By the way, dialnorm is not meta-data -- it changes the output.
Sorry! As explained in another discussion in which you participated, this is not my area of expertise. I merely used the term in reference to the phrase "meta data parameter" as per HAL9000's linked article. I tend to think of it as a "playback" or "rendering" instruction embedding in the source file—much like "current" playback dimensions or targeted aspect ratio settings which are independent of the compressed data actually stored in a file.
The GUI version of mediainfo only shows basic data. I normally use Linux for things like this but mediainfo is available via Homebrew.
Well, that explains that. Unfortunately, I currently don't have the time required to learn how to use/communicate with this version of the app at such a low level. While I might look into this further next year when/if I have the time, I rarely pay much attention to Dialnorm displays and am more concerned with proper channelization than comparative level standards that I probably can't accurately hear/differentiate aurally in any case at my age.
Given only the dialnorm display results you've shown it would appear that your AVR is not actually displaying dialnorm or it's faulty. Dialog normalization happens in the (E-)AC-3 decoder and a display of that value should just reflect the input parameter.
I'm leaning more towards what I consider a more simple explanation that both explains and correlates the differences we are seeing. I notice you say that a display of the dialog normalization value "should" just reflect the input parameter. What if we posit that my receiver displays the net adjusted input parameter plus my receiver's calibrated adjustment for speaker location/orientation and follow that logic:
- As previously stated, my receiver was calibrated (for a somewhat strangely "landscape" shaped "Home Theater" viewing area having a wider than normal Left/Right speaker separation and a narrower than normal Front/Rear speaker separation). As a result, it appears to have a "+ 4" dialog normalization adjustment programmed into the system.
- As previously indicated, all (but one) of my iTunes managed video library files were encoded by me with a zero gain level target. However, since I have no way to examine these files other than your suggested workflow (which I am reluctant to try without a lot more information), I can't even determine if my files contain a valid dialog normalization setting—let alone a valid 0 db equivalent (which is, at best, only an assumption at this point). In either case, let's see what happens if we continue under the assumption that the dialog normalization is either 0 db or missing...
- In the case of my TV2 and TV3 test, my encoded files display an adjusted value of "0" plus my "+4" adjustment or a net "+4" adjusted value which I do see and have previously reported.
- In the case of your Jessica Jones episode 1 file, you see a dialog normalization value of "-5 db" while I see "-1" which is the net adjusted value for a "-5db" input value plus my receiver's "+4" adjustment when both of use a TV3 device for playback.
- In the case of your Jessica Jones episode 2 file play through TV3 devices, you see a dialog normalization value of "-4 db" while I get no dialog normalization display for the adjusted "-4 db" plus my "+4" receiver adjustment which provides a "0" net adjusted value which you (and others) have indicated can produce inconsistent value displays by various receiver brands and models.
- On the other hand, both Jessica Jones episodes on the TV4 produce "0/missing" readings on your system but return a "0/mising" plus my "+4" adjustment or "+4" net adjusted display on my system.
- Your TiVO and my Oppo Netflix app alternatives both produce the same consistency in results as paragraph 3 and 4 above.
In any case, applying Occam's Razor, this hypothesis seems to currently be the simplest, and thus, preferred explanation until something better comes along. Was however, wondering if you could/would download and examine a couple of test files already posted to determine if they contain valid or 0/missing dialog normalization values:
http://downloads.walker4.me/Temporary_files/Test-1.m4v
http://downloads.walker4.me/Temporary_files/Test-2.m4v
http://downloads.walker4.me/Temporary_files/Test-3.m4v
