Commercials too loud?

[malik641]

This has been annoying me for the past 3-4 months. Have you ever notice that Commercial volume (sound) is louder than the program you're watching?

When I'm watching TV with my girlfriend, we usually talk during the commercials, and I noticed that the TV is talking over our conversation when the commercials start. I'm almost positive this is done on purpose. I watch TBS a lot (I love 'Everybody Loves Raymond'), and TBS' program volume is really low for me, and the commercials are WAY too loud. Other TV stations aren't as bad, but it's still noticable.

Am I crazy? Or has anyone else noticed this? Also, I'm posting this on this board mostly because we have so many people in other countries that post here. So I also want to know if this is only in America.


If I could only automate my TV to lower the volume or mute when commercials start (maybe I should just get TiVo or a DVR or something) :)

[Gert Jan]

Am I crazy?
I wouldn't know about this one, anyone else take a guess?


So I also want to know if this is only in America
Here (Netherlands) it is the same, the commercials are much louder as the other programs. But i have on my remote control, a button
named "delta sound" wich can set a supression on the soundchanges.
The guy who invented that deserves a real size statue of himself.

Gert Jan

[Brandtrock]

Of course the commercials are louder, that's when you are supposed to go potty or to the kitchen to grab a snack. If you are farther from the TV, you MUST need more volume to hear them pitch you the newest fast food item, political candidate, erection correction medication, pesticide, or whatever.

How utterly thoughtless of you folks to try and bankrupt these businesses by wanting the volume the same so that you can blindly ignore the sales pitch that has been so painfully constructed to target you as a consumer. Tsk-tsk.

:rofl::rotlaugh::rofl:

[Bob Phillips]

I wouldn't know about this one, anyone else take a guess?
No question about it.


But i have on my remote control, a button
named "delta sound" wich can set a supression on the soundchanges.

Is that aa generic remote, or specific to the machine?

[lucas]

Yep, nuttier than a coconut...:devil2:

[Bob Phillips]

I don't know about TV, don't watch much TV, and what I do watch is usually non-commercial stations, but on the radio over here we have a station called Radio 5 (or Five Live). That too is a non-commercial station, so the only 'adverts' are self-publicising jingles, or trailers for other shows. And the volume on them is significantly higher than the broadcast volume (try it, you can get it on the internet , www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive) (http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive%29). Drives me barmy.

[Gert Jan]

Is that aa generic remote, or specific to the machine?

It's specific, a Phillips


No question about it.
and

Yep, nuttier than a coconut...:devil2:

I rest my case....

[XLGibbs]

It happens to me too, but I thought some TVs, at least newer ones had something called "Smart Sound" which would kind of equalize the volume so you wouldn't get those sudden decibal bursts.

[Gert Jan]

don't watch much TV

considering this;

Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,042
Kb Entries: 3 (http://www.vbaexpress.com/kb/default.php?action=list&appsel=0&authsel=2139)

It's a little miracle that you find time to watch tv at all :giggle

[Brandtrock]

Here you go, try this out (http://www.smarthome.com/7848T.html). 01/15/07 can't get here fast enough! I may actually order one for each of the four TV's we have.

[tpoynton]

well that regulator is neat! I only notice the volume changes on the high definition channels, and it is real annoying. I'm somewhat auditorily challenged, but I guess it has some perks!

[Ken Puls]

When I was in high school (a while ago), we had a marketing exec come in to class to talk to us. He actually worked with commercials in some form. You've got to love his spin on things. The numbers won't be accurate, as it's been a while, but you'll get the gist of his point...

The sound on commercials is not louder, it just runs at a higher average. Where a TV show may run averaging 50% for dialogue and 100% of volume for an explosion, commercials run at an average of 90% of volume. His argument was essentially that a regular program could (sometimes) come in higher than a commercial, so that meant that commercials weren't louder.

:)

[Brandtrock]

I read a few articles after googling "Loud commercials". This guy's explanation is exactly how the commercial producers operate. The FCC sets a maximum value for loudness. TV shows want things like crashes, explosions, sirens, Jamie Lee Curtis screaming, etc. to stand out. They have to observe the maximum decibel limit, so to make the outstanding sounds stand out, they place the normal sounds at a lower level (like 50% of the max).

Then along comes a commercial. Not too many of these rely on loud sounds to differentiate between dramatic dialogue and dramatic action. So they operate with their dialogue at a higher level (like 90% of the max). They get away with this all the time. What a load of :censored: !!!

It really makes me wonder if the marketing execs out there ever watch their televisions.

[Ken Puls]

Sure they do. But you hit the nail on the head earlier too. You wouldn't want to be the exec that gets called out by the board for having the only quiet commercial in a group, would you?

Sadly, in order to enforce this kind of thing, it would have to be another regulation, I'm sure. I highly doubt that common sense would ever prevail in that field. ;)

[malik641]

Am I crazy?

I wouldn't know about this one, anyone else take a guess?

No question about it.

Yep, nuttier than a coconut...:devil2:

It was a rhetorical question, guys....C'mon, of COURSE I'm crazy! :cuckoo:


I don't know about TV, don't watch much TV
I usually don't neither. If I see a show and I like it enough, I'll just buy the seasons on DVD and watch it whenever I want.



I've read some things that some newer TVs have a built-in volume leveling feature...I'm going to check mine tonight.