You should also check your DVD playback software and make sure that you have it set for desktop/laptop speakers and NOT for something like 5.1 or 7.1 surround etc.
You may have configured windows as if you have a home theater sound sistem.
Check on windows CONTROL PANEL / SOUNDS AND AUDIO DEVICES and look for the Speaker Settings and click on the ADVANCED button and select the type of speakers you have.
Then, you might check you have connected the speakers to the correct outputs of your sound card, some soundcards have multiple outputs for front and rear speakers and even for subwoofers... check them out.
You might also check if your sound card has it's own audio mixer / effects program. Some cards have a program apart from Windows speaker volume icon beside the clock. Some programs may have configured your speakers for surround configurations, double check windows audio and your sound card audio for Dolby and Surround options enabled and try disabling them.
Hope this helps at least a little!
You hear perfectly the old dvd movies because they were recorded in stereo (2channels), now movies come also with surround sound (6channels) also known as 5.1ch. That definitively means you are hearing the rear channels in your movies (which only play background sounds). Check your connections, check your options (for surround or 5.1) too.
Sigmatel cards aren't good at all, thats why you hear distoritions and else, you might want to consider buying the simplest creative labs card you can afford, it will be far much better and straight forward.
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Try using VLC as your player. Go to www.google.com and in the search box type "download vlc" (without the quotes). Look for the Video Lan download from site www.videolan.org/vlc Download and install it. It downloads and installs in 3 minutes or so. It's a very fast player, smooth and it can play just about any type of dvd formats and media. It's totally FREE.
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Thank you so much for writing back, this is wonderful! What I notice is that the DVDs (all commerical) are easier to hear if they are older. The newer ones are impossible. I can hear youtube and online TV on my laptop just fine as well.
To answer your questions to the best of my ability: I have a 'sigmaTel Audio device, which I guess is a sound card. I have gone into advanced mode and set the balance to even and tried all the modes and it doesn't help. I have also tried setting my play back to 'mono' which I've heard can send all the sound through one speaker.
Using speakers and/or headphones only makes things louder, it doesn't change the distorted way things sound. And I literally CAN"T hear the voices, its ALL background. If you have further suggestions I would be most grateful!! :-).
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help! Is there a way for me to physically check my connections? Do I open my laptop or is there a settiing I can look at?
I've looked at all the advanced sound settings and I don't know how to look/check my card and its' connections. I am happy to buy a better card if that is what it takes. I guess someone would have to install it?
Can you confirm a few more things:-
1) Are these original DVDs or ones you've made yourself.
2) What is your PC configuration and speaker setup (i.e. what version of Windows, what Soundcard - is it 5.1, 7.1 etc, and what type and how many speakers do you have connected)
3) Have you tried plugging a set of headphones into the soundcard and trying that?
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