HO dv6 Pavilion speaker problem

[ozstar]

Hi,

I have a HP dv6 pavilion laptop and the4 left speaker is now dead. The right speaker is a a very very low volume as well.

Through headphones it is all fine.

I have checked and changes all setting so that is correct.

I contacted HP and they said if I use VLC then it is not covered because it burns out speakers due to high volume.

What is this about?

I now have the latest VLC however this started about 6 months ago.

oz

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

Only HP really can know what's wrong with their hardware.

Our guess is that the circuitry of their internal speakers is not protected against peak and can thus overload and burn. This is obviously low-quality hardware. But HP is not alone among laptops and mobile devices vendors in following this path to reduce unit costs.

Still, such a weak hardware should be protected against potentially harmful peaks in software, in the audio device driver. Apparently HP failed to do this, and so if you input the wrong audio signal to the speakers, they may burn beyond use. That signal can come from practically any software if you play a "wrong" .WAV file of whatever.

HP blames VLC fault because VLC offers amplification beyond 100%/0dB in its UI. But this is really a problem with their hardware and device driver; you don't need VLC to burn the speakers. HP is basically shifting the blame to avoid responsibilities and defaming the VideoLAN project in the process.

[ozstar]

Hi,

Many thanks for the reply and explanation.

I never thought the problem was with VLC. I have used it from the start and think it is the best available without doubt.

I am afraid that this will happen again once the speaker is replaced.

Do you have any suggestions how this problem can be addressed? Is their a way we can control the output of VLC so that it never gets to the level that may kill the speakers? Or is there a driver answer?

I am sure there are thousands who would love an answer as they like me love the good work you and your gang have done with VLC.

Thanks and good luck..

oz
Sydney Oz

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Of course not, we cannot do anything in VLC...

How do you make the difference between a hard-rock mp3 played at 100% or a 400% volume of a pop mp3?

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

Do you have any suggestions how this problem can be addressed?

HP got to do llike other vendors with similarly crippled hardware: filter dangerous peaks in software in the audio device driver.

Is their a way we can control the output of VLC so that it never gets to the level that may kill the speakers?

VLC cannot magicaly guess the tolerated limits of the hardware; this belongs in the specific audio driver. And most hardwares will simply saturate above their limits, which sounds awful, but does not cause unrecoverable faults.

By the way, it is probably not a simple matter of capping the VLC volume. This also depend on the gain of the input file, the global operating system volume, and the frequencies being played.

Or is there a driver answer?

There should be, but I guess HP is too incompetent/cheap for that.

[sledger]

I have owned a HP Pavilion for the last 6 years. I bought one with the b&w speakers as the sound quality was great. I have used vlc up to the point where it generatesof distortion for years, never a problem. In fact I needed vlc to get the most out of them.
I have recently bought a pavilion dv6 with beats audio and find the speakers to be pretty rubbish. they are tinny and weak, they distort well before the on board audio peaks and frankly vlc assistance would be pointless on this model. I agree that HP are just cuffing the poor engineering that exists in the speakers. it is a symptom of HP's bigger problem, they have let their standards slip.
I am very unhappy with the poor build quality of my new purchase. On this model the battery regularly falls off due to a poor catch which HP can't or won't fix.
I made a vid on you tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbPMOrzX3fE if you want to look.

Anyway thanks for the tip I wont push these speakers too hard now.