Re: [ARSCLIST] VHS and Beta (was Re: [ARSCLIST] Longevity)

[David Lennick <dlennick@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mike Richter wrote:

> David Lennick wrote:
> > By the way, can anyone tell me why most DVDs are mastered at such low levels?
> > Then you go to the special features and burst your eardrums. $1 DVDs tend to
> > have normal audio levels as well.
> >
> > dl
>
> Are you sure you haven't reversed the situation? I've yet to encounter a
> DVD in which peak level was significantly below the maximum for
> reproduction. What I do find is that most commercial DVDs avoid the
> extreme saturation and clipping common in CD-DA.
>
> If my experience is right, you are accustomed to substantial
> overrecording and faulting DVDs for not falling for it.
>
> Mike
> --
> mrichter@xxxxxxx

Potato, potahto..the fact remains that the main audio tracks on DVDs are at about
half the volume used for supplementary tracks, and those are at levels similar to
commercial CDs, all of which I play in the same machine. Avoiding saturation is
nice, but avoiding having to get up and turn up the volume would be nicer. Just
curious why this is done. Laserdiscs also had low audio levels on the digital
tracks.

dl