What is night mode in a home theatre system?

Question

What is night mode in a home theatre system?

Answer 1

all that does is dim the front panel lights on the reciever.

Answer 2

Night mode merely suppresses the loud portions of the audio section of movie so as to not to disturb the rest of the household when watching a movie late at night.

Answer 3

night mode will dim the front panel display so that it is not so bright in a dark room..

Answer 4

“Night Mode” (aka, D.COMP or Dynamic Range Control) is a digital audio feature commonly found on most receivers, ‘pre/pros’ (preamplifier/processors,) DVD players, etc., equipped with applicable Dolby and DTS decoders. When the Night Mode option is enabled the sound level of compatible digital audio soundtracks will be dynamically compressed. Dynamic range compression (aka audio compression) increases low-level audio content such as dialog making it easier to hear at low volume levels while at the same time reducing the intensity of higher-level audio content. Please see the following quotes:

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“Dynamic range control (Night mode) enables you to customize audio playback to reduce peak volume levels (no loud surprises) while experiencing all the details in the soundtrack, enabling late-night viewing of high-energy surround sound without disturbing others.”



http://www.dolby.com/consumer/technology...

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Night Mode

“Night Mode controls the use of dynamic range compression that reduces the intensity of loud sounds and raises the level of very soft sounds, for example, when watching a movie with some whispered dialog followed immediately by a loud explosion. This circuit works only with Dolby Digital sources, playing signals received through a digital input. This circuitry is useful when listening to movies with lowered overall volume without reducing the relative intensity of loud sounds in relation to those with lower level.”



http://pdf.outlawaudio.com/outlaw/docs/1...

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Night Mode

“When you're listening to movies late at night and turn down the volume during loud scenes, dynamic range suffers and you may miss some dialogue and other sounds. With the Night Mode, you can reduce the volume and still enjoy proper tonal balance and dynamic range.”



http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/produ...

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“Enjoying the surround effect at low volume levels”

(NIGHT MODE)

“This function allows you to retain a theater like environment at low volume levels. This function can be used with other sound fields.”

“When watching a movie late at night, you will be able to hear the dialog clearly even at a low volume level.”



http://www.sonystyle.com/wcsstore/SonySt...

http://www.iq.sony.com/srvs/DocsConnect/...

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References to "night mode" with respect to Denon A/V equipment:

http://www.google.com/search?q=%22night+...

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“Adjusting the Listening Modes”

“Using the Late Night Function”

“With the Late Night function, you can reduce the dynamic range of Dolby Digital material so that you can still hear quiet parts even when listening at low volume levels—ideal for watching movies late at night when you don’t want to disturb anyone.”

“Notes:

  • The Late Night function can be used only when the input source is Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, or Dolby TrueHD.*

  • The effect of the Late Night function depends on the material that you are playing and the intention of the original sound designer, and with some material there will be little or no effect when you select the different options.

  • The Late Night function is set to Off when the AV receiver is set to Standby. For Dolby TrueHD sources, it will be set to Auto.”



http://www.intl.onkyo.com/downloads/manu...



*(Note: Dynamic Range Control is also available for compatible DTS audio signals as well, though Onkyo may have chosen not to implement it in their DTS decoders. [1][2])

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1. DTS Position on “Dolby Evaluates DTS”



“Downmixing and dynamic range control are part of the DTS specification and are implemented in many decoders.”



http://www.dtsonline.com/media/uploads/p...



2. DTS Coherent Acoustics Encoder

Requirements Specification for Core Audio



“Dynamic range coefficient is to allow for convenient compression of audio dynamic range at the output of the decoder. It is particularly important in listening environments where high ambient noise levels make it impossible to discriminate low level signals without risking damaging the loudspeakers during loud passages.”



“At the decoder, dynamic range compression is affected by multiplying the decoded audio samples by the linear coefficient. The degree of compression can be altered with the appropriate adjustment to the coefficient values at the decoder and can be switched off completely by ignoring the coefficients.”



http://www.dtsonline.com/media/2007/supp...

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Should any doubt remain, after reading the widely differing answers posted by some of the other contributors, I encourage you to look in the manufacturer’s Operating Manual and note where the “Night Mode” feature is listed. Invariably you will find that it is listed under the Audio settings section along with the settings for the other audio parameters.

 

Answer 5

"Night mode" on my system monitors volume peaks and lowers the volume so that when commercials come on, they don't wake everyone in the house.  

Networks have forever argued that they don't crank up the volume on commercials to grab your attention, but we in the real world know better.

Answer 6

Do you mean right or night?