FCC may limit commercial volume

[saleen351]

Finally someone will get DTV to turn down the dam volume!!!!!!!!

article here (http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_12566562)

Under a proposal to be taken up today, the Federal Communications Commission would limit ad volumes to the average decibels of the TV show during which they appear.

[say-what]

Already posted here: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=159644

[RACJ2]

Finally someone will get DTV to turn down the dam volume!!!!!!!!

article here (http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_12566562)Although it was posted in another forum, thanks for posting it here. I probably wouldn't have seen it otherwise. Can't wait for that to pass.

[Clemsole]

It's about time.

[Drew2k]

This thread has a much better subject line than the other one... :rolleyes:

I look forward to the end of DIRECTV commercials shouting at me.

[Mike Bertelson]

It's about Bleepin' time. :D

I hate those window shattering, dust from the ceiling, bleedin’ from the ear drums commercials. :mad:

Mike

[Araxen]

This thread has a much better subject line than the other one... :rolleyes:

I look forward to the end of DIRECTV commercials shouting at me.

+1

[Mike Bertelson]

This thread has a much better subject line than the other one... :rolleyes:

I look forward to the end of DIRECTV commercials shouting at me.I do find it ironic, at least from my experience, that the DirecTV commericals are the worst offenders. :eek:

Mike

[Richierich]

I do find it ironic, at least from my experience, that the DirecTV commericals are the worst offenders. :eek:

Mike

+1

[Msguy]

It would be nice if we didn't have to deal with any commercials.

[Upstream]

Finally a government regulation that everyone can agree with!

[thestaton]

wow, the FCC doing something that makes sense. *weird*. My receiver does a decent job of cutting down the yelling, but it's still not enough.

[harsh]

With all of the talk of "broadcasters" in the quote from the other thread, I wonder if this legislation would apply to DBS carriers.

On the other hand, I can see some audiophile screaming bloody murder about having their dynamic range reduced.

[CCarncross]

With all of the talk of "broadcasters" in the quote from the other thread, I wonder if this legislation would apply to DBS carriers.

On the other hand, I can see some audiophile screaming bloody murder about having their dynamic range reduced.

They can mute the audio during the commercials if they want, as long as they don't touch the original audio coming from the broadcast, I think everyone would be happy.

[JLucPicard]

I certainly hope this wouldn't result in the advertisers putting pressure on producers to raise the average sound levels of their programs so the commercials can still be loud.

Then again, I use the FF button generously during commercials. ;)

[mreposter]

I certainly hope this wouldn't result in the advertisers putting pressure on producers to raise the average sound levels of their programs so the commercials can still be loud.

That's exactly what the advertisers don't want! The whole idea is that when the commercial comes on and is louder, it grabs your attention.

[dubber deux]

That's exactly what the advertisers don't want! The whole idea is that when the commercial comes on and is louder, it grabs your attention.

Shows how idiotic marketing folks have become over the years.


Sure it grabs my attention..... I instantly remember the offending business guilty of the obnoxious level of sound and then NEVER buy anything from them. I also tend to send an e mail to their consumer relations department indicating my issue with their method of advertising as well.

ALL the offending parties need to TONE it DOWN! If you don't shout at me I MIGHT listen.

[coreese]

Shows how idiotic marketing folks have become over the years.


Sure it grabs my attention..... I instantly remember the offending business guilty of the obnoxious level of sound and then NEVER buy anything from them. I also tend to send an e mail to their consumer relations department indicating my issue with their method of advertising as well.

ALL the offending parties need to TONE it DOWN! If you don't shout at me I MIGHT listen.
That will do just about as much good as your letters to LABC and BOC and other letters to you other contacts. I am sure they will be all over this just as they were concerning "video levels" on SD content.

[Kithron]

About time they did something about it

[dubber deux]

That will do just about as much good as your letters to LABC and BOC and other letters to you other contacts. I am sure they will be all over this just as they were concerning "video levels" on SD content.


Maybe so. Although I am in the process of writing return receipt requested snail mails to the CEO CFO of D*. Maybe some heads will roll! They NEED to!!!!!!!! After all I AM a customer of D* and I'm going to do whatever it takes to get resolution.

I have already begun to steer friends and family AWAY from D* until I see what happens with their vid level issues. If they had taken the time to reply with a reasonable answer I might not feel the same way, but until then this squeeky wheel will probably go into overdrive. :eek2::hurah:

[coreese]

You can keep writing. I will keep watching. My service with D* is much better than my other choice Comcast.

[Inches]

That's exactly what the advertisers don't want! The whole idea is that when the commercial comes on and is louder, it grabs your attention.
Yes it does grab my attention, I won't consider their product!!

[Tom Servo]

There's an old saw in broadcasting circles that the louder and more obnoxious the commercial is, the dumber the target audience is. Listen to the levels for payday loans, shady used car dealers and the like. Then listen to a Lexus or Moen commercial. Two different worlds.

I will add, however, that DirecTV's commercials aren't loud to be obnoxious, there's just no one minding the levels as they're inserted into the cable channel's feed. It's more of a technical issue than one of marketing.

[dodge boy]

I thought new TVs have a setting to "even out" the volume settings for comercials...

[racermd]

I thought new TVs have a setting to "even out" the volume settings for comercials...

Yes, some do have that feature.

However, some of us don't have such features on our TVs. Also, some of us don't have that feature on the outboard audio system we prefer to use.

It's nice that TV manufacturers offer such a wonderful feature, but it's really only a workaround. The proper fix is to set the audio levels at the source like they're supposed to.

If memory serves, the FCC does have some control over the sound levels of any programming transmitted over licensed frequencies (specifically radio and TV). My dad worked at a college radio station back in the day and wanted to mess with people by raising the volume on the transmitted signal. His supervisor told him not to do it again because they'd be fined by the FCC.

[Cyber36]

I wish they'd hurry it up. My ears are starting to bleed...............

[jadebox]

Finally someone will get DTV to turn down the dam volume!!!!!!!!

article here (http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_12566562)

Commercials were never allowed to be louder than the "peak level" of the program. So, advertisers would record their whole ad at that peak level. So, even though it wasn't really louder than the program, it seemed so.

The problem has gotten worse as broadcasters and production companies have become more concerned about the sound quality of the programming. With the advent of stereo TV and selling of shows on DVD, the quality of the sound became more important.

Programs started using more dynamic range. So, much of a program might be much quieter than shows were in the past. Therefore, the loud commercials stand out even more.

The proposed rule is that the average loudness of the commercial can't be louder than the average loudness of the programming. So, the commercials won't be as jarring.

Broadcasters are said to already be implementing their own standards before any official rule is adopted.

This might be actually be good for commercial advertisers. One reason often cited for people skipping commercials is that they are too loud. And, if they can't yell for attention, they may resort to making their commercials more entertaining - give more people a reason not to skip them.

I'm not sure if the proposed law or rule would affect cable and satellite channels directly. I doubt it would. But, it's likley that the channels would set their standards to match the broadcast standards. 'Course, that won't stop DTV or Dish from injecting loud commercials into channels they carry.

-- Roger

[Kojo62]

OMG, would that be a great thing if they pass that.

A "Smart Sound" leveler was one of the only features I had on my wish-list but did not get when I finally decided on a new TV. I really love the TV I bought, but I sorely miss that feature everytime one of those extra-loud commercials comes blasting across my speakers.

I HATE, HATE, HATE that!!! :mad: