Why are movies on TV sometimes loud and sometimes quiet?

One of the main reasons why movies are sometimes loud and sometimes quiet is the way they are produced. Sound effects such as explosions, gunshots or music can be very loud and thus increase the volume level. Dialog, on the other hand, should normally be easily intelligible and not drowned out by other sounds. However, if a filmmaker has a loud scene that immediately follows a scene with quiet dialog, it can be difficult to balance the sound perfectly and clear speech is lost.

Another reason for fluctuating volume levels in movies is the way they are reproduced on different devices. When watching a movie in a theater, the sound is reproduced at a high basic volume in a large auditorium with a large number of special speakers. However, if the same movie is watched at home on a TV with or without a sound system connected to it, such as a soundbar, the sound may sound different because the speakers are usually smaller and you listen at room volume, much quieter than in a movie theater. Also, in the living room at home, you generally tend to have much fewer speakers than in a movie theater, since otherwise the living room would be cluttered. All of this can result in music and noise overpowering speech, and dialog generally being harder to understand. Our hearing is designed to perceive dynamic changes in volume more clearly the lower the listening volume.

Consequently, movies are indeed sometimes loud and sometimes quiet. You are exposed to these volume jumps and constantly adjust the volume with the remote control in the hope of achieving a more pleasant overall volume. But that doesn’t work, since you don’t know what’s coming next. So the volume fluctuations in movies are amplified rather than corrected.
The Kronoton company has addressed this problem and solved it with its HDSX TV Sound Optimizer. This is a palm-sized device that plugs into the signal path between the TV and an external TV sound system, like a soundbar.

Included in the device is technology specifically designed to solve the problem of fluctuating volume levels and unintelligible dialog in movies. This technology uses an algorithm that automatically adjusts the sound to ensure that dialog is clear and understandable, while controlling loud sound effects in such a way that they blend harmoniously into the overall listening picture.
The HDSX TV Sound Optimizer uses a special method of analyzing the audio signal to detect the volume of dialog and other sound effects. It then automatically adjusts the sound to ensure that dialogs are always clear and intelligible, and that loud sound effects are not too loud. At the same time, the audio remains interesting and varied to listen to.

The HDSX – High Definition Sound Expansion technology works in real time and with the highest sound quality. Thus, any kind of volume fluctuations are a thing of the past, as well as commercials which are too loud compared to the quieter programs, variations in volume between different channels or even streaming and Internet portals. Once installed, the HDSX TV Sound Optimizer harmonizes all volume variations, ensures clear speech on all channels and thus sustainably improves the TV sound.