Volume difference between TV channels

[Chris Hogg]

Having connected up my new TV (see earlier thread on controlling a Panasonic TV with a Humax controller), I find that the volume on the BBC News channel (231) is much lower than on the other BBC or ITV channels (e.g. 1,2,3,4 etc or their HD equivalents). A minor inconvenience when going from say channel 101 to 231, I just turn up the volume (a lot!), but going from 231 to 101 really blasts out until I turn it down, and I fear it may damage the speakers. I've not investigated too many other channels, but why should this be, and can I do anything to bring the sound levels closer together?

For information, connections are Humax PVR front end, feeding the Panasonic TV via HDMI1; sound output from the TV via the headphone jack into the Pioneer Hi-Fi unit (which gives much better bass than the TV itself, but it is the only link I can make between the TV and the HI-Fi unit, because the latter only has a 3.5mm stereo jack input). It was not a problem with the previous Samsung TV with the same connections set-up.

[wasbit]

The volume on our Blaupunkt TV is louder than a Freesat box which is slightly louder than a Humax Freeview Play. Live TV on both boxes is slightly louder than recorded programmes. To get sufficient volume on the boxes the volume on the TV has to be higher to compensate. Despite industry denials the volume can be noticeably different when swapping channels, especially the non main channels, & can be startling when the adverts come on.

[Andrew]

Have you tried connecting the two rca outputs on the back of the Humax into the amp directly and muting the TV output ?.

[JNugent]

The main set-up here is Sky +HD -> Sony DVD-R recorder line-in -> Bravia TV via HDMI.

The Sky box is also connected to the TV via a separate direct HDMI route.

Sky via HDMI direct to TV is quieter, but the route via the DVD-R machine is louder.

There used to be a control of audio output level on older versions of the Sky Digital software and that would have resolved this. It was removed a few years ago.

[Chris Hogg]

Hmm. Yes. Thanks. I'm not worried by small differences in sound volume, but this one is massive. What puzzles me more is that it never happened with the old TV.

Some more info if relevant, (which I don't think it is): Transmitter is Redruth. Most HD channels are on PSB3, although Ch. 231 is on PSB1

. My aerial is in the loft, line-of-sight to the transmitter about 10 miles. No obstructions.

The coax aerial lead from the loft aerial is plugged into the Humax, and the aerial-out coax from the Humax goes into the TV. If I instruct the TV to get its input from the coax aerial-in, the problem disappears - sound on channel 231 is as near as dammit the same as on

101 etc, implying something amiss with either the Humax or the HMDI cable or the HDMI input. If it were the HMDI cable I would expect poor sound on everything, but it seems limited to ch.231, although I've not tried too many others. Moving that input to HDMI3 makes no difference.

I am lost for an explanation!

[Chris Hogg]

Woohoo! That's worked! Had to dig around in my electricals box and found an RCA (L+R) to 3.5mm stereo socket, and then a cable with a stereo plug on each end into the Hi-Fi.

Many thanks!