Problems with Movie Dialog-Just the normal?

Many movies have a lot of dynamic range. If you play your dialog back at a reasonable level (say 70dB), the peaks can be very loud (up to 107dB from the LFE channel using the default encoder settings0.

Reduce the dynamic range via compression (this may only work on Dolby Digital tracks) aka "midnight mode" if you don't want the loud peaks.

Or improve intelligibility at lower volumes through speaker choice and placement (placement atop a TV is not a good idea).

Neither the movies nor TV gives much of a damn about audio clarity these days. That may not be the whole problem, but it's at least part of it. Listen to a film from the 40s or 50s - you can hear every word, center channel or no.

This is fairly normal. Trust your ears.

Heres why....

1) The actual processor may be less than perfect for your amplification/speaker setup. I personally feel there is always something to give or take in HT setups. e.g. I replaced a $1200.00 Rotel recently with a $4600.00 Bryston and I actaually prefer, at this stage, the Rotel. I am talking movies only , yes the Bryston is nice, and I am sure that I will tweak it and get it right.

2) Also, the acoustic properties of your specific room (drapes, carpet, walls, room shape, ceiling, etc.) are having some absorptive effect in the "vocals" spectrum of the frequency range.

3) Finally and most importantly, I am betting you used a white noise generator along with that SPL meter right? That white noise is probably level across the channels just for that reason. I will bet you dollars to doughnuts that the encoding of the Dolby Digital/DTS isnt. The DD/DTS engineer "mixed" what sounded best in his/her enviroment and for the greatest impact or sound quality. Certainly not best clarity or vocalisation from YOUR center channel.

Go ahead and turn up that center, use that "night" mode, and find YOUR sweet spot. I know I do.

Uhm, this is a pretty simple answer, but i things for a living and always look for this simplist answers...

Is your DRC on?

Im pretty sure you know what this is but in case you dont....
Dvd';s are pretty dynamic. Whispers sound quiet and explosions rock the house. Dynamic Range Compression was created to make a balanced level of volume throughout the movie by eliminating spikes in volume. It gets everything at approximatly the same volume.

With DRC on with some players, when an explosion happens, it just reduces the total volume on all channels, and voices can get down to a whisper untill the volume peak subsides then the DRC raises the volume. come players are better than other players at this, and can reduce the spikes in volume without lowering the volume of other sounds which gives it a nore balanced feel and it doesent seem like somone is just flipping down the knob.

Might that be the problem?

If so, maybe you oughtta try borrowing a buddys DVD player and watching the same problematic parts in movies...

or is this more of a freak occurrance? not really specific to any point to a movee and more random?

if this seems to just happen out of the blue, then swap out the dvd player still, and give it a shot. if it keeps happening, i got 10 bucks that says your processor is messed up

hope that helps

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