Okay the setup is this -

Cable line to Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HD, from the output of the cable box the audio and video connect via Component connections connect to Samsung HLR6167WX/XXA, then from the Samsung you have a Fibre connection to a Yamaha YSP-800.

The problem I am having is the audio is ALL messed up. Now I think I have this narrowed down to the cable box but I don't know what we can do.

When we play a DVD this does not have a problem (that we have noticed). The DVD player is connected via the secondary component video input to the tv. When I connect the cable box through it the problem still happens.

What happens with the cable box is playing is 2 fold. One channel may be way louder than another channel. also when the program is on the audio is soft but when the commercials come on its almost blaring.

I usually go this route with the sound - Audio on the TV is down to 0 - Audio on the Yamaha is set at 15 db - the audio gets changed via the cable box or the DVD player.

What I am wondering is this - Should I change it so the audio on the cable box and the speaker to be static and control it all through the TV. I cannot do it through the yamaha without a new remote as the one I have does not program for it.

Both the cable box and the TV seem to have any kind of audio settings for any normalization ability so I don't know how to get it so I have to play with the remote 10 times in one 30 minute program.

Any thoughts to save my sanity?

The sad news is that the channels are to blame. What you're experience is unforunately, very normal. Different channels broadcast at different volumes and commercials are always much louder than the programming, espeically on HD channels.

So there is no product out there that will normalize it in any aspect? What's sad is I KNOW for a fact it didn't do this like 3 years ago. Why isn't there any push to get this all normalized in some way? If there was anything I could run it through before going to the TV I would pay handsomely for it. I just want to make sure whatever I buy works... What owuld it be called if such a device exists?

The easiest way is not to watch TV channels with loud commercials, and in fact, I do not watch TV channels with commercial for more than about 3 hours a week.

What some do is to record the programs and watch it delayed for about 30 minutes. That way you can skip commercials.

I've trained my trigger-finger to be fast on the mute button. I never have to listen to commercials.

- Terry

While the insight helps me not feel alone it doesn't solve my problem.... Any thoughts at all? Like I said I'ld be willing to pay pretty pennies to make this go away while watching live TV.

I saw someone touting this Automatic TV Sound Regulator but I wonder will this truely work? Also it looks as thought it may only work for a 2 component audio and a single video connection not a component video setup....

At this point I would give a kidney, my first born, and a fair amount of blood. :eek:

While the insight helps me not feel alone it doesn't solve my problem.... Any thoughts at all? Like I said I'ld be willing to pay pretty pennies to make this go away while watching live TV.

I saw someone touting this Automatic TV Sound Regulator but I wonder will this truely work? Also it looks as thought it may only work for a 2 component audio and a single video connection not a component video setup....

At this point I would give a kidney, my first born, and a fair amount of blood. :eek:
The Motorola boxes have a compression option in the audio setup that helps a bit, but I don't know if there's something similar in the SA boxes. It doesn't solve the problem by any means, but makes it a little less shocking to switch from an HD channel to a SD channel, for example.


Scott

This phenomenon has crept up over the last 2 years or so and it is a real PITA. I too cannot believe that cable/satellite companies have not tried to put something in place to regulate these wild fluctuations.

You can literally have to plug your ears when a commercial kicks on or when you change the channel. It's absolutely insane!

I have Comcast cable in SE PA and not only do I experience loud commercials, but sometimes HD Dolby comes across with dialogue through the surround channels instead of where it should be. If I didn't realize it was the cable and not my system, I would be frantically trying to find the cause!

The sad news is that the channels are to blame. What you're experience is unforunately, very normal. Different channels broadcast at different volumes and commercials are always much louder than the programming, espeically on HD channels.

Oh! I hate those commericials. It's done on purpose. "they" know when
commericals come on - people go to the bath-room, kitchen, whatever. So
to make sure there commericials are heard, they increase the volumn, so
even if you are on the John - you can hear them.

Broadcasters don't "increase" the volume on commercials. The producer of the commercial, compresses the hell out of it, so that it appears louder.