Understanding Dialog Normalization

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

It is morning for people who sleep at night. For vampires like me, it is good night.

Press the display function on your remote and check the little screen on the receiver. It may show the information about dialnorm values.

I will give it A try after work today ! Thanks .

[Mike2060]

My Pioneer receiver sets everything to -27dbfs so Baraka for instance shows a Dial Norm of +4. But then what is reference level on my receiver? -4db or 0db? Is reference level -27dbfs or -31dbfs? When movies show no Dial Norm on my receiver that means they are at -27dbfs so I should listen at -4db if -31dbfs is the correct level. Which means maybe I should set reference level to -4db on my receiver rather than 0db?

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Mike2060

My Pioneer receiver sets everything to -27dbfs so Baraka for instance shows a Dial Norm of +4. But then what is reference level on my receiver? -4db or 0db? Is reference level -27dbfs or -31dbfs? When movies show no Dial Norm on my receiver that means they are at -27dbfs so I should listen at -4db if -31dbfs is the correct level. Which means maybe I should set reference level to -4db on my receiver rather than 0db?

That is certainly very strange as receivers generally lower the volume and do not increase it. Double check all the numbers in the above table to make sure that your pioneer receivers use -27dBfs.

If that is the case, it would mean that it shows negative numbers for some movies and positive values for other movies. For example, for the new Indiana Jones, it should show -2dB. Does this mean that for the Baraka disc, your receiver lowers the volume by 4dB or increase the volume by 4dB and for the Indiana Jones movie, does it increase or decrease the volume by 2dB? It would also indicate that for most Dolby Digital movies with an offset of -4dB on my receiver, your receiver does not adjust the volume for them.

My Denon receiver does not change the volume when the offset is zero (-31dBfs). That means for Baraka (offset 0dB), it doesn't adjust the volume and for Indiana Jones (offset -6dB), it lowers the volume by 6dB.

It may not be a bad idea to contact Pioneer and ask them about their Dialog Normalization offsets.

[Big Daddy]

I added these movies to the table in post #2.

Nim's Island:
DTS-HD MA: 0dB, French/Spanish DD: -4dB

Powder Blue:
DTS-HD MA: 0dB, DD: 0dB

Push:
DTS-HD MA: 0dB, Spanish DD: -2dB

[mac.21]

Big Daddy, can you or anyone else please check transporter 3 for me as the volume seemed lower then the UK dolby true hd version?? Thanks in advance!!

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by mac.21

Big Daddy, can you or anyone else please check transporter 3 for me as the volume seemed lower then the UK dolby true hd version?? Thanks in advance!!

I do not own Transporter 3. I rented it a few weeks ago from Netflix. Hopefully, someone else can give you the answer.

[Hammie]

Just checked my US version of Transporter 3 and it is DTS-HD MA 0db.

[mac.21]

Originally Posted by louhamilton

Just checked my US version of Transporter 3 and it is DTS-HD MA 0db.

thanks lou, you the man! I guess the uk transporter 3 audio mix was mixed hot.

[Hunter]

Great thread, thanks Big Daddy.

Rented Star Trek: The Motion Picture it's TrueHD +2 DialNorm

Actually thinking about this, my pre/pro displays Dialnorm +2 when the movie starts which I think actually means the media is -2 thus informing me to raise my volume +2db.

[Big Daddy]

The dialog normalization table in post #2 is updated with the following information.

Bruno
DTS-HD MA: 0dB

Diana Krall: Live in Rio
DTS-HD MA: 0dB, DD: 0dB

Powder Blue
DTS-HD MA: 0dB, DD: 0dB

Star Trek (2009)
Dolby TrueHD: -4dB, French/Spanish DD: -4dB

Transporter 3
DTS-HD MA: 0dB

[Hammie]

Fight Club: DTS-HD MA 0db

[terminal33]

Originally Posted by shadow72

I own, and checked, Braveheart and it is -4db which is the typical TrueHD dialnorm.

Is there a dialnorm for the new Star Trek?

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by terminal33

Is there a dialnorm for the new Star Trek?

It is -4dB. Please refer to Dialog Normalization Table in Post #2.

[terminal33]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

It is -4dB. Please refer to Dialog Normalization Table in Post #2.

Wow! I'm watching it right now at -12, which is what I usually do. I can't imagine turning it up 4 notches on the master volume. The bass at -12 is already awesome and leads me to believe that turning up the volume would bottom out my sub (Ultra 13).

For Transformers 2 I listened at -7, which was fine. But the bass at -12 for Star Trek is way more powerful than TF2 at -12. Why does -12 for Star Trek seem louder and have a more powerful LFE?

By the way, so far I know that the cannon scene in the school yard from The Incredible Hulk bottoms out my sub at -12. Whenever that scene comes on, I have to lower the volume when the cannon is fired. It seems that turning up the volume on Star Trek by 4 notches would certainly do that same.

Is there something wrong in my thinking?

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by terminal33

Wow! I'm watching it right now at -12, which is what I usually do. I can't imagine turning it up 4 notches on the master volume. The bass at -12 is already awesome and leads me to believe that turning up the volume would bottom out my sub (Ultra 13).

For Transformers 2 I listened at -7, which was fine. But the bass at -12 for Star Trek is way more powerful than TF2 at -12. Why does -12 for Star Trek seem louder and have a more powerful LFE?

By the way, so far I know that the cannon scene in the school yard from The Incredible Hulk bottoms out my sub at -12. Whenever that scene comes on, I have to lower the volume when the cannon is fired. It seems that turning up the volume on Star Trek by 4 notches would certainly do that same.

Is there something wrong in my thinking?

There is no right and wrong as far as volume is concerned. It depends on your taste, hearing, and equipment. It is wise not to overdrive the speakers and subwoofers. As long as they are calibrated properly and you set your volume to a reasonable level, you will be ok.

[BIslander]

re: Transformers 2, which version was used for the -4dB listing in the chart? I've read elsewhere that the Walmart version (the one with the Imax scenes) has lower than expected volume. Perhaps the Walmart version has a -27 dialnorm value while the other version uses -31.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by BIslander

re: Transformers 2, which version was used for the -4dB listing in the chart? I've read elsewhere that the Walmart version (the one with the Imax scenes) has lower than expected volume. Perhaps the Walmart version has a -27 dialnorm value while the other version uses -31.

It is the Walmart Two-Disc Special Edition.

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

It is the Walmart Two-Disc Special Edition.

Thanks. Anyone have another version he/she can check to see if it also has a dialnorm offset?

[Big Daddy]

The table in post #2 was updated with the following information.

Angels & Demons
DTS-HD MA: 0dB

Hitman
DTS-HD MA: 0dB, Spanish DD: -4dB

Max Payne
DTS-HD MA: 0dB, French/Spanish DD: -4dB

Quantum of Solace
DTS-HD MA: 0dB, French/Spanish DD: -4dB

[mac.21]

Thanks for all the hard work updating this thread Big Daddy and Lou. This list is very useful to those who don't have a bit-streaming player like me.