the volume during those times when you tend to surf. It doesn't really take all the long to get used to checking volume levels, but it sure is a pain having to constantly raise/lower the volume. Everyone once in awhile when watching Lost or a movie or something, I'll have it dialed up and forget. Then I practically knock myself out of my chair. :wow:

[57U]

Please note that the Narrow-normal-wide setting doesn't affect the digital audio output. When listening to "non-critical" material, you could try the analogue outputs since they have less dynamic range and the "narrow" setting does affect the analogue audio. You would, of course, not have DD5.1, rather only DPL where applicable.

Many A/V receivers also have a "midnight" mode that lowers the dynamic range...

[gparris]

DoubleDAZ:
Yes, TWC uses the Pioneer Passport software that has its advantages - this one, then there are the disadvantages...don't get me started...thank you.

[DoubleDAZ]

Thanks for clarifying, I just didn't want someone with SARA spending a lot of time looking for options that weren't there and getting evnmore confused on this issue.