Need help with sound problems... - DVDfile.com forum for DVD, Blu-Ray, and HD-DVD

DecafJedi · 01-05-2003, 06:36 PM

Greetings!

I'm having some weird sound problems with my DVD player, and I was hoping someone around these parts might be able to offer a suggestion.

Here's the deal: I have the most basic of audio/visual setups. I have a Panasonic DVD-RV32 hooked up through a mono VCR to my television. No sound system, nothing else special. Anyway, when I play certain DVDs on my system (e.g. Moulin Rouge), I encounter some annoying sound problems. Periodically throughout the DVD, the sound will completely drop out for just a second or so at a time (almost sounding like a skip). This usually happens three or four times in a row (with about ten seconds or so between the "skips") and then disappears temporarily. It usually reappears at various points throughout the remainder of the film. Some DVDs are worse than others, and some appear to have more problems near the beginning of the disc.

At first, I thought it was a problem with my DVDs. However, I've encountered these problems with discs fresh from the shrinkwrap as well as older discs. Oddly enough, however, some DVDs seem to play perfectly fine (e.g. Fellowship of the Ring extended edition) with no problems whatsoever. I've also used a lens cleaner on my player to no avail.

Any ideas what the problem might be? Do I perhaps need to replace some cables? Do I need to look into replacing my VCR or even the DVD player itself? I'm fairly new at this stuff. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance...

DecafJedi

***Wirehed*** · 01-05-2003, 09:45 PM

I would check and make sure all the cables are secured properly. Are the glitches in the same spot on the disc each time, or is it random?

DecafJedi · 01-05-2003, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Seamonkey
I would check and make sure all the cables are secured properly. Are the glitches in the same spot on the disc each time, or is it random?

They tend to be in the same spot (although sometimes off by a second or so). On the whole, though, they're rather consistent. Once again, though, I'm almost positive that it's not the discs themselves. The fact that brand-new, completely dustless discs often experience the problem seems to rule that out.

I also checked the connections, and everything seems to be tight (assuming there isn't a problem with the cables themselves).

Earlier today, I decided to try using an RF modulator to avoid running the DVD player through my VCR. The problem persisted, so I guess that rules out the VCR as a possible culprit. I'm almost starting to wonder my television's equivalent of SmartSound could have something to do with it. I might have to borrow a television at some point and see if it makes a difference.

Any other suggestions?

DecafJedi

Iguana Man · 01-06-2003, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DecafJedi
I'm almost starting to wonder my television's equivalent of SmartSound could have something to do with it. I might have to borrow a television at some point and see if it makes a difference.

Any other suggestions?

DecafJedi

I wonder what the common factor here is. Is it possible that the TV "smartsound" isn't handling the sound signal properly? Maybe the type of sound (ie: lfe signal?) causes the TV to 'stutter' soundwise ? Are the skips in sound predominately low end signals? You've chosen stereo, not Dolby Digital via the audio options on the DVD menu, right?

Draysoth · 01-07-2003, 12:25 AM

Macrovision might be the culprit... basically, copy protection on DVDs prevents them from being routed thru vcrs to ones tv...

Try hooking it up directly to the tv if possible...

I thought macrovision only affected the picture tho... I could very well be wrong...!

RobotOnAToilet · 01-07-2003, 08:58 AM

Dolby Digital Downmixing.

My sister had a DVD player that she hooked up to a Stereo TV. Whenever she played a movie that was 5.1, the DVD Player is supposed to downmix it to Stereo. Well it did a poor job of this. To be able to hear anything at a decent volume, the TV had to be cranked to the max.

This problem was really noticable on the Moulin Rouge DVD. The sound was very quiet and the volume had to be turned up to 90% to hear it well.

She took the Player back to the store and got a better brand and model, and she has not had that problem.

jonathan_little · 01-07-2003, 08:22 PM

I used my Pioneer DV-440's analog 2 channel downmix for about eight months until I finally bought a 5.1 receiver. The volume level was about the same that came out of my VCR (in other words, normal.) I didn't ever have any dropouts, including on Moulin Rouge.

I guess some players just exhibit better downmixing abilities and digital/analog converters than others.

01-05-2003, 06:36 PM	#1 (permalink)
DecafJedi Supporting Actor Join Date: Jan 2003	Need help with sound problems... Greetings! I'm having some weird sound problems with my DVD player, and I was hoping someone around these parts might be able to offer a suggestion. Here's the deal: I have the most basic of audio/visual setups. I have a Panasonic DVD-RV32 hooked up through a mono VCR to my television. No sound system, nothing else special. Anyway, when I play certain DVDs on my system (e.g. Moulin Rouge), I encounter some annoying sound problems. Periodically throughout the DVD, the sound will completely drop out for just a second or so at a time (almost sounding like a skip). This usually happens three or four times in a row (with about ten seconds or so between the "skips") and then disappears temporarily. It usually reappears at various points throughout the remainder of the film. Some DVDs are worse than others, and some appear to have more problems near the beginning of the disc. At first, I thought it was a problem with my DVDs. However, I've encountered these problems with discs fresh from the shrinkwrap as well as older discs. Oddly enough, however, some DVDs seem to play perfectly fine (e.g. Fellowship of the Ring extended edition) with no problems whatsoever. I've also used a lens cleaner on my player to no avail. Any ideas what the problem might be? Do I perhaps need to replace some cables? Do I need to look into replacing my VCR or even the DVD player itself? I'm fairly new at this stuff. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance... DecafJedi

01-05-2003, 09:45 PM	#2 (permalink)
*Wirehed* Producer/Admin NSFW Off 'the list' Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Sacto, Ca --Near Galt, home of LeVar Burton	I would check and make sure all the cables are secured properly. Are the glitches in the same spot on the disc each time, or is it random? __________________ The Order of the Zombie. The world's greatest zombie culture website. "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wagn'nagl dominos" In his house in R'lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits for the pizza delivery guy.

01-07-2003, 12:25 AM	#5 (permalink)
Draysoth Actor Join Date: May 2001 Location: Grimsby, Ontario	Macrovision might be the culprit... basically, copy protection on DVDs prevents them from being routed thru vcrs to ones tv... Try hooking it up directly to the tv if possible... I thought macrovision only affected the picture tho... I could very well be wrong...! __________________ My DVD Collection

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01-07-2003, 08:58 AM	#6 (permalink)
RobotOnAToilet Actor Join Date: Jun 2002	Dolby Digital Downmixing. My sister had a DVD player that she hooked up to a Stereo TV. Whenever she played a movie that was 5.1, the DVD Player is supposed to downmix it to Stereo. Well it did a poor job of this. To be able to hear anything at a decent volume, the TV had to be cranked to the max. This problem was really noticable on the Moulin Rouge DVD. The sound was very quiet and the volume had to be turned up to 90% to hear it well. She took the Player back to the store and got a better brand and model, and she has not had that problem.

01-07-2003, 08:22 PM	#7 (permalink)
jonathan_little Actor Join Date: Jan 2002	I used my Pioneer DV-440's analog 2 channel downmix for about eight months until I finally bought a 5.1 receiver. The volume level was about the same that came out of my VCR (in other words, normal.) I didn't ever have any dropouts, including on Moulin Rouge. I guess some players just exhibit better downmixing abilities and digital/analog converters than others.