Senate Passes Bill To Try To Quiet TV Commercials

from the important-stuff dept

Fri, Oct 1st 2010 4:33pm — Mike Masnick

While it's been talked about for ages, the Senate has now passed a bill that attempts to force TV commercials to be at a similar volume to the shows that they're paired with. As many people have complained over the years, it often feels that the commercials are set to a much higher volume to gain attention. Of course, in reality, this tends to annoy more than anything else. The so-called CALM Act (Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation -- we really need to stop cutesy naming of bills) gives the FCC the mandate to make sure commercials are at a reasonable volume. The House has passed a similar bill, and once the two are aligned, it's likely this will become law.

However, as John Abell points out at the Wired link above, this probably won't matter too much. Fewer and fewer people seem to actually watch TV commercials these days, and more TV viewing is shifting to the internet (where these rules won't apply). And, while I agree that louder commercials can be annoying, is this really the sort of thing that needs to involve the federal government?

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Filed Under: commercials, senate, tv, volume

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Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2010 @ 4:45pm

"is this really the sort of thing that needs to involve the federal government?"

That is a good question, what things we as a society want our governments to be involved in?
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- FarmerBob (profile), 2 Oct 2010 @ 1:55pm
  
  Re:
  It's when people/entities/industries are not forthright or responsible enough to police themselves, that is when this is necessary. This particular topic has been an issue for years, all the while, the "networks" and or "advertisers" have blown off our response to their actions. Yes, someone needs to step in. They're not doing it on their own. Now if they did do it on their own, we would not be having this conversation nor would our "government" need to step in. We're being attacked, they're coming to our defense. Unless you don't want them to do that either?
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Zacqary Adam Green (profile), 1 Oct 2010 @ 4:54pm

Well, given that it's still a problem, yes. Apparently it does need to involve the federal government.
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- Anonymous Coward, 2 Oct 2010 @ 3:23pm
  
  Re:
  Well, given that it's still a problem, yes. Apparently it does need to involve the federal government.
  
  Who says it's a problem? The advertising industry say it isn't, and since they're in the industry they should know, right? It's just some maladjusted types who think otherwise.
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- Skeeter, 27 Mar 2011 @ 12:27pm
  
  Re: Anonymous Coward
  I agree 100%. It's been way too many years we've had to turn the volume down when commercials are much louder. Psychology says the people are more likely to listen when they are forced by a lower volume.
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Kurata, 1 Oct 2010 @ 5:01pm

In france, they're in the process of removing commercials from public tv, so i guess that wouldn't really happen in france. Than again, we don't even have the problem of loudness.

I can't really speak tho, since I have never heard these commercials in usa.
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- Anonymous Coward, 2 Oct 2010 @ 3:25pm
  
  Re:
  In france, they're in the process of removing commercials from public tv
  
  That's because they're a bunch of socialists. In the US we like our commercials and we like 'em loud!
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Pixelation, 1 Oct 2010 @ 5:07pm

This seems like something the networks should have handled. Apparently they are incapable and the government needs to wipe their asses for them.
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Justin Olbrantz (Quantam), 1 Oct 2010 @ 5:15pm

Now we just need a bill to require normalization of CBS TV shows. I am so sick of CSIs and others that have explosions like 10x the volume of dialogue.
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out_of_the_blue, 1 Oct 2010 @ 5:59pm

Gov't should act where the people cannot.
Since in no way will this bill pick my pocket or break my bones, and since the fact is established over at least 40 years to anyone with approximately normal hearing, it's a good place for gov't action.

As a practical matter, since acquiring a remote control television sometime back in the 80's, I *never* listened to commercials, and watch zero now, quit totally around 2002 when crapulation and propaganda surged.

@ Pixelation: ??? The networks use LOUD to try and assure that commercials are noticed. They don't care whether you're annoyed (nor how the commercial insults intelligence) so long as *noticed*, the brand planted in your head.
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- Anonymous Coward, 2 Oct 2010 @ 3:29pm
  
  Re: Gov't should act where the people cannot.
  Since in no way will this bill pick my pocket...
  
  Unless you happen to be in the TV advertising business.
  
  They don't care whether you're annoyed (nor how the commercial insults intelligence) so long as *noticed*, the brand planted in your head.
  
  Yes, even being *hated* is better than being *ignored*.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2010 @ 6:14pm

My Mom has AT&T Uverse.

The volume level on the television goes from 0 to 100. To watch a show at normal volume, it should be around 70. When the commercial break happens, you are BLASTED against the wall by the sudden increase in sound. To get the equivalent volume, you have to lower the commercials to about 8, 11% of the previous volume.

It's hard to understate how sudden and loud the change is. It wakes up the cats. It wakes up the dogs. It wakes up sleeping people who are upstairs behind closed doors. It sends any ducks in the yard flapping away. It can be heard by the neighbors. It is LOUD.

I keep telling her she should ditch AT&T but I wouldn't mind if congress solves the problem either.
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- Andrew (profile), 4 Oct 2010 @ 9:13am
  
  Re:
  "I keep telling her to handle it herself, but I wouldn't mind if the government did it for her". If it's not important enough for her to do it herself, then why call upon Congress to do it? It's apparently a non-issue.
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- Rita, 14 Feb 2011 @ 12:55pm
  
  Re: Loud Commericals
  It is not just AT&T. I am with Charter and have the same problem. I am in an apartment complex and yes neighbors complain. It gives me a bad headache.
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bigpicture, 1 Oct 2010 @ 6:22pm

Loud Commercials
The government at some time has to look after the interests of "the People" Loud TV commercials has been an aggravation for years now. It is not like the volume comes up a little bit, for even when you can barely hear the program, and then the Commercial comes on it is at a deafening volume.

There used to be TV models with a feature that shut off commercial volume, but I guess that wasn't in the interests of big business. So to rely on business to serve anyones interests but their own is just plain folly. They are unashamedly arrogant and need smacked down. Didn't the banks try and blame everyone else for their failures. The Government should regulate and put the screws on the arrogant bastards at every turn.
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Brok the Meek., 1 Oct 2010 @ 6:34pm

THEY SHOULD BAN ALL CAPS ON THE INTERNET TOO BECAUSE IT'S YELLING JUST LIKE THEY DID FOR THE NY STREET SIGNS.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2010 @ 6:36pm

This is why I watch my TV in MPlayer. It doesn't matter whether I'm using my NTSC/ATSC tuner card directly, a file I recorded earlier, or something I pulled off YouTube with Video DownloadHelper, af=volnorm in ~/.config/mplayer does on-the-fly dynamic range compression and bumps up the volume on quiet files automatically.

If I want to listen to classical or something else that legitimately needs full dynamic range, I've got Audacious Media Player for that.
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R. Miles (profile), 1 Oct 2010 @ 6:39pm

It's about time.
And, while I agree that louder commercials can be annoying, is this really the sort of thing that needs to involve the federal government?
Well, Mike, when the damn people write these companies and ask them to stop doing it, but they refuse, just who the hell should it involve to get the job done?

My TV has a volume limiter on it and it still doesn't work against these commercials (hey... could these limiters be the reason why the decibel levels shot up in recent years?)

I don't want the gov't in our business either, but look around, Mike. We ask. They say "Screw you". We're left with no other choice.

Wait... there is that "stop watching", but as you can see, it's just easier to get laws passed than it would be to tell people to turn off that damn idiot box.
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- Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2010 @ 6:46pm
  
  Re: It's about time.
  The federal government is there to supply regulation for the people by the people.
  
  Media companies owe nothing to the people and routinely use every legal angle to strip away our rights.
  
  Without an open market, there's no force to act against loud commercials. The only answer in those cases is regulation.
  
  Are loud commercials worth the effort of the federal government? Maybe not, but the media companies don't mind wasting time on things that favor them.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2010 @ 7:13pm

one thing i actually would like to see outlawed loud sirens as part of radio commercials. Tell me you've never brake checked for it.
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- JR Smith (profile), 2 Oct 2010 @ 6:32am
  
  Re: Sirens on radio commercials
  I couldn't agree more but then again, with the exception of NPR, I quit listening to FM some time ago when the corporations were allowed to buy up all the stations and turn the programming into total dung. So now it's CDs, mp3s or NPR.
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Bengie, 1 Oct 2010 @ 7:26pm

Sound compression
They should set an amplitude max and scale all sounds according to that max. Bad Company 2 does this in game for all of it's HDR audio. Sounds wonderful. Loud sounds are "perceived" loud while not actually being louder.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2010 @ 7:47pm

yes
"...is this really the sort of thing that needs to involve the federal government?"

Yes.
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Nikki (profile), 1 Oct 2010 @ 8:30pm

Yes, we do freakin' need government in this
And I will gladly send a buck to everyone to votes for it. I'd send more, but I can't afford it.

I have the right to watch my TV without being assaulted, without having to worry about muting the TV when I'm busy with something else, and without having to worry that my neighbors are going to start pounding on my walls/floor/ceiling because the commercials are insanely, ridiculously, unnecessarily loud.

Sure, it would be preferable if the morons responsible for this brilliant industry tactic would police it themselves, or simply get a clue, but they won't and they haven't, so let me take this opportunity to help these people out.

WHEN YOU BLAST YOUR COMMERCIALS SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE SURE I HEAR THEM WHILE I'M ON THE CAN OR GRABBING A SOOTHING BEVERAGE, I MUTE YOU INSTEAD OF LISTENING TO YOU. YOUR TACTIC IS BACKFIRING. SORRY ABOUT THE YELLING BUT...WELL...YOU HAD IT COMING.
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- Andrew (profile), 4 Oct 2010 @ 9:15am
  
  Re: Yes, we do freakin' need government in this
  So you mute the TV because the commercials are too loud. Sounds like you've solved your problem; why does Congress need to get involved? To save you the hassle? I'm not sure that was in the Constitution.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2010 @ 8:37pm

Remote controls have volume and mute buttons for a reason. Plus, many televisions have built in mechanisms for automatically adjusting the volume to an equalized level. So if a commercial is loud it automatically adjusts it downward, if a show is low it turns it up.

What we really need to worry about is removing the govt imposed media monopolies that exist so that we can get more competition in the television arena.
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- Nikki (profile), 1 Oct 2010 @ 8:48pm
  
  Re:
  I agree with the monopolies issue, although it's not government imposed, it's media-industry lobbied and government permitted. Notwithstanding that, we can't all afford to go out and buy those TVs that modulate the noise for us. It's not always convenient to get to the mute button, and some of us are sensitive to disruptive environmental things and can be very overwhelmed by the screaming commercials.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 2 Oct 2010 @ 11:47am
    
    Re: Re:
    Most T.V's do modulate the noise and the monopolies are government imposed. They may not be imposed by the federal government but they are imposed by various local governments.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 2 Oct 2010 @ 11:57am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      and I even learned in an Econ class that they are government monopolized and the alleged justification for the monopolization is the that they have a "natural monopoly." The whole idea is that the govt will impose a monopoly and regulate it, hence it would allegedly be a regulated monopoly.
      
      "Nearly every community in the United States allows only a single cable company to operate within its borders. Since the Boulder decision [4] in which the U.S. Supreme Court held that municipalities may be subject to antitrust liability for anticompetitive acts, most cable franchises have been nominally nonexclusive but in fact do operate to preclude all competitors. The legal rationale for municipal regulation is that cable uses city-owned streets and rights-of-way; the economic rationale is the assumption that cable is a "natural monopoly." "
      
      http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa034.html
      
      If you want to start your own cable service, you can't just start putting wires across a city. You need to get something called a right of way. Most cities have agreements with a local cable company that only they area allowed to serve a specific area.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 2 Oct 2010 @ 11:58am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      (most newer T.V.s modulate the noise anyways. Usually the option is on by default, you have to turn it off in the options).
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- Anonymous Coward, 2 Oct 2010 @ 11:07pm
  
  Re:
  Remote controls have volume and mute buttons for a reason.
  
  That reminds me of the argument I once heard from a coworker trying to excuse e-mail spam. He used to say "Keyboards have a delete key on them for a reason. Is it just too hard to press it or what?" I think you're both full of it.
  
  Plus, many televisions have built in mechanisms for automatically adjusting the volume to an equalized level.
  
  List, please.
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  - Andrew (profile), 4 Oct 2010 @ 9:16am
    
    Re: Re:
    What spam? I haven't seen any in my Gmail inbox in years. Perhaps the solution is having a good spam filter (and the awesome herd immunity provided by a provider like Gmail), rather than calling on Congress to do something. If you don't care enough to get a proper spam filter then why do you care enough to complain to Congress?
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taoareyou (profile), 1 Oct 2010 @ 8:50pm

Unbelievable
In the US we have rampant unemployment, immigration issues, people losing their homes, millions having to go without adequate health care, a failing educational system and a crumbling infrastructure with bridges collapsing and roads breaking up.

I know those are problems, but I'm glad we realize how important it is to regulate TV volume. It's an outrage how I have to push the volume up and down buttons now and then.

Of course, before that, are we sure we don't need to see if there are any steroid abuses in pro golf and pro bowling? I know they spent a year fixing baseball, but let's not think that work is done.
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- Nikki (profile), 1 Oct 2010 @ 8:54pm
  
  Re: Unbelievable
  This is a relatively easy, relatively bi-partisan issue that can be handled quickly. The other issues you mentioned cannot be described that way. It's an equal opportunity annoyer this commercial volume problem.
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  - taoareyou (profile), 1 Oct 2010 @ 9:20pm
    
    Re: Re: Unbelievable
    I disagree. I think fewer people are affected by TV commercial volume than by any number of problems that the government DOES need to be working on. So louder commercials annoy some of those who still actually watch TV live with commercials (as opposed to DVRing stuff to watch on their own schedules and skipping commercials altogether). Seriously, the federal government should step in and make laws about every single thing that "annoys" a percentage of the people?
    
    If it annoys you that a commercial is loud and that you have to actually move your arm and thumb for a few seconds to the point where you want Congress to make laws so you don't have to, I think the population can also come up with a few thousand other "quick and easy fixes" that Congress can do first as well. I'm sure they would love that in fact. It's much easier than actually addressing the real problems, isn't it?
    
    And they can say, look! We did something. Now you don't have to turn down commercials.
    
    Of course, when your unemployment runs out, it's gonna be hard to pay your cable and electric bills so you can enjoy being able to sit in front of your TV without having to move when a commercial comes on. That's pretty annoying, too.
    
    They'll figure that out just as soon as they fix all the other easy things.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 2 Oct 2010 @ 7:35pm
      
      Re: Re: Re: Unbelievable
      "I think fewer people are affected by TV commercial volume than by any number of problems that the government DOES need to be working on."
      
      The person you are responding to does not disagree with this. The point is the relative ease in solving X vs solving Y. If X can be solved easily while Y is very hard to solve, there is nothing wrong with solving X even though Y has not yet been solved. Just because there are more important issues to deal with does not excuse ignoring less important, much easier to solve, issues.
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      - taoareyou (profile), 2 Oct 2010 @ 9:00pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Unbelievable
        How many less important, easy issues should be addressed before actually facing the difficult tasks? Just this one? Just get the whole TV volume thing out of the way and then they can focus on the really important, but difficult stuff?
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    - Anonymous Coward, 2 Oct 2010 @ 11:19pm
      
      Re: Re: Re: Unbelievable
      If it annoys you that a commercial is loud and that you have to actually move your arm and thumb for a few seconds to the point where you want Congress to make laws so you don't have to...
      
      taoareyou, please post your e-mail address so that you can be added to some spam lists. If spam annoys you, then I'm sure you're not too lazy to move you finger to just press the delete key when it comes in, are you?
      
      Waiting...
      
      Or is "taoareyou" just another way of spelling "hypocrite"?
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2010 @ 8:52pm

In another 5 years, senators will finally discover that "World Wide Web" that their grandkids keep talking about. Then we'll see a bill to ban annoying flash ads.
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- taoareyou (profile), 2 Oct 2010 @ 1:47am
  
  Re:
  Yeah, popup ads annoy me, too. It should be a relatively easy, bipartisan thing that can be handled quickly by the government. After they fix my TV volume experience, they should block pop ups. Then they can get back to the hard stuff.
  Unless there is anything else that annoys anyone. :)
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  - Anonymous Coward, 2 Oct 2010 @ 11:21pm
    
    Re: Re:
    Unless there is anything else that annoys anyone. :)
    
    I suppose you love spam too, don't you?
    
    Still waiting for you to post your address...
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- Anonymous Coward, 2 Oct 2010 @ 2:27am
  
  Re:
  I sincerely doubt this.
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mrharrysan (profile), 1 Oct 2010 @ 9:00pm

This going to be harder to enforce than people think, unless congress consults with audiologists and acoustic engineers to craft a very technically concise bill.
If all of the commercial is only as loud as the loudest parts of a TV show or movie, is it really louder? Will they have a clause specifying whether the volume is averaged or RMS? Different people's ears perceive different frequencies as louder or more annoying. How loud is a commercial in relation to say, a Lifetime movie as compared to Terminator 2? If they don't put in precise technical language, it's perhaps possible that a commercial could just stay at a sustained volume slightly (.01db?) below that of the loudest parts of the adjacent programming and still be in compliance.
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mrharrysan (profile), 1 Oct 2010 @ 9:12pm

BTW, you people need to quit whining. This is absolutely NOT the sort of thing the government needs to be involved in. Nobody forces you to watch TV, plus you have a remote and a DVR. Our government has much more important issues to mess up.
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- Anonymous Coward, 2 Oct 2010 @ 11:28pm
  
  Re:
  BTW, you people need to quit whining. This is absolutely NOT the sort of thing the government needs to be involved in. Nobody forces you to watch TV, plus you have a remote and a DVR. Our government has much more important issues to mess up.
  
  Like those workplace sexual harassment laws. It used to be fun to run your own business until the gov't got involved. I mean, nobody forces you to work for a particular company. If you don't like workplace sex, you can go work somewhere else instead of whining about it to some socialist gov't agency.
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  - mrharrysan (profile), 14 Oct 2010 @ 9:01pm
    
    Re: Re:
    Let's compare stupid TV to sexual harassment and workplace intimidation... yeah.
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Dave Holt, 2 Oct 2010 @ 12:00am

Loud TV commercials
I am one of the millions of hearing impaired. In my case due to military service. I have to use hearing aids otherwise I am deaf. The noise of commercials actually hurts my ears and renders conversation impossible. I would be very happy to see commercials leveled at the same volume as the program. I own the TV, I should have at least the right to hear it at a comfortable volume.
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paul`, 2 Oct 2010 @ 12:46am

Cranking the ad's volume is already banned here in Australia if I recall correctly, but you'll find that what they do is squeeze the mids to make the sound more high pitched and tinny, a register of sound proven to catch peoples attention (though not really in a pleasant way).
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Oct 2010 @ 1:13am

This is not something the government should get involved it. I agree that it's annoying with loud ad's, but still, this is a stupid bill.
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NattyFido (profile), 2 Oct 2010 @ 1:53am

Opportunity?
If this is such a big problem , and I agree it is annoying, why hasn't some enterprising electronics engineer come up with a device that sits between the TV and the speakers that recognises when the adverts are about to start and automatically reduces the volume?
Here in the UK it is easy to see when the adverts are about to start. There is a little black-and-white indicator in the top right corner of the screen that gets displayed just before the ad-break. I am not sure what it is but at a guess I would say it has something to do with cueing up the video feed for the adverts.
It wouldn't take a genius to make a device that recognised that indicator and reduce the volume.

I don't know how bad they are in the States, but this side of the pond it seems that rather than having extra volume, the adverts are just more heavily compressed making them 'seem' a lot louder.
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- Cipher-0, 2 Oct 2010 @ 5:56am
  
  Re: Opportunity?
  why hasn't some enterprising electronics engineer come up with a device that sits between the TV and the speakers that recognises when the adverts are about to start and automatically reduces the volume?
  
  For the same reason internet site blocking doesn't work. As soon as the Ad Blocker comes about, the other side starts working its way around it.
  
  Technology is not a panacea.
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- Kaega (profile), 2 Oct 2010 @ 9:40am
  
  Re: Opportunity?
  why hasn't some enterprising electronics engineer come up with a device that sits between the TV and the speakers that recognises when the adverts are about to start and automatically reduces the volume?
  There is, check it out :) http://www.mutemagic.com/
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 2 Oct 2010 @ 11:32pm
    
    Re: Re: Opportunity?
    There is, check it out :)
    
    Which doesn't work very well.
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- Anonymous Coward, 3 Oct 2010 @ 12:04am
  
  Re: Opportunity?
  If this is such a big problem , and I agree it is annoying, why hasn't some enterprising electronics engineer come up with a device that sits between the TV and the speakers that recognises when the adverts are about to start and automatically reduces the volume?
  
  If cancer is such a big problem, why hasn't some enterprising doctor come up with a universal cure?
  
  I guess nothing is impossible to the man who doesn't have to do it himself, eh?
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Kaega, 2 Oct 2010 @ 9:35am

No
The FCC doesn't need to interfere here. Most of you comment that you wouldn't mind the government getting involved because you're annoyed at the volume of the commercial volume? They're supposed to be there to solve REAL problems. Look around for solutions for problems like this yourself. Instead of of spending hundreds of tax dollars forcing companies to lower the volume, do something like this. http://www.mutemagic.com/
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- Anonymous Coward, 3 Oct 2010 @ 12:06am
  
  Re: No
  Mute Magic? They even admit on their own website that it isn't reliable.
  
  Fail.
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John85851 (profile), 2 Oct 2010 @ 10:56am

Do we need the government to do this?
Like a few posters are saying, do we really need the government to step in like this? I thought the "free market" was supposed to take care of things like this.
The bottom line is this: if people don't like the loud commercials, why don't they complain to the networks or FCC? Networks tend to take action when just a few hundred people complain.

Here are a few more ideas:
1) Use the mute button on your remote and turn the sound off completely.
2) Start a boycott of products and advertisers who use loud commercials.
3) Don't watch commercial TV- watch the shows on hulu or the network's website.

As for the annoying Flash ads, use Firefox and install the Flash Block plug-in. As more people block Flash ads, the ads will receive less clicks, which will cause advertisers to see these kinds of ads are no longer effective.
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- Anonymous Coward, 3 Oct 2010 @ 12:07am
  
  Re: Do we need the government to do this?
  Like a few posters are saying, do we really need the government to step in like this? I thought the "free market" was supposed to take care of things like this.
  The bottom line is this: if people don't like the loud commercials, why don't they complain to the networks or FCC?
  
  Umm, you apparently don't know this, but the FCC is the government.
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Rekrul, 2 Oct 2010 @ 11:49am

I don't watch TV ON my TV much anymore, but anytime that I have, I've never noticed a problem with commercials being substantially louder than the shows. Maybe a tiny bit, but not enough to really notice. Maybe my TV is just better at limiting the loud parts.

I wouldn't mind something like this for YouTube though. One video is so quiet that you have to turn the volume up 50% higher just to hear it, then the next video (which will of course have a thrash metal soundtrack) will be 500% louder than "normal" volume. I had my speakers set at the usual volume I normally use for watching videos and one that I clicked on was so loud, I was actually worried that it might have damaged my speakers.
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Bradley Stewart, 2 Oct 2010 @ 12:21pm

This Has Been Talked About
for years. If one wonders why it takes takes so long for National Politicians to get anything done of any importance here is a prime example of something fairly easy. And by the way this has not even been signed into law yet. I really don't care for the purpose of this article which side of most issues people are on. Here is something everyone can agree on and the Politicians still have not gotten it done yet.
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abc gum, 2 Oct 2010 @ 1:41pm

The govt doesn't need to get involved, let the tv stations kill themselves.
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- The eejit (profile), 3 Oct 2010 @ 1:54am
  
  Re:
  But, But, I LIKE some TV shows!
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Oct 2010 @ 12:27pm

PARDON ICANT HEAR YOU
the tv commercial is on
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Oct 2010 @ 3:09am

Re: Do we need the government to do this?
That was the joke. These senators are finally getting around to reducing TV ad volume just when people are starting to replace their cable subscription with online alternatives. By the time they figure out what the "Internet Explorer" icon on their desktop does, they'll be the only ones left that actually see those ads.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Oct 2010 @ 3:15am

Duh.
Why wouldn't the government regulate something like this? Government workers watch TV too after all. I'm sure they hate obnoxiously loud ads every bit as much as the average joe does. If anything, regulation will do advertisers a favor. An ad at a sensible volume is one that if far less likely to be muted/ignored. I know so because I remember a time when I didn't have to reach for the remote every five minutes or so.
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BoloMKXXVIII (profile), 4 Oct 2010 @ 7:12am

loud commercials
I solved this problem a long time ago. I record most everything using Windows Media Center on a HTPC to watch at a later time. There is a handy skip forward button on the WMC remote. No more loud commercials. On the rare instance where I watch live TV (Football) there is this handy button called mute. If the commercials weren't so loud or obnoxious I might actually watch some of them.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Oct 2010 @ 7:56am

good idea; difficult implementation
This is a good idea however the technical aspect is more difficult. Count me among those who does not appreciate commercials blaring at 20 dB louder than the programming.

You turn the audio up to hear dialog in a program and are rudely awakened by ****!*!*!*!*ITS MFING TRUCK MONTH IN MFING TEXAS***!*!*!*!*!* at the volume of a large jet engine next to your head.
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another mike (profile), 4 Oct 2010 @ 8:35pm

i found quiet commercials
I was watching TV (well, Hulu, really) the other night and all the commercials were at a dead whisper. I thought it was maybe a preemptive strike against this bill.
P.S. I didn't bother to turn up the volume during the commercials.
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Sandman619 (profile), 7 Oct 2010 @ 12:21am

F C C
The FCC has already directed networks to keep volume levels for commercials at about the same as their programming. Hopefully Congress had the foresight to give the FCC the authority to enforce this issue

Cheers !
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james erickson, 15 Oct 2010 @ 6:23pm

it is about time!!! stop screaming at me please!!!
thank god it is about time i can not stand it any more the button most used on my remote is the mute button it is pretty bad when the government has to pass a law to stop something like this i mean come on i usually do not vote for government involvement but in this case i am so thankfull i can not wait for it to start working i am so sick and tired of getting blasted through my furniture by these loud annoying commercials it takes all the enjoyment out of watching tv and another thing why is there more commercials on during an hour than programing for evry 6 minutes of a tv show there is 15 minutes of commercials what ever hapen too the 2.2 that johnny carson used too say we will be back in 2 minutes and 2 seconds now days it is more like we will be back in 5 minutes and 5 seconds as consumers we are allways getting the short end of the stick when will it stop i guess not untill the government makes it stop huh so if thats what it takes then so be it rock on congress or senate or who ever at this point i dont care who makes it happen just get it done allready and soon not in 10 fr#@% years and hopefully by the time it does finnally happens that i can enjoy tv again i wont need a hearing aid if i do then it wont matter anymore lets see i am 40 now so lets see how long this will actually take i hope it is soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Diana, 6 Jan 2011 @ 1:27am

What's "annoying?
Hey,Snot. Don't be so condenscending. There are those people who are dependent on their tvs for their entertainment that don't have an internet set-up. Granted there are in the minority, but you sit with the clicker ready to mute it whenever a commercial comes on because some ad man wants to be sure to get your attention so they can try to sell you something. Do that 5 or 6 times a hour and see if your are't "annoyed"! Why should they get away with it when they are part of the biggest scams going. They are the ones who jack up the prices of everything we buy, because advertising is really expensive and someone has to pay for it and you know it's always the consumer. And then they get to be annoying and we pay for it. I don't want to pay for being annoyed!
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Mimi, 20 Jul 2011 @ 12:35am

ads
I wish adverts were banned everywhere, can't abide them they are a waste of time.
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Mary, 14 Mar 2012 @ 12:54am

Loud Advertising
The problem with loud advertisements is one has no choice but to mute them. Yes, it is annoying, but more than that. If one gets distracted or involved in something else, one can't always turn the sound back on and so loses part of the program. At night, with no sound trigger, one often falls asleep before the advertising ends and often loses the rest of the program. If too much of the program is lost, there is no point in continuing to watch and so the end result is the program is switched off.
Muted ads often don't make sense, so the point the advertiser was trying to get across is lost. Some ads rely almost totally on some person talking. Sorry, I'm not that good a lip reader.
My message to advertisers. What is the point in creating ads which offend the public. End result the point of the ad is lost, people will mute them or in my case turn off the TV. A more audio friendly ad will be a lot more effective. Does anyone remember the story about the sun and the wind?
HD TV does make the intensity of the sound worse. At the end of the year I am walking away from TV for two reasons - the loudness of the ads and the lack of programming by television stations which make it almost impossible to know what will actually be broadcast. My DVD collection is building up nicely thank you.
Mary
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Steven, 21 Apr 2012 @ 6:58am

loud TV commercials
I don't think that the federal government should have to be involved in this issue. I have a solution that would stop it without any level of government. However, at the time of this comment, the law has already been passed.

I've been keeping track of the commercials that are playing louder than the show. I will not purchase anything from the advertisers that have their commercials louder. If everyone started doing that, the advertisers would learn about it and they will start lowering the volume of their commercials. If it is not the advertisers, then they would start having the people responsible for having them louder to lower the volume on their commercials. If I was technical savvy, I would create a website for consumers to go and post the commercials that are loud for everyone to go to and see what products are being blared on the television and not purchase it.
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salohcin, 8 Aug 2013 @ 11:01am

Loud Stupid Harassing Unintelligent Commericals
Please make it a law ; if the commericals are louder than the Program and all Programs should be at the same Decibals of sound ;on all channels ; i`m too frigging old to be scared to death every time a commerical comes on ; i just might persue actions that are disagreeable to the sponsors ?? Stoppitt Now ;; I will not buy a product that has loud commericals ; another thing ; why does cable TV get to advertise / run adds / commericals on Cable systems ??? isn`t that a bit rodundant ? you can`t see a cable commerical on cable systems UNLESS YOU HAVE CABLE SERVICE ; If you have Cable your aren`t going to run out and get it are you ? It`s not rocket science is it ?
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