What? I can’t hear you during the commercial?
Back in mid ’08 I vented about how loud TV ads are. I had conducted a little research and discovered the fluffy excuse that networks give the consumers: They aren’t louder, they only sound louder.
You have got to be &%$#ing kidding me? They call it “signal compression” which amplifies certain aspects of a signal. And if you didn’t feel insulted enough, there is always this one: Ads seem loud because they come on during the quietest moments.
Wow, they must think I’m some kind of simpleton who believes everything they read on the internet or believe in all those commercials I get pounded with.
Back on track:
An ad can’t be any louder than the loudest part of the television program it’s being played in.
To a tiny extent, I understand their lame excuse about compression. I used to have to play with my bass and treble on my stereo so I could play it louder, but not have the “mini concerts” in my apartment bother my neighbors.
Networks on the other hand tamper with the settings so all the neighbors can hear them, not just you, but despite continual waves of complaints, the FCC does not regulate television volume. I find that rather odd considering the commercial volume has been a common issue for, like, ever!
Is Anyone On Your Side?
It doesn’t feel like it. Well, you can count me in. Of late, I’m also feeling like ads are playing longer during the hour than they used to, but I haven’t sat down and timed them yet.
I know readers of Screen Rant, people I know have sworn off paying for TV and instead, pay for the DVD’s that have no commercials just because of the intrusions and annoyances that commercials represent. I’m almost on that band wagon also. Dang… they’re everywhere, including in-screen.
Ads are a part of life. That’s what pays the network bills. But they can be done more tastefully; Product placement, even quieter ads would probably have us stop muting the TV or walking away during ads.
If we have to have ads, I like how they’re very short in the On-Demand TV show offerings on Hulu or wherever. In fact, I really enjoy the fact that on some shows, Hulu gives you an option to watch one big ad and then have no more ads, or have little ones through-out. I don’t mind it when they’re done that way.
Since The FCC Hasn’t Stepped In…
Since the FCC has kept a hands-off kind of attitude, for whatever reason, others have stepped up: Rep. Anna Eshoo and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse are working to smother the TV ad volume issue.
They’ve submitted the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act. (CALM). With 62 co-sponsors from Eshoo, the bill passed the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet. (Sheesh, could they have given that a longer name?)
Now we wait to see when the Senate will take the time to review the bill. Oddly, there’s opposition to the premise. What The flipnut!?
One of my reference articles from a blog called The Hill questions if it’s the right use of time by Congress or the FCC to deal with such an issue, what with them presently working on a broadband plan and net neutrality regulations – this would distract from that.
And then it’s also questioned whether or not consumers want additional government interference with their TV sets. What in blazes have we been complaining about all these years? That question just blows me out of the water.
I’m betting if we ran a poll here on Screen Rant, we’d have a landslide win on wanting intervention to turn the ads down.
My source ends by saying that after the digital transition and all the issues, “many of them are probably so thrilled to get a digital signal at all, they don’t mind the commercials. Loud or not. ”
Crickets… lots and lots of crickets.
In Conclusion
If you aren’t involved in watching television as much as some, I understand where folks are coming from. They’re focused on the economy, the war and various other social issues.
But there are those that television is their hobby, their time to wind down. And we want to do that without being traumatized by mega loud ads that give us ringing ears for a week.
Dare I ask… but does everyone agree, that commercials are too loud?
Sources: The Hill, Daily Finance
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I agree as does my wife. Especially when im watching something I can barely hear cause it is turned down becasue she is sleeping….
Then a commercial comes and I need to scramble for the remote..
my husband and i talk about this all the time. we have 2 girls under 3, and they like to watch some tv cartoons in the afternoon. the commercials are so loud that they always cover thier little ears. we do the remote game also. somethings got to change. i know its kind of irrelavent with all the things going on in the world right now, but sometimes the little things just need to be fixed and moved on from.
Bruce, trust me: you have MANY kindred spirits.
My 24Podcast.Com series has been bitching and flailing for the entire run of the show, because of this very item and it is shared across feedback every time we mention it during the show.
You’ll also note that the “SmartTV’s” that once claimed they would “do away” with this problem, have all but vanished from the television landscape.
Being a Hard of Hearing user/listener/watcher, this issue is literally a very sensitive one and those babies referred to above “covering their ears” should be doing so. There’s real, legitimate concern for kids/youth hearing and this issues doesn’t help at all.
Thanks for using the ScreenRant Landscape to put eyes on something we all should be concerned about our ears for.
Well its obvious that the commercials are louder so that there overheard if your in the kitchen whatever,,, there’s no technological oversight this is intentional. When has governmental interference ever worked against the money men? (Ad agencies/networks)
Good luck in your quest,,,,
I gave up network tv and the digital conversion just made it easier.
With all the reality garbage, freak talent contests, game shows, murder of the week stupidity, and the complete BS news, I’ve never looked back.
I do look forward to dvds and thats were I spend my money.
Don’t like loud commercials, don’t support the networks. Don’t watch broadcast tv, that’s how you fight them. Read a book, watch a tv series on dvd?
I’m finding that I tend to DVR more of my favorite shows and skip the commercials.
As for Congress “not having time for this issue” well that is complete and utter BS. If Congress can find the time and resources to examine whether college football should have a playoff system because some senator’s team in Utah didn’t get a bowl bid, then they have time for this.
I work for a company called SRS Labs, and we are so annoyed by loud commercials that we created a technology called TruVolume that is now being built-in to several new TVs, it automatically regulates TV volume and maintains a steady and consistent listening level regardless of the content. This technology works, and it works well. In fact so many people have expressed interest in this technology that we’ve announced that we will be building a device that will plug into existing TVs that does the same thing.
The Calm act is a great start, and i think its fantastic that its bringing attention to this common annoyance, however, there are limitations to what this legislation could fix. It won’t fix volume fluctuations between channels, it won’t regulate volume of internet / streaming content, it can’t regulate the volume fluctuations on DVDs… the problem will continue to exist. The only true remedy is having SRS TruVolume built-into your TV, set-top-box or having the SRS MyVolume Adaptor.
Learn more at the SRS Web site at http://www.srslabs.com.
Michael… thanks for chiming that in. Your technology was one of 2 noted that is looking at defeating this issue, along with TV sets equipped with DOLBY’s Volume.
The sad part is that there are only 2 viable options out there for such a prevalent issue right now… besides the remote in your hand and speaking with your wallet and buying DVD’s instead.
A PREDICTION: I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m willing to bet that someday, if DVD sales take over cable subscriptions, that we’ll see ads on DVD shows. Someday… egads, ads are in places now you’d never think of 10-15 years ago.
OK, I depressed myself with that one!
You guys watch commercials? I have DVR, I haven’t watched a commercial in years.
Mike, sometimes you have to because the commercials are sometimes better than the show you think you turned on.
There are commercials during shows?!?
so your saying that if we do something like buy the dvd ans those sales are to good then we will have to watch comercials there. this has to be a joke i understand that the economy is bad and what not but if they want to make it better maybe they should stop hounding us to buy things that are just flat out crap this goes for the movie industry the tv industry and most importantly the goverment industry cuse man you want to get feed a bunch of crap just look at our goverment.
You bet I agree, TV commercials are so loud and it’s made me furious for years. I TiVo everything whenever possible and forward through commercials because of that reason. I feel as though I am being screamed at – which is not the way to sell me something. If I’m forced to watch TV, I immediately hit mute when commercials begin.
“An ad can’t be any louder than the loudest part of the television program it’s being played in.” .. That is interesting and explains everything. So if there’s one scene with loud action, yelling, dramatic music etc., the commerical can be as loud as that moment.
To any of you, such as Michael at SRS, I would welcome any technology that adresses this. I would pay $100-200 more for a TV which allowed me to pre-set the volume of commercials or a similar solution. I would pay $50-100 for a device to plug into an existing TV. However, I feel any attempt to regulate commercial volume would be met by unbelievable oppostion and pressure by the multi-million dollar commercial industry.
I’m glad the issue is on someone’s radar though!
I purchased a Mitsubishi TV almost 20 years ago that had a volume maximized control in the setup options. Unfortunately, that was the only TV set that I have ever seen that had this option. The GOOD OLD Days, I now know what that phrase means!
I hear ya Mike Lowe. I used to own a VCR that noted commercials and during playback would automatically fast forward through the commercials. Sigh.
Finally someone who understands
I absolutely agree. I thought legislation had been passed and that we would enjoy the change effective 1/1/10 or soon thereafter. Frustrating!
Add me to the list of Loud Commercial Haters. Number one on my list is “Magic Jack”
As a hobby I call their 1800 numbers during the commercials and scream at their sales people. I doubt it makes a difference but if everyone did it, it might;)
Add me to the list of Loud Commercial Haters. Number one on my list is “Magic Jack”
As a hobby I call their 1800 numbers during the commercials and scream at their sales people. I doubt it makes a difference but if everyone did it, it might;)
I hate all commercial, if not even more the LOUD ones. I measured the sound commercials for car dealerships in decibles (sorry if I can’t spell)
and it ranked at really loud! ( I can’t remeber the decible level ). hopefully the law will pass soon.
I am middle aged. I have always lived in single-family houses – until recently. I moved into an apartment complex, believing my life would be simplified. The first time I sat to enjoy some tv, I adjusted the volume level of my program to respect the comfort of neighboring tenants. All was relaxing and enjoyable UNTIL the first commercial. The volume was
so loud, it made me jump! Quickly I had to scramble for the remote to
silence the UNINVITED BOOMING NOISE! Irritating! Irrational! Irreverent! Wealthy backers spawning these “Noise Problems” (aka commercials) must understand that instead of winning-over the paying-public to their product(s), they are actually inflicting personal injury.
Definition of “INJURY:” Any permanent or semi-permenant disturbance or damage of structure or function of any part of the body caused by an external agency. Such agency may be mechanical, thermal, electrical, chemical or radiational.
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Thank you!