Why do you need to adjust volume during a program or movie? If the problem is excessive dynamic range (uncommon), many receivers have a "late-night" mode which will compress the range. If the problem is that you need to turn it up for voice intelligibility, mebbe you need the system correctly balanced.

Kal

You just nailed what kills the whole Home Theater experience for me as well. While watching movies in surround I have to watch the entire movie with the remote in one hand.

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You just nailed what kills the whole Home Theater experience for me as well. While watching movies in surround I have to watch the entire movie with the remote in one hand.

Really? Then you need to do something about your room and/or your setup. We have no such difficulties.

Kal

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is there any program out there at all that turns the volume up and down so that you don't have to keep turning the volume up and down when movie's or whatever go from people talking to loud action scene's. it's SOOO annoying

I do not need to adjust volume during DVD playback. The volume is not normally adjusted during the movie at the theaters. Perhaps the difference lies in background noise? This is what makes dynamic range difficult to come by in an automobile. If so, some soundproofing may be in order?

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is there any program out there at all that turns the volume up and down so that you don't have to keep turning the volume up and down when movie's or whatever go from people talking to loud action scene's. it's SOOO annoying

I do not need to adjust volume during DVD playback. The volume is not normally adjusted during the movie at the theaters. Perhaps the difference lies in background noise? This is what makes dynamic range difficult to come by in an automobile. If so, some soundproofing may be in order?

??? Generally, folks who have problems with volume levels during a program or DVD are either suffering from incorrect center channel setup or poor room acoustics. The former is easier to correct given a decent speaker and decent mounting options. The latter is more difficult to deal with in rooms that serve purposes other than just A/V.

Kal

??? Generally, folks who have problems with volume levels during a program or DVD are either suffering from incorrect center channel setup or poor room acoustics. The former is easier to correct given a decent speaker and decent mounting options. The latter is more difficult to deal with in rooms that serve purposes other than just A/V.

Kal

We are talking about two very different effects, and maybe I have misunderstood the original poster's problem. The place where I see people turning the volume up and down a lot is when playing classical CD's in the car. The background noise makes the available dynamic range small.

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We are talking about two very different effects, and maybe I have misunderstood the original poster's problem. The place where I see people turning the volume up and down a lot is when playing classical CD's in the car. The background noise makes the available dynamic range small.

Since the OP referred to movies, I assumed we were talking about a home setup. OTOH, I agree with you about car audio conditions and, as rabid a classical listener as I am, I cannot listen in the car since there's too much noise. I also find it distracting.

Kal

"Really? Then you need to do something about your room and/or your setup. We have no such difficulties."

I think it's more a case of not enjoying loud noises. My wife and I have completely stopped going to movies at the Theater because of the high volume levels.

I think it's called old age.

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I think it's more a case of not enjoying loud noises. My wife and I have completely stopped going to movies at the Theater because of the high volume levels.

I think it's called old age.

Could be. My older brother (at 75!) thinks so too. ;-)

Kal

I agree. I have brought in my Radio S####k sound level meter into movies and was scared for my 10 year old son's hearing. We just went to see Zorro, which we liked very much, and found the audio loud, but not as bad as some Star Wars and other actions movies. Saving my hearing, I'm afraid might be too late. There is no reason for it to be this loud. It is not a healty thing.

As for home theater this become more problematic unless you have a outboard preamp/processor and seperate amps. THEN you could insert compressors in the chain and use them with as little or as much compression you want, set a max ceiling, and even bypass with the front panel for quick comparisons. This could be done easier with less expensive home theater rigs with SACD as their outs are line level from the player. I would not do this, but you could. This is not what audiophiles do to their music, generally. For 5.1 + this might make mucho sense. Save your hearing...then enjoy all our hobby has to offer.

2-channel compressors start at $99 for an Alesis or DBX unit, but like always, you must spend some $500 each to get more transparency and sound quality. Presonus has an 8 channel unit that is decent, the ACP88, or a 4 channel unit CL44.

I don't see a great need for compressors for home use in stereo or HT applications. One can retain the dynamic range as long as ambient noise is very low, something it rarely is in commercial theaters (people moving, people talking, people eating noisily, etc.).

Kal

Try watching "The Others" on DVD and you just might. At even reasonable levels for undertanding the dialogue, when the actions scenes/scarry parts come you will be covering your ears big time. There is plenty of dynamic range here, but at dangerous levels. FOR ME often the dialogue in many DVDs is so low in level it requires too high a push of average level to be safe from 95db+ action scenes. This is not comfortable for me. As always your mileage may vary.