The VideoLAN Forums

Are you sure you have correct speaker setup chosen? DVDs are usually too quiet only when downmixing is done incorrectly.

Push "STRG" and up and down Key's to get to 400%

Or use VLC 1.2.0 which still has 200%, but it is louder.

What does "STRG" mean? Did you mean I agree that some adjustable "gain up" would be very nice, especially because so many files are recorded too low.
Suggestions:
- Adjustable increase of the 400% limit, in dB: +3dB, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, implemented in the Audio settings advanced menu. This will cause distortion if it is abused, but the Volume Normalizer, and Peak Protection, could address that somewhat.

- Or, an "infinite" volume control, which visibly wraps(or scales) and changes volume scaling,
-- indicates scaling (-12, -6, 0, +6, +12) numerically next to the volume slider.
-- or changes color to indicate its current range(blue, green, rainbow, orange, red),

-Or, add an Audio Filter: Compressor. based on Normalize, it also increases gain when signal power is below a certain threshold. This is a difficult one to get "right", so it will have to have adjustments for threshold, time constant, attack, release, etc. But Its purpose is merely to increase the quality of the listening experience when tracks are just recorded way too low.

its a german word for:
Strg = Steuerungstaste

In english:
control key <Ctrl>

Are you sure you have correct speaker setup chosen? DVDs are usually too quiet only when downmixing is done incorrectly.

What do you mean? The video is too quiet. It's not a matter of me setting something up incorrectly. It's only some videos, not all of them.

Perhaps "speakers" wasn't intended: different audio output device drivers are quieter than others. Tools / Preferences / Show Settings:All / Audio / Output modules / *

This will cause distortion if it is abused

The colored bar should be a level meter that shows you when sound is clipping instead of a meter that shows you what your gain is set to.

Well, I don't mind the current Qt volume indicator (attenuator indicator)
- there is a separate level meter, audiobargraph, but I'm not familiar with its operation..

the quietness of DVDs

The AC-3 codec still has a lower default volume than other audio codecs.
This is a known issue awaiting for a fix, see ticket 3994.

You also can try to use equalizer for audio and increase level (first slider).