Your favorite commercial

waltky · Dec 14, 2011

Good - Granny gettin' tired o' havin' to jump up an' down adjustin' the TV sound alla time...

Loud TV commercials may soon pipe down, as FCC votes on constant volume levels
12 Dec.`11 - Those ultra-loud TV commercials will soon be a thing of the past.

The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday passed regulations requiring broadcasters and cable and satellite TV systems to maintain constant volume levels. The order, which goes into effect one year from now, "says commercials must have the same average volume as the programs they accompany," says FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.

Last year, President Obama signed into law a measure that Congress passed giving the FCC authority to address the problem. A Harris poll taken around that time found that 86% of people surveyed said TV commercials were louder than the shows themselves and, in many cases, much louder. "It is a problem that thousands of viewers have complained about, and we are doing something about it," Genachowski says. While normal listening levels average about 70 decibels for a typical TV broadcast 60 is equivalent to a restaurant conversation; 80 to a garbage disposal levels on a TV channel can vary by as much as 20 decibels.

To comply with the new law, broadcasters can use audio processors to measure the loudness of a program over its entirety and adjust the volume of commercials accordingly, says Joe Snelson, vice president of the Society of Broadcast Engineers. He said the goal is to avoid an abrupt change in volume when a show goes to commercial break. Some broadcasters and pay-TV providers already have begun implementing the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (CALM). DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer says the satellite provider is "ensuring that our commercial inserts are at the proper volume level and (we) are working with our programmers to be in compliance with the rules the FCC adopts."

Similarly, Cox Communications plans to make sure that local ads and commercials on national networks "are compliant," says Cox spokesman Todd Smith. "Slowly but surely, consumers are going to get something they have been wanting," says David Butler of the Consumers Union. "I never characterized this as saving the Union," says Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., the original sponsor of the bill. "But consumers have been asking for it. We may not have peace in the world, but we may have more peaceful homes."

Source
Click to expand...

Shangrila · Dec 14, 2011

That is good news, thanks Walt.

Makedde · Dec 14, 2011

There is nothing more irritating than the ads being louder than the actual program you are watching.

Jason Bourne · Dec 15, 2011

Makedde said: ↑

There is nothing more irritating than the ads being louder than the actual program you are watching.
Click to expand...

That's illegal here in the US.

http://www.techspot.com/news/46665-new-fcc-rule-regulates-tv-commercial-volume.html

Uncle Meat · Dec 15, 2011

Jason Bourne said: ↑

That's illegal here in the US.

http://www.techspot.com/news/46665-new-fcc-rule-regulates-tv-commercial-volume.html
Click to expand...

We have guidelines here in Australia.

A lot of the "added volume" is because of compression (I won't bore you with the details).

This is a good article:

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2008/08/17/2334963.htm

sec · Dec 15, 2011

this one ranks up there

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Guufs3mdgg"]ford ka - YouTube[/ame]

Uncle Meat · Dec 15, 2011

I enjoyed this ad, as a young man.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhGJvGhIzaw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhGJvGhIzaw[/ame]

cenydd · Dec 16, 2011

This has to be one of the best advertising campaigns of all time, for the insurance comparison website 'comparethemarket.com' in the UK. It's just inspired stupidity, and has led to multiple TV adverts, a spin-off book of the family history of the main character (I kid you not! [ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Simples-Life-Times-Aleksandr-Orlov/dp/0091940508/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324024470&sr=1-2"]A Simples Life[/ame] ), a 'real' website, multiple merchandising, well known characters, and even a 'catchphrase' that has entered common usage ('Simples'). The ads just got better and better as they went along, all from one simple 'play on words' idea - just sheer advertising brilliance:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ust9YBlEfY"]Original ad[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBu0OtC6m9g"]Jingle ad[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71hnoVqwkGo"]Sergei ad[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xiC9GNNODE"]Family history part II ad[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow9qNEIV2sw"]Family history part III ad[/ame]

Shangrila · Dec 16, 2011

These are pretty cite too.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8avOiTUcD4Y"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8avOiTUcD4Y[/ame]

Paris · May 13, 2012

[video=youtube;vqcj7OKE0mE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqcj7OKE0mE[/video]

Log in or Sign up

Your favorite commercial

waltky Well-Known Member

Shangrila staff Past Donor

Makedde New Member Past Donor

Jason Bourne Well-Known Member Past Donor

Uncle Meat Banned

sec Well-Known Member

Uncle Meat Banned

cenydd Well-Known Member Past Donor

Shangrila staff Past Donor

Paris Well-Known Member

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

Your favorite commercial

waltky Well-Known Member

Shangrila staff Past Donor

Makedde New Member Past Donor

Jason Bourne Well-Known Member Past Donor

Uncle Meat Banned

sec Well-Known Member

Uncle Meat Banned

cenydd Well-Known Member Past Donor

Shangrila staff Past Donor

Paris Well-Known Member

Share This Page

Useful Searches