The problem with that is you need a receiver that supports Dolby Digital and most homes won’t have that. In fact my lounge TV doesn’t even have external speakers nor amp attached. So DD does t really help the casual viewers I was describing.

DVD and Blu-ray players that do internal decoding of the DD soundtrack (most DVDs and Blu-rays will have a DD soundtrack, plus others, last time I checked a few years ago) are supposed to apply DRC. Some might have an option to change the DRC strength. If you're watching over-the-air ATSC broadcasts in the US, those will have DD (AKA AC3) audio, and the TV should be applying DRC based on the same metadata.

Streaming services have taken a massive step backward in this regard. TVs should have better signal processing options for this (and some do). I have a custom "night mode" set up that deals with mixed streaming volume levels in my system, but I'm using highly customized pro audio gear in ways that the average user won't want to pay for or deal with.

Good point. Most of my movie consumption these days is via streaming services.

I am fortunate enough to have a home cinema room with a projector and some pretty beefy audio gear hooked up. But most of the time we watch in the lounge where it’s a more casual affair.