[MPlayer-users] dvd (ac3) volume <-> standard (mp3) volume

[D Richard Felker III]

On Fri, Jan 10, 2003 at 11:30:35PM +0100, Jonas Jermann wrote:
> [Automatic answer: RTFM (read DOCS, FAQ), also read DOCS/bugreports.html]
> Hi
> 
> Whenever I playback a DVD the volume is _way_ lower than my 
> normal volume. If I try to adjust it, the sound is unuseable 
> (buzz) even on absolute mixer maximum. Afair:
> 
> - Ac3 sound is less normalized, so I tried -aop list=volnorm but 
>   it didn't help much (not at all).
> - Ac3 is less intense than mp3 too. So I tried -af volume=30 
>   (this gave me the same level as xmms).
> - Windows and Mac players adjust it automatially.

Apparently so.

> So I asked myself:
> 
> - Can it really be that ac3 is over 30db less intense than the 
>   rest?

Yes. People who make DVDs are idiots and record most of the sound ad
very low level so they can "utilize the whole dynamic range", i.e. you
can't hear voices when people talk but as soon as there's a gunshot it
wakes up your neighbors 10 houses down the street. :(((

> - Is my solution (-aop list=volnorm -af volume=30) the best or 
>   is there a better way?

Unfortunately that's the best way I know.

> - If it's really that common to adjust it automatically, why 
>   doesn't mplayer do it?
> - Maybe the problem lies somewere else...

Are you using any other -aop stuff, perhaps resample? That will reduce
volume by 10 dB if/when resampling takes place and it's broken
nowadays anyway. Try to migrate everything to -af instead of -aop.

Rich