I’m having trouble taming DTS through ANY third party solution.
Sometimes it so bad (voices not audible - effects blow me through the picture window) I have to run the video file through VLC and through the wire from the box to the TV, using the Windows ‘Loudness Equalization’ Enhancement (DRC) - that for lack of a better description - is effin excellent.
I’m still embroiled in a learning experience that has included, but is not limited to:
Reducing DTS to it’s lossy core and converting it to AC3, so Handbrake can use it’s own DRC, but something is missing in the conversion because Handbrake’s DRC never seems to do anything. It’s very good when the AC3 track is the original.
I am trying to invent the method in which Windows Audio can be incorporated into the existing video file. So far, that’s not bearing any edible fruit.
DTS remains elusive. I loathe it.
A Plex solution would be excellent, but I think they’ll run into the same problem I am. At any rate I wouldn’t hold my breath lest we turn blue and keel over dead.
edit the file, seek the line "\\-": "decrease_volume",
and add this line directly underneath it: "Ctrl\\+D": "host:player af toggle lavfi=[acompressor]",
now you can toggle ‘Night Mode’ with CTRL+D while playing a movie.
I wouldn’t want to listen to music with this active, but for movies it works pretty well.
First I do not use any audio more advanced than Dolby 2.1 as i do not hear enough of a difference to justify the extra trouble.
I did find that the dynamic range excesses would ruin my watching experience because of the inability to hear dialog without the music/sound effects blasting so loud that my neighbors across the street or three doors down the block would complain.
I looked at many solutions over time and I finally went with a hardware solution the “Terk VR1 Automatic TV Volume Controller.” It only works for stereo (red/white) sources and has gone WAY up in price since I bought two and I think it is no longer being manufactured due to decreased demand caused by people wanting dubious improvements in their sound. The Terk works wonderfully for my setup.
Over the years I have checked out many sound systems trying to find one that worked well and supported the advanced sound systems that have become available. I have not found even one that produced acceptable results and I have no idea what i will do if my Terks fail. My old ears need the dynamic range compression particularly now that i live in an apartment and, mostly, want to be a good neighbor.
I believe I have said in the past that I did not think that Plex needs to implement this kind of feature but, at least in this case, I have changed my mind. I do not know how large the need is or if it is even possible in Plex but I see the need coming for me as no hardware lasts forever.
I hope Plex does correctly, not half assed like a lot of Plex’s features, implement optional dynamic range compression but I hold out little hope as the demand is probably too small to justify Plex expending the resources needed to implement this apparently quite complex feature.
edit the file, seek the line "\\-": "decrease_volume",
and add this line directly underneath it: "Ctrl\\+D": "host:player af toggle lavfi=[acompressor]",
now you can toggle ‘Night Mode’ with CTRL+D while playing a movie.
I wouldn’t want to listen to music with this active, but for movies it works pretty well.
So would that only be active in PMP?
Would it stay active until stopped?
It is interesting. I’ll fiddle with it. The only way I could use it at the moment would be on one of the monitors at this desktop. The VLC/Windows DRC option is right here and readily available. I’ll admit it’s a rare use case scenario, but the recent ‘Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children’ is in the same annoying class as ‘Interstellar’ and other choice titles wherein untrained Wombats were absolutely involved in the Audio Creation process - nothing I do makes any difference apart from using the Windows DRC option (works brilliantly). I can’t really see how the PMP fiddle would do something ‘more better’ than I’m already doing at the desktop.
Edit: This just in to the eyewitness news team - when enabled, the Windows DRC is active while using PMP as is anything going to the speakers via the desktop. I suppose I should have guessed that.
@Elijah_Baley - I wish I had known of the Terk units before they went away. I’d have a few. 30 years ago I was building audio compression devices for CB Radio microphones, so it’s not a new concept by any means, but dipped if I can find an inexpensive device thingy to go between the TV and the External Speakers. A Giant and Expensive Multi-Channel Audio System isn’t really in the cards and is basically unwanted because, like you, I only have the standard number of stock earholes supplied at birth (2) and those things seem really unnecessary. Paying for them is absolutely an issue as are the other issues inherent as is demonstrated each day in painful detail right here on the Plex Forums.
I’d vote up a Plex solution - but I doubt it will ever happen. On the surface it does seem like a simple thing for Windows users because it’s right there and has been for 20 years, but I also realize things that seem simple on the surface often are not.
@JuiceWSA said:
So would that only be active in PMP?
Unfortunately, yes. It simply uses one of the many additional features which are built into the “media engine” of PMP (named MPV).
MPV itself is also just using ffmpeg. If you read the documentation of [ffmpeg-libavfilter]((Libavfilter Documentation “ffmpeg-libavfilter”) “ffmpeg-libavfilter”), you’ll see that there are also some parameters you can append to the command. But I have yet to find out the correct syntax.
It has all the parameters you’d expect from a compressor: attack, release, ratio, makeup etc pp
Would it stay active until stopped?
It will be inactive after a fresh start of PMP. It will stay active until toggled off again.
I recommend you to disable “Normalize Downmixed Volume” in the ‘Audio’ settings of PMP. If this is active and the compressor, you’ll hear some slight distortion.
I’ll admit it’s a rare use case scenario, but the recent ‘Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children’ is in the same annoying class as ‘Interstellar’ and other choice titles wherein untrained Wombats were absolutely involved in the Audio Creation process - nothing I do makes any difference apart from using the Windows DRC option (works brilliantly).
The audio track is simply recreating the dynamics of the cinema audio track. For movie enthusiasts with a ‘home cinema’. When you sit it a darkened room, with a sound rig that has power in the kiloWatts, you can utilize much more dynamic range than with a tv and its meagre inbuilt speakers which are rarely better than your average radio speaker.
Don’t know if this helps or not but the scripts I provide to help convert media to a direct play format also does Dynamic Audio Normalization. I’ve found this is more a problem on rips where people create 2 channel audio from multi-channel audio. It however can be in any audio track but typically worse in converted track. The scripts create an AAC audio track if needed and the applies the Dynamic Audio Normalization to only that track (can be made to apply to all tracks). Seems to work well because you can leave you multi-channel audio alone this way but have a 2 channel AAC track normalized that’s perfect for night use.
it also normalizes the volume so that you have close to same volume level from file to file. This isn’t perfect but much better than without it. I won’t allow clipping so I don’t push it as far as I could. But definitely keeps you from getting blasted when you play one file with low volume (turn up volume) then play a 2nd file and it’s super load).
So it helps with volume a couple of ways: Normalized volume & Dynamic Audio Normalization.
PS check in the settings on your TV and/or receiver because you might have a similar function built in that could be of use as well.
@OttoKerner said:
The audio track is simply recreating the dynamics of the cinema audio track. For movie enthusiasts with a ‘home cinema’. When you sit it a darkened room, with a sound rig that has power in the kiloWatts, you can utilize much more dynamic range than with a tv and its meagre inbuilt speakers which are rarely better than your average radio speaker.
I have an adequate External Speaker system - Stereo - with a Sub-Woofer no less. The TV’s speakers are little more than those contained in Super-Duper Greeting Cards. Useless. Par for the course. Not too surprising in this day and age.
As I said, the Windows Solution works well and while activated, PMP’s audio is under it’s most excellent control. I just have to get PMP to the TV through ‘the wire’ and employ that long mouse extension cable to work it with.
Not Optimal? You Betcha!
I have no issue downmixing any other multi-channel audio to Stereo, get clear separation of left and right channels, high frequencies and rolling bass as one would expect in a well converted audio track - except DTS, that stubbornly refuses to cooperate. I’ll state again, for the record - I loathe DTS.
@cayars ? I do have an excellent AVC (automatic volume control) incorporated into this marvel of stolen Chinese technology I’m watching TV on. It’s effective in controlling the volume so that all levels require 100 of 100 on the volume control and I have to use a subtitle track or read lips, but the voices are at the same level as the explosions - a barely audible wiggle of the speaker medium. Uh… I believe I’ll pass on that option. I’m thinking not a lot of design went into that ‘feature’.
