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NextGen and the "volume problem"?

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km1125
Posts: 3570
Joined: Thu Mar 14, 2019 3:09 pm

NextGen and the "volume problem"?

Post by km1125 » Sat Dec 18, 2021 10:55 am

Starting to see commercials promoting the NextGen TV sets (ATSC3.0) where they discuss the "volume problem". This can be very annoying when you're changing channels. Seems like in the analog days, these complaints were mostly on cable tv where there were a lot of sources and poor daily management of the volume levels at their headends. Never really noticed that problem on broadcast TV, except for the commercials (which stimulated the CALM Act).

Nowadays though, I'm seeing more and more issues with subchannels being at different levels than the main channel (i.e., 7.1 vs 7.3). Not sure why that can't be fixed though, but it's been like that for a while. I also have a DVR that will have a different audio level when you're replaying a recorded clip vs when that same clip was being broadcast. Poor implementation in my mind.

What is different on the NextGen sets or technology that prevents this from being an issue in the future? Is it just a spec in the receiver that sets volume at a particular level?



Deleted User 15716

Re: NextGen and the "volume problem"?

Post by Deleted User 15716 » Sat Dec 18, 2021 12:35 pm

km1125 wrote:
Sat Dec 18, 2021 10:55 am
What is different on the NextGen sets or technology that prevents this from being an issue in the future? Is it just a spec in the receiver that sets volume at a particular level?
Well, I'm no techie. But it does seem to me it wouldn't be too much of a technological challenge to have all audio at the same level. Bring the level of the music down, and the level of discrete conversations up. I mention those two examples because, like many others, it's my favorite pet peeve. I have to crank up the volume to hear two people sitting at a table talking, then they stand up and the background music vibrates my fillings.



tapeisrolling
Posts: 257
Joined: Sat Dec 04, 2004 9:07 pm
Location: go ahead, I'm listening

Re: NextGen and the "volume problem"?

Post by tapeisrolling » Wed Dec 22, 2021 8:15 pm

This guy has been talking NextGen for over a year... I like how he always says don't rush out to buy yet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kSt01FNse0



Deleted User 15062

Re: NextGen and the "volume problem"?

Post by Deleted User 15062 » Thu Dec 23, 2021 11:01 pm

Well, TV's nowadays should have volume leveling for the disabled. All of my flat screens had this, even before the HD switch. Plus, the CALM act should cover something like this. My theory- Never rush into anything. With working with Linux's Ubuntu, one should never rush to get the "x.4" versions, released in April. They don't work the bugs out of OS right away. This was my first encounter on never rushing into things. Ubuntu lost my sound card, then I only waited a few months to permanently deal with it. The quality picture is the one thing that would woo me. But the "CBS eye" or the "Peacock" having eyes watching what I watch and do on the TV might be too connected. (1984) I'll take that up with my therapist before I get NextGen.



djb
Posts: 46
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 11:20 am

Re: NextGen and the "volume problem"?

Post by djb » Mon Dec 27, 2021 7:06 am

It appears to me that this could have something to do with the sound encoding used on various media.

Consider most of your xHD/Network programming is encoded in Dolby AC3; where the center channel information (where the dialog sits) is on its own channel entirely (if mixed properly). Add to the fact that most new TVs have their own "Smart Surround" or some other moniker to "deliver surround sound from two speakers". Then, a commercial comes on that's produced in standard 2-CH Stereo. Now, the center (and other discrete channels) are eliminated, and all sound directed to two channels.

That's at least what I noticed, especially back when ATSC was quite new. Just my 2 cents.



k8jd
Posts: 603
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 3:35 pm
Location: Commerce, MI

Re: NextGen and the "volume problem"?

Post by k8jd » Thu Dec 30, 2021 12:40 pm

I was working on 800 MHz and microwave gear at a shared site some years ago, and ran into the engineer working on the WEMU FM transmitter. He was cmplaining about the FCC lack of specifics on level setting for HD and subchannels.Maybe that never got clarified in the rules /?/



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