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Response from Warner Home Video on low volume levels

2056 Views 20 Replies 17 Participants Last post by cityscapex5, Jun 14, 2006

PAD

Discussion Starter · May 5, 2006

Just received a response after about a week:

Thank you for purchasing Warner Home Video's HD DVD release of PHANTOM OF OPERA and THE LAST SAMURAI. Regarding your question about the audio: please note that the audio level on the foregoing releases is effectively lower than its DVD counterpart. This is due to what is called the authoring and player processing. The PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and THE LAST SAMURAI HD DVD release includes menu audio (e.g. menu button sound effects) along with the feature film audio. Since all HD DVD players will mix the two audio sources as the disc is played and menu audio is selected, the feature audio is lower than the standard DVD release so that in sum, the feature audio plus the menu audio on the HD DVD will not exceed the maximum audio level as set in the industry-established HD DVD specifications.

Please also note that, Warner Home Video intends to adjust the feature film audio and menu audio levels on future HD DVD releases so that the feature film audio will be only slightly lower than its standard DVD counterpart.

Kind regards,

Sherri Bogard

Warner Home Video

Status: Not open for further replies.

1 - 20 of 21 Posts

John Ballentine

· #2 · May 5, 2006

Very interesting. I wonder exactly what slightly lower means?

bfdtv

· #3 · May 5, 2006

It's fixed on their latest title releases.

BenDover

· #4 · May 5, 2006

That's great...I think I would like them to replace the discs I have though...anyone know if recently minted copies of these films may have been "fixed" ??

rdjam

· #5 · May 6, 2006

I think they've admitted it in a way - they mention 2 points in quick succession: (1) Authoring (which is what it really is

and (2) mixing (which was not really the problem, as we know).

They do recognize it's an important matter to us, though, as they reassured us in the statement that they are upping the level in future (which we have now seen on the newer releases).

I'm cool - hats off to them for fixing it so quickly.

For me to only have 2 discs at a big launch that weren't perfect is a remarkably good show, in my view. I remember DVD had loads of SNAFUs

kenliles

· #6 · May 6, 2006

what does adding menu audio have to do with the volume. they seem to infer that adding menu audio adds to the volume rather than just mixes. I don't get it.... although, that's not particularly important either...

thebland

· #7 · May 6, 2006

YEs, I hope they'll replace my POTO. At least they adressed this defect....

Matt_Stevens

· #8 · May 6, 2006

Wich titles do NOT have the defect?

Robert George

· #9 · May 6, 2006

The only titles affected by Warner's audio mastering error are The Last Samurai and Phantom of the Opera, Those of you that closely followed the initial release with recall that Million Dollar Baby was a week later than the first two. My very strong speculation is Warner knew there was low audio levels on these first discs but did not discover the actual cause until the first two titles had shipped. They probably were able to stop Million Dollar Baby before shipping and it took them an extra week to correct the master and press enough to ship.

All Warner titles since TLS and POTO have had what we can now consider normal audio levels. I do not expect to see this "error" repeated.

J.H.

· #10 · May 6, 2006

I don't get it why are the levels lower at all? Did I miss something? Why would the levels on the HD-DVD be lower than a regular DVD? That makes no sense at all. Are they just not admitting to screwing up or are they avoiding replacing the HD-DVDs? J.H.

Robert George

· #11 · May 6, 2006

Quote:

Are they just not admitting to screwing up or are they avoiding replacing the HD-DVDs?

Don't know much about the corporate world, huh?

DTV TiVo Dealer

· #12 · May 6, 2006

I posted the my take on 4/23 http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...48#post7539148

My information came from Warner and Toshiba engineering and senior management and is somewhat simular to this post.

-Robert

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAD
Just received a response after about a week:

Thank you for purchasing Warner Home Video's HD DVD release of PHANTOM OF OPERA and THE LAST SAMURAI. Regarding your question about the audio: please note that the audio level on the foregoing releases is effectively lower than its DVD counterpart. This is due to what is called the authoring and player processing. The PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and THE LAST SAMURAI HD DVD release includes menu audio (e.g. menu button sound effects) along with the feature film audio. Since all HD DVD players will mix the two audio sources as the disc is played and menu audio is selected, the feature audio is lower than the standard DVD release so that in sum, the feature audio plus the menu audio on the HD DVD will not exceed the maximum audio level as set in the industry-established HD DVD specifications.

Please also note that, Warner Home Video intends to adjust the feature film audio and menu audio levels on future HD DVD releases so that the feature film audio will be only slightly lower than its standard DVD counterpart.

Kind regards,

Sherri Bogard

Warner Home Video

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thebland

· #13 · May 7, 2006

Well, at least they are admitting the error and have implemented changes on not screwing up future releases...

But will they replace these discs?? Or at least fix future copies??

suffolk112000

· #14 · May 7, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by thebland
Well, at least they are admitting the error and have implemented changes on not screwing up future releases...

But will they replace these discs?? Or at least fix future copies??

Yes, I would like to know the answer to this question as well.

1. Will current owners of the fudged disc get replacements?

2. Will all future releases of TLS and POTO be fixed? How will we know if we have a good disc? I guess the answer may unfortunately be when we get it home.

Craig

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Elliot

· #15 · May 7, 2006

Someone posted in another thread that they received a copy of POTO that has the audio levels fixed. Can someone stateside confirm if they will swap faulty discs over?

thebland

· #16 · May 7, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elliot
Someone posted in another thread that they received a copy of POTO that has the audio levels fixed. Can someone stateside confirm if they will swap faulty discs over?

Really?? I'd like a confirmationj as well...

Eddie Horton

· #17 · May 7, 2006

I, too, would like to exchange mine. When the wife is in the room, we usually listen at about -25dB from ref. With Phantom, we were listening at -8dB.

Elliot

· #18 · May 7, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by thebland
Really?? I'd like a confirmationj as well...

Really

Disc replacement post

jsaliga

· #19 · May 7, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert George
The only titles affected by Warner's audio mastering error are The Last Samurai and Phantom of the Opera, Those of you that closely followed the initial release with recall that Million Dollar Baby was a week later than the first two.

Well my copy of Million Dollar Baby has the same audio problem as Samurai and Opera, but Swordfish and Goodfellas are both fine.

--Jerome

web

· #20 · May 7, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elliot
Really

Disc replacement post

I would question his receiving a replacement. The majority of content from his posts was definitely an attempt to impress with his access to industry "heavyweights".

web

1 - 20 of 21 Posts

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