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Why are HD TV channels quieter than usual ones?

Question

I just bought a flatscreen TV with HD. Why is the sound so much quieter on an HD channel than on regular channels?
Elaine, Forest Hill

Answer

** Definitive **
Name: Tom, Hornchurch
Qualification: Professor of HD
Answer: The HD TV channels are broadcast on a different frequency and it changes the gain structure of that channel, which is why you get the difference. HD sound is better quality, so doesn’t need to be compressed as much, therefore the lowest lows are lower than in standard definition.

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