Movie Leveler: hear every word, skip the blasts

Stop riding the remote

The Leveler handles the three things that make you reach for it.

🗣️ Quiet dialogue

It hears when people are talking softly and nudges the volume up a click.

💥 Loud scenes and ads

Car chases, explosions and blaring commercials get pulled back down. A sudden very loud blast is turned down right away.

✋ You stay in charge

Press volume yourself and it takes that as your new level and backs off for 20 seconds. It never goes more than a few clicks from the volume you chose.

From our living room: "I'm glad the Leveler is working on the volume." Kristen

How it works

A small mic hears the TV. A Raspberry Pi measures the loudness, and how much of it is people talking, about 10 times a second. Then it changes the volume one of two ways.

Wi-Fi path: Google TV and Android TV

🎤 USB mic→Raspberry Pi→ Wi-Fi →Google TV→TV or soundbar

Uses the same network remote as the Google TV phone app. No cables to the TV, no wiring.

IR path: TVs and soundbars with a regular remote

🎤 USB mic→Raspberry Pi→IR transmitter→ infrared →Soundbar or TV

The Pi learns your soundbar remote's Volume + and Volume − and sends them like your remote does. Works with Roku TV, Samsung, LG, Vizio, Fire TV, soundbars with their own remote, and more.

Private by design: the voice detector runs on the Pi itself. Nothing is recorded or sent to the internet.

Three modes, one tap

Pick a mode from your phone.

Movie night: the everyday setting. Lifts dialogue and tames the action.

Late night: keeps the booms small and reacts faster, so you don't wake the house.

Sports / TV: more relaxed, with smaller moves, so a cheering crowd doesn't send the volume bouncing.

Phone control page for iPhone and Android. Turn it on or off, see what it's doing, switch modes, calibrate to your ears in 20 seconds, and fine-tune with sliders. Add it to your home screen and it opens like an app.

A great weekend Raspberry Pi project

Even if the volume never bugs you, this is a fun, genuinely useful Pi build. You end up with something the whole family uses every movie night.

What you'll learn

Raspberry Pi setup from a blank SD card to a service that starts on its own
Real-time audio: reading a USB mic and measuring loudness about 10 times a second
On-device AI: the Silero voice-activity model runs locally on the Pi to tell dialogue from explosions. No cloud.
Controlling a TV over Wi-Fi with the Android TV remote protocol
Infrared on GPIO: learn a remote's codes with a receiver and send them with an IR LED
A phone web app served from the Pi, for iPhone and Android

Open Pi case with the fan in the lid and jumper wires on the GPIO pins — Jumper wires straight onto the GPIO pins. No soldering.

Raspberry Pi in an open case with the IR receiver board wired — The IR receiver that learns your remote.

Under $100 in parts

Pi 4 (2 GB) about $45–55, USB mic about $6–15, microSD about $8–15, power supply about $8–12, case about $6–10. IR boards about $2–6 each. Prices are approximate.

About an afternoon

Roughly 45 minutes of setup with the guide, plus time to tinker. Wi-Fi path needs no wiring; IR path is plug-on jumper wires.

Beginner-friendly

The 22-page, large-print guide walks you through every step with copy-and-paste commands.

Open to tinker

The Python source is included. Tune the detector, add presets, or hook it into your own projects.

Watch the build

See exactly what you'll do before you buy. The whole build, start to finish, in 8 minutes. If you can follow along with this video, you can build the Movie Leveler.

Watch on YouTube ↗

Buy the kit, $24

Digital download, all sales final. Check your TV first.

Checkout won't load? Open this page in Safari or Chrome.

What's in the kit

Instant digital download.

The Movie Leveler software with a one-command installer
Build videos: the full 8-minute walkthrough, free to watch above
Step-by-step PDF guide (22 pages, large print): parts, setup, pairing, calibration and troubleshooting
Phone control page for iPhone and Android
IR add-on instructions: parts list, wiring and setup for remote-controlled TVs and soundbars
The compatibility check, so you know which path fits your TV

How easy is it?

About 45 minutes of setup, following the guide, so it's an afternoon start to finish
No coding: you copy and paste a few commands the guide gives you
Wi-Fi path: no wiring and no soldering. The Pi just needs power and Wi-Fi
IR path: a few plug-on jumper wires, no soldering

The finished Movie Leveler Pi, powered up in its case

Our finished Leveler Pi, powered up and ready.

Built in an afternoon

Real photos from building ours, Wi-Fi setup first, then the optional IR add-on.

CanaKit Raspberry Pi 4 starter kit box — 1. Unbox the Pi 4 starter kit

Holding the Raspberry Pi 4 board — 2. Take out the Pi board

Putting the Pi into its case — 3. Snap it into the case

Plugging the USB mic into the Pi — 4. Plug in the USB mic

Open case with the fan in the lid and jumper wires on the Pi's GPIO pins — IR add-on: jumper wires onto the Pi's pins, fan stays put

The Leveler box tucked at the right end of the soundbar under the TV — Finished: tucked beside the soundbar

Then flash the card, run the installer and pair your TV. The guide walks you through each step.

What you'll need to buy

Not included. Common parts you can order online; price ranges are from the guide.

Part	Notes	Approx.
Raspberry Pi 4, 2 GB or more	Or a CanaKit Pi 4 starter kit, which already has the power supply, case and card	$55–100
Mini USB microphone	A plain plug-and-play USB mic (avoid conference mics with noise cancelling)	$6–15
microSD card, 16 GB+	SanDisk or Samsung, Class 10 / A1	$8–15
Power supply, USB-C 5V / 3A	The official Raspberry Pi 15 W supply is best	$8–12
Case	Any Pi 4 case	$6–10
Optional: USB extension cable	Lets the mic sit by the soundbar while the Pi stays out of sight	$5–8
IR path only: IR receiver and transmitter boards	Plus jumper wires. Full list in the guide, including an optional stick-on emitter	$2–6 each

You'll also need a computer with an SD card reader for the one-time setup.

Questions

What if I get stuck?

Email john@energyriskclaims.com and we'll help you get it working. See the refund policy below.

Which TVs does it work with?

Over Wi-Fi: Google TV and Android TV sets and boxes the Google TV phone app can control, such as TCL, Sony, Hisense, Philips and Sharp Google TV models, Chromecast with Google TV, Google TV Streamer and NVIDIA Shield. With the IR add-on: TVs and soundbars that use a regular infrared remote, including Roku TV, Samsung, LG, Vizio, Fire TV and soundbars with their own remote. The compatibility check tells you which fits.

Does it record or listen to my conversations?

No. Sound is measured on the Pi and thrown away. Nothing is recorded or sent to the internet. Put the mic near the soundbar and the movie is much louder than people talking on the couch.

Do I need to know how to code?

No. The guide walks you through every step and gives you the exact commands to copy and paste.

Does it plug into my TV?

No cable to the TV. On the Wi-Fi path it talks to the TV over your home network. On the IR path a small transmitter points at your soundbar or TV, like a remote.

Is it a physical product?

The kit is a digital download (software and guide). You buy the Raspberry Pi and mic separately, using the list above.

Refund policy

The Movie Leveler kit is a digital download, so all sales are final once the kit is downloaded.

Please use the free compatibility check before you buy. It takes about a minute and tells you whether the Wi-Fi setup or the IR add-on fits your TV.

If you get stuck, email john@energyriskclaims.com and we'll help you get it working.

Enjoy the movie, not the remote

Instant download. Build it this weekend.

Buy the Movie Leveler kit, $24