Question Volume on Android tablet has become too low

[dj54321]

The YouTube video volume on my 4 year old Lenovo m8 tablet with Android 10 and Google Chrome had been fine until a couple weeks ago, on all of the channels I subscribe to. I tried blowing in the speaker to dislodge any dust, but that didn't help. Do I need to reset the tablet...or what else do you suggest? Thank you!

 

[dj54321]

Ok, here we go...

1. For reference, the volume in the video in post #20 above is perfect using the highest volume level in Settings. Is the volume perfect on your tablets as well using highest volume level in Settings, or is it way too loud?

2. The volume using headphones is very good, but not too loud even at the highest volume level in Settings.

3. Re questions in post #19 above: I think loud videos are always loud, and soft always soft. If I watch several videos in a row, some are definitely fine and some are definitely too low. I've commented in the YouTube chat that the volume is too low, and some of the video creators increase the volume in response. But I almost never needed to request this previously.

4. The alarm volume, at it's highest level in Settings, is still way too low even with the head phones. Approx 5-10% of what it used to be... Ie, a reduction of 90-95%... Which is more drastic than the video volume issue.

5. The video volume is approx 20-25% louder when the tablet is flat on a table, as opposed to being on my diy cardboard tablet stand or if I'm holding the tablet horizontally.

Thanks.

.

 

[dj54321]

PS, my hearing is excellent... always has been.

 

[B. Diddy]

At this point, it might be best to try a factory reset.

 

[VidJunky]

Your statement that, videos that play with good volume always play with good volume, has me baffled. That would put issue with the video and maybe not with the device. It would exclude a setting, experiencing this with headphones also seems to point back to the video.

The only thing I can think of at this point would be the codec and the video format. That would be specific to the video, would allow the same video to play normally every time, or play poorly, and would do this both through headphones, the device speaker or through a Bluetooth speaker. To support this I found this result on Google.

Not all videos on YouTube have the same codec format: [1, 2]

• H.264: The default codec for most videos on YouTube. It's widely supported by browsers and devices. [2]
• VP9: Used for higher resolutions and HDR videos. It offers better compression and quality than H.264. [2]
• AV1: Used for videos with very low view counts. [1]

YouTube also supports other video formats, including: [3, 4]
WMV
FLV
MPEG PS
DNxHR
3GPP
CineForm
WebM

While I haven't run into this in some time, I'm assuming YouTube fixed something, but I remember when some videos would pop-up and refuse to play. They have a notification that said something like, this video is not formatted to play on a mobile device, or just say, this video cannot play on a mobile device. Which was always crazy to me since I was watching videos in the YT mobile app. In this case the video plays fine but maybe your codec is broken or needs an update and is causing this sound issue.

The next logical question would be can you fix or update codecs on your Android device, and Gemini says this;

While you can't directly "update" a codec on your Android phone like you might on a computer, you can effectively fix codec issues by updating your media player app which often includes the latest codec support, or by installing a different media player app that supports the codec you need to play a specific video file; essentially, you're relying on the app to handle the codec functionality rather than directly modifying the system codecs on your phone. [1, 2, 3]

How to "fix" a codec issue on Android: [1, 3]

• Update your current media player: Check for updates within your default media player app. [1, 3]
• Install a different media player: If your current app doesn't support the codec you need, download a different media player app known for wide codec compatibility. [1, 2, 3]
• Convert the video file: If you can't find a media player that supports the codec, consider converting the video file to a format compatible with your device using a video conversion tool. [1, 2, 7]

While there are no guarantees B. Diddy's suggestion may be as close to reloading these codecs as one can get if you are unable to find a way to update your player, or apps with players.

Best wishes. Of course let us know what you find, it may help the next person.

 

[dj54321]

VidJunky post #24 includes "Your statement that, videos that play with good volume always play with good volume, has me baffled. That would put issue with the video and maybe not with the device."
______________
Per my post #13 -- maybe 15% of all videos I access have adequate volume. 85% definitely don't.

I never need to reduce volume settings below maximum.
Previously I often needed to turn down the volume.
---------------

Video creators apparently set their output volume as they see fit. And currently many are too low for my tablet volume. A few have increased their output setting at my request.

But the key is that currently I never need to reduce volume settings below maximum. Previously I often needed to turn down the volume.

So unless all of the 2 - 3 dozen video creators I patronize (or YouTube, etc) decided to simultaneously reduce their volume output, then my tablet is putting out less volume than previously.

No worries, many videos have transcripts, and I can use earbuds as necessary.... until I spend $120 for a new tablet once Android 10 no longer is adequate. Also, laying the tablet flat on a table helps a lot, vs my diy cardboard tablet stand.

I probably won't mess with a factory reset as it'd be a hassle to re-establish the 50+ icons on my home pages, and I'm sure I'd lose some other things currently set up on my tablet... Like 20 or so email accounts(??) etc.

Thanks for everyone's time. When I post a question I never know if there's a quick, simple solution.... Or if I'll unfairly take up everyone's time.

 

[dj54321]

Also, as per my post #21: The alarm volume, at it's highest level in Settings, is still way too low even with the head phones. Approx 5-10% of what it used to be... Ie, a reduction of 90-95%... Which is more drastic than the video volume issue.

This also indicates that the tablet is the culprit (vs the videos).