HD Sound too quiet?

Problem with the sound on your HD channels?

Thanks to Nick Dean for the following question:

“I have a fairly-new HD-ready TV, which is correctly-set to receive 1080P HD signals. 

When tuned to an HD channel…..apart from the fact that I find the difference in resolution almost imperceptible….the volume is always reduced by 50 percent, which means that, rather than adjusting the sound each time, I find that I tend not to watch HD channels at all!.

Is this a known problem…& is there a cure?”

HD Sound levels explained

Interesting. On our office Sony HD TV, the Freeview HD channels are slightly louder than the standard definition channels, but on Sky, the HD channels are more quiet than the standard definition channels.

In researching this article, we found several people reporting similar problems, and we think we have a good handle on the reason.

The HD channels have their audio encoded to support either Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound or AAC surround sound. As the sound is optimised to play from multiple speakers on a surround sound system, the sound will be quieter than standard non-surround sound audio.

Assuming you’re listening on a non-surround system, that’s likely to explain why.

The workaround?

To an extent, there isn’t. Compared to standard TV audio, surround sound will sound quieter when not played through a surround sound system.

What you can do though, is to change your TV (or HD receiver) sound settings. Go to your receiver’s on-screen menu, and look for the audio settings. See if there is a way to disable Surround Sound. If not, have a play with the various audio settings to see if there’s a way to change the audio format.

TV Sound Settings Screen on a Sony TV

We also found a few online references to the fact that some TV manufacturers have released firmware updates to alter the way that the TV decodes surround sound. It could be that there is an update for your TV that might make things a little better.