Sound boosting inputs to a CRT TV.

[Eidolon]

iI have a 1983 model, RF in only Philips TV. iI bounce various things- Freeview, V2000, VHS, Wii and DVD player all in via an Alba VHS, which then sends the signal to the TV over the aerial.

But iI'm having problems (mostly) with DVDs, where the audio levels are really low. By the time iI've cracked the volume up on the TV to a satisfactiory level, iI get background white noise hiss, and if the image is bright, a loud humming. Is there anyway to boost ingoing volume so I can avoid this?

Thanks.

[hamid_1]

Many DVD players - especially the cheap ones - have a volume control. Look on the DVD player's remote control. If there's a VOL+ button, press it and see if it helps, or you could try a different DVD player.

Some RF modulators have audio level adjustment. I doubt the Alba VHS has any adjustments, but some older video recorders, especially hi-fi stereo ones have a recording level adjustment, which will make the sound quieter or louder. Failing that, you'll need to connect some kind of amplifier in between the DVD player and modulator. Something like a DJ mixer would work - these have sliders for altering the volume of line-level signals. A bit of overkill though.

[Eidolon]

Output volume settings are already maxed on the DVD player, and iI couldn't find anything built into the Alba VHS. The main problem is Warner discs, which seem to have particularly low levels. iI bought the Johnny Weismuller Tarzan sets, and the unwanted additional noise on them is intolerable. Not sure how to go about adding an amp onto a SCART or RF lead. Any pointers appreciated.

[Nickthedentist]

I'd dodge the problem and connect the DVD player to a cheap pair of PC speakers, ignoring your Philips set's audio stages entirely.

What's the set? Maybe a CTX-S or CTX-E?

Nick.

[paulsherwin]

Most DVD players have a setting somewhere to do audio compression, making the quiet bits louder. It might be worth experimenting with this.

[Brigham]

Maplin stocks a decent UHF modulator, for any band IV/V channel you like, at a decent price. It might eliminate the problem, which is most likely to do with a mismatch in the VHS stage of your setup.

[ben]

check the wiring or scarts - you need to have both L and R channels from the dvd modulated. If the connectors aren't fully home, you can lose a channel and get this weak audio. And do check the audio out type in the menus.

[Eidolon]

All the cables/connections are fine, the inherent low levels are the real issue. I have found that having output set to RGB made the humming noise a lot worse, I have already turned that off. I think there may be an inherent hiss on the TV itself, it still needs servicing for a lot of problems.

The ideal situation would be something with it's own volume control knob I can add in on the RF cable between the alba VHS 'patch bay' and the TV. That way I could control the volume of everything before it got to the set. Standard level volume on Freeview and Wii is fine, it's only when i have to increase it massively for DVDs that it becomes an issue.

[Herald1360]

It would be worth trying Nick's idea, even if just as a test- if you have fundamentally a hissy output from the DVD player from discs where the sound is low to start with, then adding amplification in the line won't help at all.

[Eidolon]

I've been considering the separate speakers for some time, I have a set in the room that I plug my 3Ds into to listen to old radio plays I have on it. It'll take a complicated bit of careful wiring, but the plan was to have one of the SCART outputs on the Alba go to the speakers. That way I could also use the speakers to listen to digital radio via freeview without needing to have the TV on. I wanted to directly avoid it as much as possible for films/TV though, as I find modern speakers (they all seem to come with subwoofers) too overly bassy for my liking.

[ben]

If the freeview and wii are fine as you say, then this suggests the DVD player, not the TV, is the problem. Adjusting the output to RGB should not affect the sound!

Have you tried Paul's suggestion in post 5, and looked at the audio setting menus? There are sometimes things like 'downmix', 'audio att(enunation)', 'audio drc'(compression), 'dolby/normal', etc. all of which affect the sound.

Might also be worth trying another dvd player, they're easy enough to find cheap especially second hand.
I do find the audio level of DVDs to be slightly lower at times, especially during dialogues, but certainly not enough to require extra amplification.

[Eidolon]

It depends on the company who made the discs. Warner are much quieter than others and impossible to watch comfortably. The player's fine, I had to turn the volume up for DVD with other players and CRT TV's. It's just this set is much worse. possibly due to the extra equipment & cables it has to travel, maybe the set itself? I'll look for a 'dynamic compression/night mode in a bit', but I've found that function tends to make things sound too uniform and bland on previous machines. I'd expect it to still let limits around the -12db range though.

[Eidolon]

I've done a quick test. Night Mode was already on.

I just an input switch on the Alba, between AV1 (DVD player), and an empty SCART-in channel, which results in a blue screen. The hiss stayed constant across the switch, so it's not the DVD player. It's just having to crank the TV up so loud, that it's picking up white noise.

[IanNVJ35]

I can sympathise as low volume via TV speakers made me give up watching DVD films unless I was wearing headphones with their own volume control. Documentaries are fine, just films with Dolby 5.1 and similar are often all over the place. I too would like an inline audio booster and the nearest thing available is a basic powered audio mixer - but that is bordering on overkill.

What can be used is a Hi-Fi VCR with settable record levels. That's what I use and it is useful for the Freeview HD channels which are also extremely faint. What is it with this low sound - we had decent levels already in place with terrestial analogue but now quite a few things are much fainter.

[Hybrid tellies]

I had the same low audio problem on my main CRT set downstairs and in my workshop. Both faults cleared by checking and reseating all the scart plugs. Audio levels now good and at same levels from Freeview box, VCR's and DVD player. Recently in my workshop I had snowy pictures after I had moved a few things around. This was cleared by rerouting the RF coax leads away from the scart leads behind the VCR.

[Eidolon]

iI do get 'cross-input' interference from the various devices plugged into the Alba. Freeview is the worst, resulting in wavy diagonal lines across the screen. I have to unplug it to get it to stop. Rather oddly, when the RF from my Panasonic VHS is plugged into the back of the Alba iI get a really 'snowy-grainy' effect added to the Alba's output image, regardless of what the input is. It even does it if the Panasonic is turned off at the plug. I have to disconnect the cable. When iI collect the stand for the TV early next year, iI'm going to have issues figuring how to deal with this, it was all originally going to be hidden away behind a piece of wallpapered plywood behind the stand/set, but iI'll need access to connect/disconnect. iI'll have to think a way around it at the time. These issues are separate to the hiss mind you.

I have considered an alternative, which is to get rid of the Alba, and replace it with a SCART switcher box like what iI use on the TV in the attic, then get a box to convert the output from it to RF, to connect to the TV. That would have a possible side issue of leaving the Panasonic & ITT V2000 needing to be connected to the TV separately somehow. Currently they just loop through the Alba. Anybody use that method? Is it any good, and are SCART to RF converters reliable and affordable?