Automatic Volume Control

[Cosmo Blatz]

Is there any chance that an STB manufacturer will include automatic volume control as a feature?
A trip up/down G19 Ku is an assault on the ears! I'd be happy with a 'slowish' responding volume control that took a second or two to level the volume. ANYTHING to keep the different channels at a somewhat steady volume level!
A little hardware, a little software, that should do it right?

 

[Titanium]

Until then, check your TV for this feature. My Samsung and Sony TVs have automatic volume control in the set-up menu.

 

[pwrsurge]

The AzBox miniMe American Edition already has this feature implemented where you can adjust and save the audio level for each individual channel from 1% all the way to 115% with a default of 100%.

Essentially, you would turn down or increase the level on any channel which does not broadcast with a normalized audio level. Once each offending channel is adjusted, you should have a rather steady volume level when channel surfing.

 

[Titanium]

The ability to save an audio level setting is different than automatic Level Control (ALC). The function that you are referring to is typically referred to as service audio level offset. NIce feature that has been on many receivers through the years. My favorite implementation was on the Fortec Star Mercury II.

The downside to automatic level control is that it does not usually recognized compression. ALC will moderate the peaks, but if a compressed audio registers within the defined range, the audio is not attenuated. Compressed audio sounds louder, but actually could be registering the same amplitude (peaks).

 

[FaT Air]

G19 Ku is an assault on the ears!

ain't that the truth! Some are so bad I swear they have +20% distortion by over-driving the encoder.

 

[Cosmo Blatz]

The ability to save an audio level setting is different than automatic Level Control (ALC). The function that you are referring to is typically referred to as service audio level offset. NIce feature that has been on many receivers through the years. My favorite implementation was on the Fortec Star Mercury II.

The downside to automatic level control is that it does not usually recognized compression. ALC will moderate the peaks, but if a compressed audio registers within the defined range, the audio is not attenuated. Compressed audio sounds louder, but actually could be registering the same amplitude (peaks).

Thanks for the tip about the TV ALC. Turns out, my LG TV does have the function! Unfortunately, ALC only seems to work with the internal TV speakers and not the audio output jack. In fact, the TV does not allow me to turn on ALC with a connector inserted in the audio out jack. I understand compressed audio would 'trick' the ALC but some of the channels have audio that is waay above just normal compression. Any help from the STB would be nice. Need something to turn down the volume on Rev. Scott, some of the imams, and ALL the shopping channels!

 

[danristheman]

Magnovox had smart sound my flat screen has that option its nice on gal 19.

 

[waylew]

Any help from the STB would be nice. Need something to turn down the volume on Rev. Scott, some of the imams, and ALL the shopping channels!

Delete the channels ?
Change the audio pids to something unused ?

 

[T134]

Is there any chance that an STB manufacturer will include automatic volume control as a feature?
A trip up/down G19 Ku is an assault on the ears! I'd be happy with a 'slowish' responding volume control that took a second or two to level the volume. ANYTHING to keep the different channels at a somewhat steady volume level!
A little hardware, a little software, that should do it right?

I've never had this request before but it sounds like a good idea as long as it is something that the user can turn on and off. I'll pass this to our engineers. I don't have a clue how to do it myself but I'd bet with Android that it wouldn't be very difficult.

Until then, check your TV for this feature. My Samsung and Sony TVs have automatic volume control in the set-up menu.

I've got this on my Philips. Been years since I used it. In the settings it warned that dynamic sound or something or other could/would be limited by turning it on. Whatever it said what ends up happening is really good sound gets suppressed and doesn't sound that great, it was very noticeable to me the second I turned it on.

 

[pwrsurge]

Delete the channels ?
Change the audio pids to something unused ?

This solution only works for channels which the user never watches so it does not really address the issue at hand.

Rather than changing the audio pids to something unused, the better solution is to reduce the volume on them which the miniMe American Edition allows you to do. Yes, each audio pid can be independently adjusted!

 

[DRCars]

The AzBox miniMe American Edition already has this feature implemented where you can adjust and save the audio level for each individual channel from 1% all the way to 115% with a default of 100%.
.....snip.....

So you can only increase a channel by 15%....that's not very much but better than nothing I guess.

DRCars

 

[Cosmo Blatz]

I've never had this request before but it sounds like a good idea as long as it is something that the user can turn on and off. I'll pass this to our engineers. I don't have a clue how to do it myself but I'd bet with Android that it wouldn't be very difficult.

Thanks!

 

[pwrsurge]

So you can only increase a channel by 15%....that's not very much but better than nothing I guess.

DRCars

We will look into bumping it up a bit more in a future firmware update. Keep in mind that you can only go so high before starting to get distortion.

The main purpose of this feature is to turn down the audio level on channels where it is being broadcast at a too high level.