Turning down the volume on TV commercials

[☭proletarian☭]

Here's a test for you. Get an old tv with a volume knob and let me know whether that knob moves on its own when the commercials come on.

 

[BridgieBridge]

when my tv is suddenly louder then it was, then YES, THE VOLUME has changed, whether manually done on my tv or not, it's still a louder volume.

You want every single sound to be the same volume, from the explosions to the whispers to the wind picked up by the mic on set?

Oh boy.......

I watch mild stuff to go to SLEEP, not action packed adventures with explosions! Of course some programs get a little louder at times, but still not as loud as the damn commercials. I'm not complaining about the volume of my tv show i'm watching, i'm complaining about the COMMERCIALS, stay on topic!

 

[Samson]

when my tv is suddenly louder then it was, then YES, THE VOLUME has changed, whether manually done on my tv or not, it's still a louder volume.

You want every single sound to be the same volume, from the explosions to the whispers to the wind picked up by the mic on set?

Oh boy.......

I watch mild stuff to go to SLEEP, not action packed adventures with explosions! Of course some programs get a little louder at times, but still not as loud as the damn commercials. I'm not complaining about the volume of my tv show i'm watching, i'm complaining about the COMMERCIALS, stay on topic!

You've got your hands full if you're gonna keep this crew on topic.

I suggest you just post:

"Palin is Stupid"

"Obama is Stupid"

"Its Bush's Fault"

"Democrats Bad"

Everyone will appreciate you more.

 

[BridgieBridge]

You've got your hands full if you're gonna keep this crew on topic.

I suggest you just post:

"Palin is Stupid"

"Obama is Stupid"

"Its Bush's Fault"

"Democrats Bad"

Everyone will appreciate you more.

Oh, silly me!

"Palin is stupid"

"Obama is stupid"

"Every single damn thing is Bush's fault" (even the volume of my t.v!)

"Democrats bad"

"Republicans Bad" (had to throw that one in, being i am a foe of theirs)

That better?

Honestly though, i could care less if anyone appreciates me here or not, bc i appreciate myself! ( Where is the wink smiley? Am i just missing it?)

 

[Paulie]

See: Audio dynamic range compression.

Dynamic range compression - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The broadcasters aren't doing it. It's the advertising production companies who create the commercials. They are simply exploiting the peak audio range that the broadcasters are limited to at a more constant level.

Not quite right. The advertisers may be cranking up the volume on the fucking ads they sell to the broadcasters, but the broadcasters have control over the volume they send out over the airwaves. This is why I place the blame at both of their sets of feet, but primarily at the broadcasters'.

An advertiser cannot exploit jack shit if the broadcaster decides to turn down the volume as they send out the signal.

The problem with that is that the broadcaster doesn't change the audio levels constantly during broadcasting. Especially for television. It's set at a constant level, and the processing equipment keeps the peaks at a certain level.

There's no guy in a control room saying "OK, here come the commercials...crank it NOW".

This stuff is all automated now man. The computer doesn't care about the content of what is going on the air, all it cares about is the peak levels being sent out and keeping it below a certain level to prevent over-modulation. Doesn't matter if it's Law and Order or Crazy Sams Sunglass Emporium. The advertisers use the dynamic range processing to bring ALL the audio up to the peak levels and keep it there. And the system on the broadcast end doesn't care as long as none of it is going over the peak levels. Doesn't matter how often its getting to the peaks, as long as none of it goes over.

I gotta run, but next weekend when I'm at the station, and if this thread is going on, I'll post a couple of audio examples of a non-compressed song (what you normally would hear on a CD) and a compressed song (what you would hear on a commercial if the song was used as part of the ad).

See ya next week.

Yep, it's called a "limiter". It's a typical processor in audio. It's also used with radio broadcast to keep levels constant. That's why when you have your volume set at a certain level in your car, it's actually more quiet on the radio than it would be if you had a CD in at that volume level.

Without doing a bunch of ridiculous unnecessary research on this commercial volume topic, I'd guess that the level peaks of the commercials are probably not topping the levels that are legally allowed.

If you have a problem with a company using this tactic, stop fucking buying their products and tell them WHY. When the revenue drops, so will the volume.

Or just be a fucking pussy and go cry to mommy.gov

 

[Care4all]

Not quite right. The advertisers may be cranking up the volume on the fucking ads they sell to the broadcasters, but the broadcasters have control over the volume they send out over the airwaves. This is why I place the blame at both of their sets of feet, but primarily at the broadcasters'.

An advertiser cannot exploit jack shit if the broadcaster decides to turn down the volume as they send out the signal.

The problem with that is that the broadcaster doesn't change the audio levels constantly during broadcasting. Especially for television. It's set at a constant level, and the processing equipment keeps the peaks at a certain level.

There's no guy in a control room saying "OK, here come the commercials...crank it NOW".

This stuff is all automated now man. The computer doesn't care about the content of what is going on the air, all it cares about is the peak levels being sent out and keeping it below a certain level to prevent over-modulation. Doesn't matter if it's Law and Order or Crazy Sams Sunglass Emporium. The advertisers use the dynamic range processing to bring ALL the audio up to the peak levels and keep it there. And the system on the broadcast end doesn't care as long as none of it is going over the peak levels. Doesn't matter how often its getting to the peaks, as long as none of it goes over.

I gotta run, but next weekend when I'm at the station, and if this thread is going on, I'll post a couple of audio examples of a non-compressed song (what you normally would hear on a CD) and a compressed song (what you would hear on a commercial if the song was used as part of the ad).

See ya next week.

Yep, it's called a "limiter". It's a typical processor in audio. It's also used with radio broadcast to keep levels constant. That's why when you have your volume set at a certain level in your car, it's actually more quiet on the radio than it would be if you had a CD in at that volume level.

Without doing a bunch of ridiculous unnecessary research on this commercial volume topic, I'd guess that the level peaks of the commercials are probably not topping the levels that are legally allowed.

If you have a problem with a company using this tactic, stop fucking buying their products and tell them WHY. When the revenue drops, so will the volume.

Or just be a fucking pussy and go cry to mommy.gov

paul,

can you explain why this ''limiter'' that you say functions to keep broadcast levels constant, would not be capable of keeping the volume levels constant between programs and commercials?

 

[Ravi]

The problem with that is that the broadcaster doesn't change the audio levels constantly during broadcasting. Especially for television. It's set at a constant level, and the processing equipment keeps the peaks at a certain level.

There's no guy in a control room saying "OK, here come the commercials...crank it NOW".

This stuff is all automated now man. The computer doesn't care about the content of what is going on the air, all it cares about is the peak levels being sent out and keeping it below a certain level to prevent over-modulation. Doesn't matter if it's Law and Order or Crazy Sams Sunglass Emporium. The advertisers use the dynamic range processing to bring ALL the audio up to the peak levels and keep it there. And the system on the broadcast end doesn't care as long as none of it is going over the peak levels. Doesn't matter how often its getting to the peaks, as long as none of it goes over.

I gotta run, but next weekend when I'm at the station, and if this thread is going on, I'll post a couple of audio examples of a non-compressed song (what you normally would hear on a CD) and a compressed song (what you would hear on a commercial if the song was used as part of the ad).

See ya next week.

Yep, it's called a "limiter". It's a typical processor in audio. It's also used with radio broadcast to keep levels constant. That's why when you have your volume set at a certain level in your car, it's actually more quiet on the radio than it would be if you had a CD in at that volume level.

Without doing a bunch of ridiculous unnecessary research on this commercial volume topic, I'd guess that the level peaks of the commercials are probably not topping the levels that are legally allowed.

If you have a problem with a company using this tactic, stop fucking buying their products and tell them WHY. When the revenue drops, so will the volume.

Or just be a fucking pussy and go cry to mommy.gov

paul,

can you explain why this ''limiter'' that you say functions to keep broadcast levels constant, would not be capable of keeping the volume levels constant between programs and commercials?

A limiter doesn't keep broadcast levels constant. It keeps the signal from clipping...becoming too loud and/or distorted. So no, a limiter would be rather worthless in this case.

 

[California Girl]

I love the idea.

So you believe the federal government is granted authority by the Constitution to regulate how loud a commercial on television is?

Yes of course, who else could do it?

You?

Oh, that's right, liberals want the government to do everything for them.

 

[Ravi]

Care, check and see if your television has an "auto volume" feature. If you enable it, it will level the volume between the programs and the commercials. It's not perfect because it will have some effect on overall sound quality but it might help you out.

 

[Care4all]

Care, check and see if your television has an "auto volume" feature. If you enable it, it will level the volume between the programs and the commercials. It's not perfect because it will have some effect on overall sound quality but it might help you out.

We just recently bought 2 new tv's, I will see if they have it....thank you!

care

 

[Zoom-boing]

when my tv is suddenly louder then it was, then YES, THE VOLUME has changed, whether manually done on my tv or not, it's still a louder volume.

You want every single sound to be the same volume, from the explosions to the whispers to the wind picked up by the mic on set?

Oh boy.......

I watch mild stuff to go to SLEEP, not action packed adventures with explosions! Of course some programs get a little louder at times, but still not as loud as the damn commercials. I'm not complaining about the volume of my tv show i'm watching, i'm complaining about the COMMERCIALS, stay on topic!

Well that's just completely not true. I was watching Nip/Tuck last night and as Sean and Christian prepared to sew some guys lips back on they cranked the music (Queen) in the OR - they always have music on in the OR - and was louder than the commercials they were airing during the breaks. I had to lower the tv until that part was over. Oh, the effort of pushing that volume button . . . it was exhausting! I stated this earlier, most commercials are not as loud as you guys are making them out to be. Some? Absolutely, but not most and not the majority.

You know what's really good to fall asleep to? Soap operas. They'll knock you out in no time.

 

[Paulie]

Yep, it's called a "limiter". It's a typical processor in audio. It's also used with radio broadcast to keep levels constant. That's why when you have your volume set at a certain level in your car, it's actually more quiet on the radio than it would be if you had a CD in at that volume level.

Without doing a bunch of ridiculous unnecessary research on this commercial volume topic, I'd guess that the level peaks of the commercials are probably not topping the levels that are legally allowed.

If you have a problem with a company using this tactic, stop fucking buying their products and tell them WHY. When the revenue drops, so will the volume.

Or just be a fucking pussy and go cry to mommy.gov

paul,

can you explain why this ''limiter'' that you say functions to keep broadcast levels constant, would not be capable of keeping the volume levels constant between programs and commercials?

A limiter doesn't keep broadcast levels constant. It keeps the signal from clipping...becoming too loud and/or distorted. So no, a limiter would be rather worthless in this case.

Rav you can set a limiter to control volume and maintain the peak at any level you choose. The limiter most certainly WOULD be useful for keeping the volume from passing the peak allowable level. This is EXACTLY why they are used in radio. It's required.

I've used just about every audio processor you can imagine, in my music production work. Don't try and tell me I don't know what I'm talking about.

And Care, I've never said it wouldn't be capable of it. I'm saying the opposite. It WOULD be.

 

[Anguille]

paul,

can you explain why this ''limiter'' that you say functions to keep broadcast levels constant, would not be capable of keeping the volume levels constant between programs and commercials?

A limiter doesn't keep broadcast levels constant. It keeps the signal from clipping...becoming too loud and/or distorted. So no, a limiter would be rather worthless in this case.

Rav you can set a limiter to control volume and maintain the peak at any level you choose. The limiter most certainly WOULD be useful for keeping the volume from passing the peak allowable level. This is EXACTLY why they are used in radio. It's required.

I've used just about every audio processor you can imagine, in my music production work. Don't try and tell me I don't know what I'm talking about.

And Care, I've never said it wouldn't be capable of it. I'm saying the opposite. It WOULD be.

The point is, why should anyone have to buy one. The new law will put an end to this abuse.

 

[Ravi]

Pauli,

Why don't you try this at home and then report back. Perhaps you will discover the flaw in your logic.

 

[manifold]

Paulie,

Given that you are an honest libertarian (unlike frauderator Dude for example), I'm especially interested in your thoughts on these questions. If you have the time.

http://www.usmessageboard.com/politics/100391-government-regulations-discussion-philosophical-and-or-constitutional.html

 

[BridgieBridge]

Well that's just completely not true. I was watching Nip/Tuck last night and as Sean and Christian prepared to sew some guys lips back on they cranked the music (Queen) in the OR - they always have music on in the OR - and was louder than the commercials they were airing during the breaks. I had to lower the tv until that part was over. Oh, the effort of pushing that volume button . . . it was exhausting! I stated this earlier, most commercials are not as loud as you guys are making them out to be. Some? Absolutely, but not most and not the majority.

You know what's really good to fall asleep to? Soap operas. They'll knock you out in no time.

How can you tell me that's not true?????? Do you lay in bed with me at night watching t.v? NO, no you do not, so therefore you do not know what sounds are coming from MY tv. I'm kinda offended you are calling me a liar bc my main motto is "To thine own self be true" I try to live a very honest life. I don't have any reason to be untruthful. When i'm watching the history channel about some ancient kings and queens, there is no funky music playing, and when i am watching house hunters, again no music. Just people talking and looking at houses. I do not watch "loud shows" to fall asleep to. I did not say ALL commercials are louder. What i said is the channels i watch, most of the commercials are louder.

Yea i really don't care for soap operas, but thanks for the advice. The history channel normally works fine for me! Just not the damn commercials!

 

[Paulie]

Pauli,

Why don't you try this at home and then report back. Perhaps you will discover the flaw in your logic.

You and Ang aren't getting it.

It's not YOU who uses a limiter, it's the broadcaster. The fact that commercials are louder is because those companies PAID for the air time and decided to raise the volume level.

No one is forcing you to buy their products. You want the government to control it because you want to have your cake and eat it too. This way, you can continuing buying their products without feeling guilty about it.

That's the only explanation here.

Whatever happened to people taking a stand for themselves in this country? It used to be that if people had a collective complaint about companies, they'd simply not buy the products and voice their discontent. Now everyone wants the government to do their dirty work FOR them. WHY???

Stop wasting the government's time on this fucking stupid ridiculous bullshit, already. Again, if commercial volume levels are THAT much of a bother to you, you're probably watching WAY too much TV.

Should the government regulate what products we get hit with ads by? What if enough people don't like seeing a certain product on TV because they simply don't like it...should the government step in and regulate it off the air?

I don't understand why you people can't hit a damn button on your remote. You're acting like it's causing you pain and heartache to have to pick up the remote and hit the fucking volume button for 2 seconds

It's SAD.

 

[Paulie]

Paulie,

Given that you are an honest libertarian (unlike frauderator Dude for example), I'm especially interested in your thoughts on these questions. If you have the time.

http://www.usmessageboard.com/politics/100391-government-regulations-discussion-philosophical-and-or-constitutional.html

I'll make a promise to you that I'll address this very soon. Probably not tonight though, definitely tomorrow. I'll have time tomorrow.

 

[Ravi]

Pauli,

Why don't you try this at home and then report back. Perhaps you will discover the flaw in your logic.

LOTS OF LIBERTARIAN HOT AIR THAT I'LL IGNORE.

Should the government regulate what products we get hit with ads by? What if enough people don't like seeing a certain product on TV because they simply don't like it...should the government step in and regulate it off the air?

No.

I don't understand why you people can't hit a damn button on your remote. You're acting like it's causing you pain and heartache to have to pick up the remote and hit the fucking volume button for 2 seconds

It's SAD.

Because we shouldn't have to do it. The advertisers have no right to blast their commercials at volumes higher than what we've set on our stereo systems. And since we own/control the airwaves we are perfectly free to regulate them in this manner.

Obviously you read nothing on this thread or you are so married to your own idiotic beliefs that you've stagnated.

 

[Paulie]

Pauli,

Why don't you try this at home and then report back. Perhaps you will discover the flaw in your logic.

LOTS OF LIBERTARIAN HOT AIR THAT I'LL IGNORE.

Should the government regulate what products we get hit with ads by? What if enough people don't like seeing a certain product on TV because they simply don't like it...should the government step in and regulate it off the air?

No.

I don't understand why you people can't hit a damn button on your remote. You're acting like it's causing you pain and heartache to have to pick up the remote and hit the fucking volume button for 2 seconds

It's SAD.

Because we shouldn't have to do it. The advertisers have no right to blast their commercials at volumes higher than what we've set on our stereo systems. And since we own/control the airwaves we are perfectly free to regulate them in this manner.

Obviously you read nothing on this thread or you are so married to your own idiotic beliefs that you've stagnated.

So we the viewers have a right to a certain volume level, but some company doesn't?

Explain that logic to me, Rav. What makes a viewer somehow more important than an advertiser?