Media and
Listening Limitations
Different recording media and transmitting techniques
have widely different dynamic ranges. If the full dynamic
range is used, the result is that often sounds are too loud
or too quiet. Dynamic range mapping enables the soft,
subtle nuances of large dynamic range media to become
louder, clearer, and easier to hear. It also allows the
limited dynamic range media to expand, restoring excitement
to movies and television.
Room acoustics, hearing loss, and the environment
have a distinct impact on the ability of a listener to hear
sounds. A concert hall minimizes all external noise
sources, permitting sounds with a very wide dynamic range
to be heard. In a large room, the dynamic range is
considerably reduced when a party is held, since the noise
of the people "masks" low-level, soft sounds. Small rooms
have a restricted dynamic range, requiring you to
constantly adjust the volume level for loud and quiet
scenes. If you have a hearing loss, this also reduces the
dynamic range you can hear, preventing you from hearing
soft speech sounds, which in turn makes it difficult to
understand speech.