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Marc Wielage
 
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Default Broadcast vs. DVD peak levels

On Mar 17, 2006, Reid Rejsa commented:

how high do you all let your peak levels go when mixing
an audio for video project that's going to DVD? Do you use the full
dynamic range up to 0 dbfs, or limit it to some lower value?
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Every studio and DVD distributor seems to have different standards on what is
acceptable as far as average dialog level and absolute peak program level.
The Discovery Channel is particularly picky, as is PBS. Foreign video & TV
distributors can be very tough as well, like Network 10 in Australia or
Canal+Plus in France.

The best advice is to get a copy of the delivery requirements and technical
specs from the company who is distributing the DVD. Find out what they want
and get some specifics. In general, I think they're expecting a -20dbfs
operating level, with dialog peaks a little hotter than this, and loud peaks
(explosions, gun shots, car crashes) no louder than -10dbfs. This will
generally be acceptable for the major American TV networks, but DVD's can be
a little different. Sometimes the concerns are greater for low-level dialog
than they are for peaks.

They may also have different requirements in terms of channel assignments and
delivery formats. Many will take DA88 tapes, but some now insist on a
removeable hard drive with BWF's. My advice is to ask all these questions
now, so there's no surprises later.

BTW, this topic is discussed at length on the Digidesign User Conference in
the Post & Surround section, usually at least twice a month.

--MFW