playback volume and networked media

[PBzeer 6]

Does anyone have any idea if having your media on a networked external hard drive would affect playback volume levels? 

 

With MB2, I had everything running on one laptop. With 3, I have an external hhd connected to a different laptop than the one I am viewing on. There is a significant difference in playback volume since switching. Before rearranging everything, I'm wondering if anyone knows if it would make a difference by connecting the hhd to the laptop I am viewing on.

[PBzeer 6]

Further tinkering shows higher volume levels in Media Player alone, then in MB3 Classic, playing the same movie (movies are in MKV, with all available sound options).

[JeremyFr79 228]

I've noticed this but I use pure bitstreaming for audio so it's the unadultered audio being decoded at the receiver (not the PC) doing this I can tell you different audio codec's unfortunately play at different level's nature of the beast so to speak.  It's all in how each is mastered, respective dynamic ranges etc.  For instance in my setup trailers that are in .mov with AAC audio play fairly quietly, i.e. I'm getting maybe 40-45db of playback volume with my reciever set at -12db output, once the DTS trailer plays its slamming out around 80-85db without changing the output volume on the reciever.  It's all in how something's mastered unfortunately.  now if you're using lav, or ac3fiter or ffdshow to decode your audio, they each have their own respective volume normalizing settings that should help with your predicament.