Recorded show Volume Low

TheHam1 · Post by **TheHam1** » Tue Apr 14, 2020 16:29

Question
Is there any reason why a recorded show volume is is vastly lower than live show volume?
I have to turn stereo quite a bit to have it equal to live tv.

Is there a setting to increase recorded volume permantly?

TheHam

MrQuade · Post by **MrQuade** » Tue Apr 14, 2020 16:44

TheHam1 wrote: ↑
Tue Apr 14, 2020 16:29
Question
Is there any reason why a recorded show volume is is vastly lower than live show volume?
I have to turn stereo quite a bit to have it equal to live tv.

Is there a setting to increase recorded volume permantly?

The volume of a recorded show should be no different to listening live. In both cases, the Wiz is just processing the same data stream.

Is there any other difference in your AV system when you watch live versus watching a recording?

Some other things to check include the presence of multiple audio tracks. Some channels broadcast two separate audio streams. Another one to check is your audio downmixing settings. Have you set the Wiz to downmix AC3? You may end up with differences in volume when comparing a downmixed AC3 track (where the Wiz can change the volume), or a raw AC3 track (in which case, the volume must be changed at the TV/strereo, and not using the Wiz's volume controls).

What is the Wiz volume set to? Typically, you'll want to leave that set at about 80-90%, and then only use the TV, or AV receiver's volume controls to adjust your listening levels.

prl · Post by **prl** » Tue Apr 14, 2020 16:48

I wondered whether the volume comparison was between "live on the TV" and "recorded on the Beyonwiz".

That might just be down to (as MrQuade suggested) the Beyonwiz volume control being set low.

It's also possible that the TV may have per-input volume control.

MrQuade · Post by **MrQuade** » Tue Apr 14, 2020 17:11

prl wrote: ↑
Tue Apr 14, 2020 16:48
I wondered whether the volume comparison was between "live on the TV" and "recorded on the Beyonwiz".

Good point!

TheHam1 · Post by **TheHam1** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 16:00

Thanks Fellas for your response. Also sorry for the time it took to reply as I have been away for work.

Is there any other difference in your AV system when you watch live versus watching a recording? from MrQuade

No there are no other differences. I also have a DP-P2 and its volume has no differences between recorded and live.

Some other things to check include the presence of multiple audio tracks. Some channels broadcast two separate audio streams. Another one to check is your audio downmixing settings. Have you set the Wiz to downmix AC3? You may end up with differences in volume when comparing a downmixed AC3 track (where the Wiz can change the volume), or a raw AC3 track (in which case, the volume must be changed at the TV/strereo, and not using the Wiz's volume controls).

The audio track for Dolby digital / AC3 downmix, DTS downmix are set to on.Audio channel are set to stereo. Underneath that box it says, 1 MPEG English.

The Wiz volume is set to full at this stage.

I wondered whether the volume comparison was between "live on the TV" and "recorded on the Beyonwiz". from prl

The comparison i between Live TV through the Wiz and the recorded show on the Wiz.

Thanks Hamish

MrQuade · Post by **MrQuade** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 16:06

Very peculiar. I'm really struggling to even think *how* the volume would be different between the same show played live and recorded.

Are you playing back the recordings using the MEDIA button from live TV? Not the Sources/files file manager?

And you don't have any other plugins installed that may be interfering?

TheHam1 · Post by **TheHam1** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 16:12

I am not sure if I have explained my self in a confusing way.

The recorded volume of a show is different to ANY other live tv show through the Wiz, not the same show at the same time.

Yes I am using the MEDIA button and then selecting a recording.

I have not installed any plugins either.

Thanks

Hamish.

prl · Post by **prl** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 16:59

MrQuade wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 16:06
Very peculiar. I'm really struggling to even think *how* the volume would be different between the same show played live and recorded.

It's not just you.

MrQuade · Post by **MrQuade** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 17:18

TheHam1 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 18, 2020 16:12
The recorded volume of a show is different to ANY other live tv show through the Wiz, not the same show at the same time.

No, I understood. But I was just putting forward the scenario that you can watch a show, then watch the same show recorded and have it be a different volume. It's exactly the same data stream in both cases, and the Wiz shouldn't treat it any differently.

What about when you enable timeshift mode? (Press LEFT during live playback)

TheHam1 · Post by **TheHam1** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:35

No change when using Time Shift either guys.

MrQuade · Post by **MrQuade** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:44

TheHam1 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:35
No change when using Time Shift either guys.

Still very confused by this then....

What about non-recorded media? Something "obtained" from the Internet. Does that play at the correct volume?

Star6key · Post by **Star6key** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 13:50

MrQuade wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:44

TheHam1 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 25, 2020 10:35
No change when using Time Shift either guys.
Still very confused by this then....

What about non-recorded media? Something "obtained" from the Internet. Does that play at the correct volume?

Not so confusing for me. On my U4, I can watch live tv and the HDMI input at the same audio level. Record/playback live tv, same level. Record/playback the hdmi input... the audio level is about twice as loud, everytime. Makes no sense, but it happens.

prl · Post by **prl** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 14:06

Star6key wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 25, 2020 13:50
Not so confusing for me. On my U4, I can watch live tv and the HDMI input at the same audio level. Record/playback live tv, same level. Record/playback the hdmi input... the audio level is about twice as loud, everytime. Makes no sense, but it happens.

OK, that's clear enough, and it's possibly what's going on, but we still don't know whether that's what Hamish is talking about. Re-reading his posts, that's possibly what's meant but I'm not sure.

I much prefer to have a clear description of a problem, rather than having to guess.

MrQuade · Post by **MrQuade** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 14:52

Star6key wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 25, 2020 13:50
Record/playback the hdmi input... the audio level is about twice as loud, everytime. Makes no sense, but it happens.

You are saying that playback of HDMI-in recordings is at twice the volume?

Live viewing of HDMI is more or less just passed through the U4 afaik. Recording causes the audio to be reencoded as AAC. The aac audio might just be getting saved as a higher level.

That's not what is happening here though.

peteru · Post by **peteru** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 15:35

This is a U4 only problem right? Does the volume change if you use the TV-OUT button to cycle through all the modes?

I have some suspicions as to what could potentially be going wrong. I hope I am not right, because if I am the problem will be somewhere between "bloody hard" and "not worth the effort" categories, involving major changes to the driver code. If I am right, the underlying cause could be related to numerous other audio problems that have been reported on the U4. Most of these only occur in specific conditions that involve the HDMI mode.

Star6key · Post by **Star6key** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 16:09

peteru wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 25, 2020 15:35
This is a U4 only problem right?
...

Don't know.

peteru wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 25, 2020 15:35
Does the volume change if you use the TV-OUT button to cycle through all the modes?
...

No.
Bizarrely, when it gets to a video mode that is different to the recorded mode (orig 50fps, cycle to 60/30 etc), the video skips forward 30 secs.

Star6key · Post by **Star6key** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 16:09

MrQuade wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 25, 2020 14:52

Star6key wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 25, 2020 13:50
Record/playback the hdmi input... the audio level is about twice as loud, everytime. Makes no sense, but it happens.
You are saying that playback of HDMI-in recordings is at twice the volume?
...

Yes. I've brought this up before, but no one was interested.

MrQuade · Post by **MrQuade** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 16:15

Star6key wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 25, 2020 16:09
Yes. I've brought this up before, but no one was interested.

Not uninterested, however, as Peteru mentioned anything to do with the hdmi-in code, and even audio on the U4 is stupidly complicated to fix.

Paul_oz53 · Post by **Paul_oz53** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 16:46

My U4 HDMI-IN recordings playback at much higher volume than live listening but, in the scheme of things, a first world problem.

Overall, the difference between sound levels watching different program sources on the U4 is annoying but we just reach for the remote and live with it. Yet to find a simple solution and I've tried!

Don't know if the T4 also has the issue as it isn't setup for HDMI IN recording.

MrQuade · Post by **MrQuade** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 16:53

Star6key wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 25, 2020 16:09
Yes. I've brought this up before, but no one was interested.

Out of interest, I did a quick search for "volume" in your posts.

About 2 years ago you made a comment about *low* volume on recordings, not high volumes.

Did something change?

Star6key · Post by **Star6key** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 18:11

MrQuade wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 25, 2020 16:53

Star6key wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 25, 2020 16:09
Yes. I've brought this up before, but no one was interested.
Out of interest, I did a quick search for "volume" in your posts.

About 2 years ago you made a comment about *low* volume on recordings, not high volumes.

Did something change?

viewtopic.php?p=182067#p182067

sub3R · Post by **sub3R** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 19:26

Paul_oz53 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 25, 2020 16:46
Overall, the difference between sound levels watching different program sources on the U4 is annoying but we just reach for the remote and live with it. Yet to find a simple solution and I've tried!

Likewise.

peteru · Post by **peteru** » Sun Apr 26, 2020 00:24

peteru wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 25, 2020 15:35
This is a U4 only problem right? Does the volume change if you use the TV-OUT button to cycle through all the modes?

Thanks for the responses from everyone regarding their experiences with HDMI-IN, but I suspect that that line of discussion is actually not related to the original post.

I would like to see a response from the original poster (TheHam1) together with a more detailed description. My understanding is that no HDMI-IN is involved in that instance since the post is in the V2 forum. If the problem is not on a V2, I'll move the thread to a more appropriate section and we can refocus.

TheHam1, please read the post on How to create good bug reports before responding.
Additionally, please also:

provide detailed information on the model and firmware version
include information on where you are located
list the services you are recording
attach the settings file, retrieved from ftp://beyonwizv2/etc/enigma2/settings

TheHam1 · Post by **TheHam1** » Thu Apr 30, 2020 16:24

Thanks for the responses from everyone regarding their experiences with HDMI-IN, but I suspect that that line of discussion is actually not related to the original post.

This is true Peteru

I have a new V2. The firmware is on auto update so is the current version i am assuming. (not sure how to get that info as its not in the ABOUT menu)

Located in Harrington Park, Sydney

I record off any of the FTA channels.

As for the "attach the settings files" i cannot log into this as i have no username / password for it.

The original post was of this nature.

The recorded volume of a FTA program is vastly different to the volume of a live program. Hence i am watching a live program and then wish to view a recorded program. Using the "Media" button i enter my recordings select a program and play it. It is now that i have to turn the volume up so it equals the live program volume.

Thanks,

TheHam

MrQuade · Post by **MrQuade** » Thu Apr 30, 2020 17:03

You can set a password via the v2's setup menu under "Network".

The username is "root".

You can use this to FTP into the V2 to get any configuration files you need.

Still stumped as to how this can happen on a V2 though.

Grumpy_Geoff · Post by **Grumpy_Geoff** » Thu Apr 30, 2020 18:14

TheHam1 wrote: ↑
Thu Apr 30, 2020 16:24
I have a new V2. The firmware is on auto update so is the current version i am assuming. (not sure how to get that info as its not in the ABOUT menu)

The firmware version is in the 'Revision' field from MENU>>Information>>About.

TheHam1 wrote: ↑
Thu Apr 30, 2020 16:24
As for the "attach the settings files" i cannot log into this as i have no username / password for it.

Open this in a web browser and save the results as a text file -
http://beyonwizv2/api/settings

Grumpy_Geoff · Post by **Grumpy_Geoff** » Thu Apr 30, 2020 18:21

TheHam1 wrote: ↑
Thu Apr 30, 2020 16:24
The recorded volume of a FTA program is vastly different to the volume of a live program. Hence i am watching a live program and then wish to view a recorded program. Using the "Media" button i enter my recordings select a program and play it. It is now that i have to turn the volume up so it equals the live program volume.

Have you installed the 'automaticvolumeadjustment' plugin? I'm otherwise out of ideas if you haven't installed it and boosted the live TV volume.

IanB · Post by **IanB** » Fri May 01, 2020 08:10

Different audio channel selected when live versus when in player.

But SBS is the only one doing multiple audio channels, the Mpeg is much louder than the AAC.

peteru · Post by **peteru** » Fri May 01, 2020 16:27

Grumpy_Geoff wrote: ↑
Thu Apr 30, 2020 18:21
Have you installed the 'automaticvolumeadjustment' plugin? I'm otherwise out of ideas if you haven't installed it and boosted the live TV volume.

So far this is the most plausible explanation.

I really can not see how a standard installation could possibly exhibit the symptoms the original poster describes. The fastest way to move towards a resolution would be to download the latest USB image and completely reflash the firmware. Do not restore the settings. I would expect that with newly flashed firmware and default settings the problem will not be there. The next step would be to restore the settings from a backup and see if the problem manifests. Again, I would not expect it to do so, but if it does, then uploading a copy of the settings backup file would be the next step.

MrQuade · Post by **MrQuade** » Fri May 01, 2020 18:52

OP claims to have not installed any plugins.

Agree with the recommendation to reflash.

peteru · Post by **peteru** » Fri May 01, 2020 19:24

TheHam1 is located a suburb or two away from Beyonwiz and WizHQ. We know that an out of the box V2 in a nearby location does not exhibit those problems. Once we know the behaviour of the freshly reflashed V2, we'll be able to determine if the problem was with the V2 configuration (if it goes away) or is due to something else in the environment (if it persists).

At the moment, the verdict is that no one else is experiencing the same problem. Those of us who are very familiar with how these units operate can not see a reason why this would happen. It's a head scratcher. A systematic approach to problem solving should get us somewhere. The first step is to get the V2 to a known initial configuration. There is no point in taking any more stabs at a solution when the obvious stuff didn't work. We're a missing a vital piece in this puzzle.

TheHam1 · Post by **TheHam1** » Sat May 02, 2020 15:36

Here is a copy of the setting that Grumpy_Geoff supplies a link for.
I apologise if this is not the correct way to display it on this page.

Moderator comment: formatting fixed, personal details redacted.

Code: Select all

{
 "result": true, 
 "settings": [
  [
   "config.misc.firstrun", 
   "False"
  ], 
  [
   "config.misc.initialchannelselection", 
   "False"
  ], 
  [
   "config.misc.startCounter", 
   "3"
  ], 
  [
   "config.misc.networkwizard.hasnetwork", 
   "True"
  ], 
  [
   "config.misc.inifirstrun", 
   "False"
  ], 
  [
   "config.Nims.1.terrestrial", 
   "Sydney"
  ], 
  [
   "config.Nims.0.terrestrial", 
   "Sydney"
  ], 
  [
   "config.seek.selfdefined_right", 
   "15"
  ], 
  [
   "config.seek.enter_backward", 
   "4"
  ], 
  [
   "config.seek.enter_forward", 
   "4"
  ], 
  [
   "config.tv.lastroot", 
   "1:7:1:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:FROM BOUQUET \"bouquets.tv\" ORDER BY bouquet;1:7:1:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:FROM BOUQUET \"userbouquet.terrestrial_lcn.tv\" ORDER BY bouquet;"
  ], 
  [
   "config.tv.lastservice", 
   "1:0:19:527:502:1013:EEEE0000:0:0:0:"
  ], 
  [
   "config.usage.date.compact", 
   "%-d %b "
  ], 
  [
   "config.usage.date.compressed", 
   "%-d%b "
  ], 
  [
   "config.usage.date.displayday", 
   "%a %-d %b"
  ], 
  [
   "config.usage.last_movie_played", 
   "1:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:/media/hdd/movie/20200501 1750 - 9HD Sydney - National Nine News.ts"
  ], 
  [
   "config.usage.show_eit_nownext", 
   "False"
  ], 
  [
   "config.usage.show_message_when_recording_starts", 
   "True"
  ], 
  [
   "config.plugins.icetv.device.id", 
   "1____6"
  ], 
  [
   "config.plugins.icetv.device.type_id", 
   "38"
  ], 
  [
   "config.plugins.icetv.enable_epg", 
   "True"
  ], 
  [
   "config.plugins.icetv.configured", 
   "True"
  ], 
  [
   "config.plugins.icetv.member.token", 
   "5223a39c-____-4923-____-93b5____c0ec"
  ], 
  [
   "config.plugins.icetv.member.email_address", 
   "m______1@gmail.com"
  ], 
  [
   "config.plugins.icetv.member.id", 
   "31___0"
  ], 
  [
   "config.plugins.icetv.member.region_id", 
   "1"
  ], 
  [
   "config.plugins.autotimer.show_in_extensionsmenu", 
   "true"
  ], 
  [
   "config.plugins.autotimer.show_in_plugins", 
   "true"
  ], 
  [
   "config.plugins.autotimer.show_help", 
   "False"
  ], 
  [
   "config.plugins.autotimer.try_guessing", 
   "false"
  ], 
  [
   "config.plugins.epgsearch.numorbpos", 
   "0"
  ], 
  [
   "config.plugins.imdb.showinplugins", 
   "True"
  ], 
  [
   "config.plugins.imdb.showlongmenuinfo", 
   "True"
  ], 
  [
   "config.plugins.imdb.showepisodeinfo", 
   "True"
  ], 
  [
   "config.movielist.videodirs", 
   "['/media/hdd/movie/', '/media/hdd/movie/Bull/', '/media/hdd/movie/Year of the Rabbit/', '/media/hdd/movie/The Blacklist/', '/media/hdd/movie/Tin Star/', '/media/hdd/movie/Taken/', '/media/hdd/movie/Reprisal/', '/media/hdd/movie/Informer 3838/', '/media/hdd/movie/Killing Eve/']"
  ], 
  [
   "config.movielist.last_videodirpos", 
   "1:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:0:/media/hdd/movie/20200501 1750 - 9HD Sydney - National Nine News.ts,16"
  ], 
  [
   "config.epg.eit", 
   "False"
  ], 
  [
   "config.recording.margin_before", 
   "10"
  ], 
  [
   "config.recording.margin_after", 
   "20"
  ], 
  [
   "config.epgselection.overjump", 
   "True"
  ], 
  [
   "config.audio.volume", 
   "100"
  ]
 ]
}

TheHam1 · Post by **TheHam1** » Sat May 02, 2020 15:47

Hey All,

The revision is - 20191106

Also I am not a clued up as all you guys on this new V2. (thanks for the help btw)

What are the steps in REFLASHing a V2. I would hate to cause any issues by my inadequate knowledge of this unit.

Hamish

prl · Post by **prl** » Sat May 02, 2020 16:47

TheHam1 wrote: ↑
Sat May 02, 2020 15:47
What are the steps in REFLASHing a V2. I would hate to cause any issues by my inadequate knowledge of this unit.

The same as any update from USB, except that you "update" to the same version. The USB update process overwrites the whole firmware flash filesystem and gives a clean start.

peteru · Post by **peteru** » Sat May 02, 2020 17:46

The settings look good. There is nothing obviously incorrect there. In general the best settings for volume is 95%, rather than 100%, but that is not significantly different to cause the doubling of the volume. You may want to use the volume control on the Beyonwiz remote to lower the volume one notch.

At this stage, re-installing firmware from USB is the most prudent course of action. This will eliminate the possibility of a software issue due to firmware corruption on the V2. The symptoms indicate that this is not a hardware issue on the V2.

Grumpy_Geoff · Post by **Grumpy_Geoff** » Sat May 02, 2020 19:08

TheHam1 wrote: ↑
Sat May 02, 2020 15:47
What are the steps in REFLASHing a V2. I would hate to cause any issues by my inadequate knowledge of this unit.

See "How to upgrade the Beyonwiz V2 firmware via USB" if you haven't already seen the topic, it has both a video and written steps.

TheHam1 · Post by **TheHam1** » Sun May 03, 2020 12:28

Well thank you (brains trust) very much for all you input, brain storming and comments.

At this stage i would like to report that the flashing of the V2 was a success.

Recorded shows are audibly the same volume as live FTA shows. However pre recorded shows (prior to flashing) are still of lower volume.

To note, this is recording FTA shows prior to reinstalling settings and after. Both successful.

Much appreciated to all,

Hamish

ps I was unaware that flashing and updating firmware was one in the same.

MrQuade · Post by **MrQuade** » Sun May 03, 2020 13:00

TheHam1 wrote: ↑
Sun May 03, 2020 12:28

Recorded shows are audibly the same volume as live FTA shows. However pre recorded shows (prior to flashing) are still of lower volume.

I'm absolutely baffled by this. There should be no reason the old recordings are still at a low volume but be recordings are fine. Argggg

TheHam1 · Post by **TheHam1** » Wed May 13, 2020 13:32

New update.

It seems I was a little premature in stating a success with recorded volume on my V2.

Its been 10 days and i have kept and EAR out for volume changes. Unfortunately it is the same as before. Recorded volume is lower than live volume.

Is it possible to readdress this?
What would be the next step?

Or have we exhausted this topic.

Hamish

peteru · Post by **peteru** » Wed May 13, 2020 15:47

You must ensure that you always compare the same service and same program. For example, if you record episode 2 season 2 of Family Guy on 7mate you must compare the volume of live TV against the same broadcast of Family Guy on 7mate. The broadcasters vary the codecs between services and dynamic range compression is different between individual shows and sometimes even changes within a show.

I suspect that what you are observing is the standard difference between AC3 and MP3 volumes, which can be exacerbated by turning off downmix and setting the Beyonwiz volume to a setting other than ~95%. If you are comparing the volume of a live service with AC3 vs recorded MP3 service, you will most likely see the symptoms you describe. The passthrough AC3 bitstream will be sent at reference level (louder), whereas the MP3 service will be sent out with the volume attenuated as per the Beyonwiz volume setting (softer).

TheHam1 · Post by **TheHam1** » Sat May 23, 2020 11:21

OK guys I might have found something that may help this issue I have.

I have been speaking to a family member that just bought the V2 and we have been checking settings. There V2 is showing no audible differences.

We have found one difference. When pushing the "AUDIO" button and going into "Select Audio Track" the top three selections are the same.

Red - Dolby Digital/AC3 Downmix ON
Green - DTS Downmix ON
Yellow - Audio Channels Stereo

However BELOW the line my V2 states "1 MPEG ENGLISH X".

The family member's V2 states "1 AC3 ENGLISH X".

I have tried to change mine to AC3, but the line as shown above I cannot change. Also my family member cannot change theirs.

Can someone please let me know how to chance this setting? Or if at all it can be changed.

Hamish

Gully · Post by **Gully** » Sat May 23, 2020 12:20

So are you both viewing the same service in the same location?

If not, you are not comparing like to like.

prl · Post by **prl** » Sat May 23, 2020 13:12

TheHam1 wrote: ↑
Sat May 23, 2020 11:21
However BELOW the line my V2 states "1 MPEG ENGLISH X".

The family member's V2 states "1 AC3 ENGLISH X".

What you're describing in both cases is what you see when there is only one audio track in the channel. You can't change it because there's no choice (the "X" indicates that it's selected.

This is the sort of thing that you see when there is a choice (in this case, SBS HD Canberra):

TheHam1 wrote: ↑
Sat May 23, 2020 11:21
I have tried to change mine to AC3, but the line as shown above I cannot change. Also my family member cannot change theirs.

The available audio tracks vary between channels (even within the same broadcaster). In Canberra, all channels have only one audio track, MPEG, except:
SBS: MPEG (English), MPEG (aus)
SBS HD & Viceland: MPEG, AAC-HE
Prime 7HD, 9HD & WIN HD: AC3
7flix, ishoptv & racing.com: AAC-HE

As Gully says, you need to be comparing the same channel and preferably in the same broadcast area to know whether there is a difference in behaviour between the two V2s or whether it's just a different choice made for the channel by the broadcaster.

TheHam1 · Post by **TheHam1** » Sat May 23, 2020 15:45

Damm

Thanks again guys, I understand now after that explanation.

We are in different states and obviously (as I now know) we were on different services.

Hamish

prl · Post by **prl** » Sat May 23, 2020 16:06

One think that I have noticed is that AAC-HE on SBS HD and Viceland is noticibly lower volume (with my current audio setup) than when I select MPEG audio on the two channels. But that drop in volume is there for both live TV and recordings. The difference was large enough for me to switch back to MPEG audio after only a few days of using AAC-HE.

peteru · Post by **peteru** » Sat May 23, 2020 23:25

It is fairly safe to say that ever since Australian TV switched from analogue to digital broadcasting, the technical competency at the broadcasters has been declining. There is a lot that one would have to do to compensate for the incompetency exhibited by Australian broadcasters. Unfortunately, even if someone decided to write complex software to adjust the volume (attenuation/amplification) based on the observed characteristics on each combination of service, codec and downmix settings, the user interface would be complex enough to not be usable for normal users.

A few rules of thumb:

Turn off AC3 or DTS downmix. (Use passthrough for the compressed bitstreams, let the device closest to the speakers do the decoding.)
Turn on AAC downmix. (There are no consumer devices that can handle AAC compressed bitstreams.)
Set Beyonwiz volume level to about 95% and do not change it. (Achieves equivalent volume between AC3 and MPEG audio.)
Use external device volume control, not Beyonwiz volume control. (Changing Beyonwiz volume will only result in imbalance between passthrough and decoded output.)
Prefer AC3 audio over any other format. (Universally supported, with adequate metadata and generally encoded "competently")
Prefer MPEG audio over AAC. (MPEG is simple enough and well established to cause fewer problems, whereas AAC is a recipe for trouble.)

Barboots · Post by **Barboots** » Mon May 25, 2020 22:50

peteru wrote: ↑
Sat May 23, 2020 23:25
A few rules of thumb:
Set Beyonwiz volume level to about 95% and do not change it. (Achieves equivalent volume between AC3 and MPEG audio.)

Prefer AC3 audio over any other format.

Prefer MPEG audio over AAC.

Thanks for this summary of best practice. I've been chasing a slightly grainy/clipped audio on Perth ABC and SBS broadcasts and have been looking at whether my settings are optimal. I've edited out everything that I have attended to already.

- The V2 has a bargraph for volume and I can't see a percentage. Is there an equivalent setting? I'm currently using 50-60% of the length of the graphic.
- The two "prefer" suggestions are eluding me in the settings menu. Are they actually an option on the V2?

Cheers,
Steve

MrQuade · Post by **MrQuade** » Mon May 25, 2020 22:58

Barboots wrote: ↑
Mon May 25, 2020 22:50

- The V2 has a bargraph for volume and I can't see a percentage. Is there an equivalent setting? I'm currently using 50-60% of the length of the graphic.
- The two "prefer" suggestions are eluding me in the settings menu. Are they actually an option on the V2?

AUDIO->MENU->Prefer AC3 track

From live TV.

Or simply select the preferred audio track when you visit the service. Your selection should be remembered for next time you visit. I don't think there actually is any specific setting for preferring mpeg over aac.

Grumpy_Geoff · Post by **Grumpy_Geoff** » Mon May 25, 2020 23:09

Barboots wrote: ↑
Mon May 25, 2020 22:50
- The V2 has a bargraph for volume and I can't see a percentage. Is there an equivalent setting? I'm currently using 50-60% of the length of the graphic.

Open this in a browser - http://beyonwizv2/api/settings
Then search for "volume" to find the setting -

Code: Select all

  [
   "config.audio.volume", 
   "95"
  ]

Adjust the control until refreshing of the page shows the setting to be 95.
Job done.

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