headphone volume limit

When I plug my headphones into my PC the volume on them doesn't go nearly as high
as it does when i plug them into my TV. Why is there a difference in the volume limit?
Because the speakers on my PC can be cranked up pretty high. + is there anyway
to bypass these limits so I can get high volume on my headphones.

Thanks for your time. ..(wasn't sure if this was a hardware or software issue)

 

We really need to know what operating system your using,what soundcard you have,what your using to check the audio volume levels,also do you know if you've installed any codec packs? Depending on the video file type your playing separate codecs can have their own volume controls and so can various media players,you can start straight away by using VLC media player the volume can be booster to 200% double that of windows media player.

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I'm on Windows Xp. I've looked in Device Manager and cannot find a listing for sound cards , however under 'sound controlers' there is a listing for 'Realtek HD Audio'. There is a long list of codecs under 'Audio Codecs' in the device manager. It take a wile to print them out as I'm unable to cut and paste the names.

Also in the control panel there is a Sounds and Audio Device Properties icon. Under that there is a hardware tab that also doesn't list a sound card. Although in the volume tab.I saw that it was set at half volume...and throwing that up had caused an increase in volume so that's helped BUT it's still not as loud as headphones going through the TV.

Aside from youtube videos I'm wondering about it because I want to watch DVD's on my PC.
DVD's always open to windows Media Player. WMP seems to understand the navigation or interface of the DVD's. Can all players do this?

So do you need me to list all the codecs I have or is there way of getting them all listed in a way i can cut and paste?

thanks for your time...

(sorry about the delay in responding have been super busy)

 

The first thing to research is whether your laptop has low headphones output,a few google searches with laptop model name and 'low volume' or 'low headphone volume'should tell you,if this is the case there is nothing you can do other than exchange the laptop for one with more headphone volume,if you using massive sennheiser can's for an audio system it could be that your laptop just can't power them,laptops aren't renowned for high headphone or speaker volume,in general TV's and audio equipment are much more powerful.

First download and install the control panel for you audio device from realtek or your laptop manufacturers website,install and check the volume properties and push them all to max,it may even have a volume boost or overdrive depending on the version which you can try,in media player you can open the graphic equaliser settings and max all the frequencies too which will boost the volume but has varying degree's of success where quality is concerned as it can overdrive certain frequencies if the gain is too high on the media your using.

You don't need to list the codecs but I would 'usually' advise an update to the latest 'pack' of codecs only if your having problems with certain file types,the volume is obviously low in everything so its either a hardware or a problem with your audio\video players.

VLC media player can play DVD's and you can use the menu system,this is where I'd start install VLC boost volume to 200% and first see if the volume is louder or if you experience clipping,this will tell you if you have headroom to play with on your laptop.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/VLC_media_player_d4674.html

You can also try installing the AC3filter codec which has a handy gain increase slider.

http://ac3filter.net/projects/ac3filter/releases