Sound problems with The Dark Knight

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H47

Dec 9, 2008 - CST 7:35 PM

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Sound problems:

I got my copy of The Dark Knight DVD and there are sound problems.

1. I have to pretty much turn up the volume full blast in order to hear anything and,

2. The sound often makes popping and crackling noises.

Is anybody else having the same problems?

Tim Raynor

Dec 10, 2008 - CST 12:40 PM

says... It looks fake . . . very fake!

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I think it has bad problems in dynamics. Voice chat is way too low while action sequences are extremely high. Nevertheless, the bass is very strong and boom-ish, but is one of those movies where I had to constantly play with my stereo remote. I'd have it cranked so I could hear what the actors were saying, then as soon as something blew-up it was pealing the paint off my walls. So, if anything I could complain about is the poor level of dynamics.

Falcon01

Dec 10, 2008 - CST 12:57 PM

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Tim did you have this issue with the bluray version or DVD?

I'm supposed to be getting the bluray version soon. I hope I don't get burned with sound dynamics as you mentioned because I'll be watching it at night when people are sleeping and by the sounds of it, even Night Mode won't help me.

imgreenlantern2

Dec 10, 2008 - CST 2:11 PM

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I bought the Blu ray version and the sound is terrible in spots. It will go quite and then POP back up to normal. I also noticed that in some scenes the music is too loud, and the dialogue is barely audioable. What frickin joke.

John J. Puccio

Dec 10, 2008 - CST 2:41 PM

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While I thought "The Dark Knight" had its fair share of problems, the audio was not one of them. It does have an extremely wide dynamic range (the difference between the softest and loudest notes) and a rather aggressive bass.

If a person is not used to a wide dynamic range and/or if a person has a subwoofer set too high, I can understand a person having serious issues with the audio on "TDK." Also, if a person experiences popping or crackling noises when loudest passages are playing, it's probably the fault either of amplifier clipping (running out of headroom) or speaker overdriving (pumping more power and volume into a speaker not built to handle it).

I found the audio on both the SD and BD versions of "TDK" clean and clear, but not particularly well balanced, as I say, with too elevated a bass response. Damned good bass, though.

John

Tim Raynor

Dec 10, 2008 - CST 3:14 PM

says... It looks fake . . . very fake!

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Quote:
Tim did you have this issue with the bluray version or DVD?

Blu-ray, that's all I ever buy anymore. I figure there's really no need to buy SD since I have Brooo-ray. I wanted to pick up "Dumb & Dumber" yesterday, too, but Walmart* didn't have it available.

Tim Raynor

Dec 10, 2008 - CST 3:25 PM

says... It looks fake . . . very fake!

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Quote:
While I thought "The Dark Knight" had its fair share of problems, the audio was not one of them. It does have an extremely wide dynamic range (the difference between the softest and loudest notes) and a rather aggressive bass.

But having too wide a range is exactly the issue. I don't like it when I have to constantly fiddle with the stereo remote because the action sequencing assumes I'm the deafest man on the planet. While I did love the bass response, and overall it does present a very theatre like clarity, I just think the balancing was awful. Really, no need for a sub-woofer on this one, but I also agree with the above reader that there were times the dialog was so background-ish that it was too difficult to make out. I had the same issues -- it sounded great and above average in some spots, and other places were like the sound techs were out to lunch. I'm honestly considering writing WB about it and hopefully get them to fix it and send me a replacement copy. And as far as sound goes for Blu-ray, this is the only one I've ever had that gave me issues. Call me tonight and we can discuss this further over tea and crumpets.

rpruthee

Dec 10, 2008 - CST 3:35 PM

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yeah i noticed this problem as well. the dialogues were too soft. it only made me wonder if i should get my stapes operation soon. glad i am not the only deaf one...

Love Hendrix!

Dec 10, 2008 - CST 4:24 PM

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Use your "Midnight" or "Night" settings for best balance of sound.

And, if you're like me, you always watch content with the English Subtitles turned on - and NEVER misunderstand anything said. Subtitles are perfect for this "wide TDK sound mix" scenario, and for actors who mumble their lines (any Mark Wahlberg movie). The only time I avoid subtitles (or closed-captioning) is for sports, otherwise I watch all movies and TV shows with subtitles/CC so that I understand everything, including names of songs and other added info the subtitles provide etc.

Sometimes, you'd be surprised how something is "worded" in the subtitles/captioning, but the audio was censored (such as dialoge by actors) - the subtitles didn't get cut, but the audio did (LOL).

-JOE- (Love Hendrix)