Posted on 12/16/2009 5:58:54 AM PST by Poser
The US House of Representatives has approved a bill which aims to limit the volume of television advertisements.
The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (CALM) was approved by a voice vote in the house...
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
Some DVD players have the DR compression feature that you can activate for these situations. There's no reason why that feature couldn't be included with televisions and sound systems. It's not an expensive addition.
Having the government dictate volume levels is a bit intrusive. Don't the idiots in Washington have other issues to deal with? Like trying to destroy the economy?
IIRC, the broadcasters took heat from advertisers and the crap rolled down to the electronics makers. They removed the commercial zappers or anything close.
I can see it now, I made your tv noise compliant, re - elect me!
Just once I would love to see someone run on the fact they revoked asinine laws or actually did nothing to change our way of life.
Just because you are a legislator,does not mean you have to legislate, it really means you get out of the way and you keep gov't out of the way of decent people.
I have a Toshiba televison that is suppose to do that but I cannot detect a bit of difference in volume. Commercials are just as loud as they ever were.
There is a “loudness control” device. I bought one for $49. Got it out of the box and read the instructions, looked at all the “stuff” coming out of the back of the tv and put it back in the box where it remains. It exists, I jus don’t know how to give it life! :-)
I could swear there was a TV or VCR that would automatically do that somewhere in the early 2000s. They'd sell every tv they could make on that single feature.
What brand? I knew I remembered there was a TV out there that did this. I even got the approximate time period (see my post 49).
Mute button
This legislation is a Trojan Horse. It's not just about the audio volume. It is about content. The legislation cracks down on "obnoxious" commercials such as (wait and see) those of conservatives and anyone disagreeing with Obama and the Democrats.
When the FCC decides what is obnoxious, you know where that road will lead.
The communists cannot be trusted for a single minute.
I don't need the federal government controlling my TV volume control or on/off button.
That technology has been out there for years. I had a '93 Miata with ALC, so you could set your stereo at a comfortable level while cruising along the highway with the top down and listen to your music above the noise from wind and surrounding traffic, but when you rolled up to a red light, the stereo would turn itself down to maintain the same volume level relative to ambient noise.
Easy. The Interstate Commerce Clause. Television Ads are Interstate Commerce and as such can be regulated. So this would be one instance were Congress would be justified in using the Clause.
Unlike them sticking it in every 'hate crime bill' or other non Interstate Commerce 'pet project' Bill they can think of.
The set must be nearly eight-ten years old.
I think the worst offenders are the infomercials that run at 3:00 AM.
“Anyone who invented a switching device that could lower the volume of loud commercials to normal levels would make a mint.”
Already been done.
It’s called an ‘Audio Compressor’ and if adjusted right, will even out the audio so that commercials won’t ‘blare’ at you.
There is another sneaky thing they do....sometimes the commercials aren’t loud but they boost the frequency range in the 1.5 to 4 kilo hertz ranges where humans are most sensitive to(speech sibilances) so that the average ear “locks” onto the commercial. The Dynamic range is also narrowed like a laser so that the commercial “squirts thru” ambient home noises, sounding “louder” than they really are.
I share your dilemma. Of all the problems we have this seems awfully trite. On the other hand, the manipulation of the volume is just a damn nuisance and outright intrusive!
GM had a device on my 1996 pickup that could easily and reliably modulate the volume to respond to road noise ...it worked well. Something similar to this should be able to modulate the volume to acceptable levels.
They intentionally lower the volume on programs so you have to turn it up resulting in ear splitting volume on the obnoxious commercials.
Ding, ding, ding, ding! It's all about control of the serfs!
I agree and I'm seriously annoyed at the gov thinking they can legislate all freedoms away just because someone complains.
I asked about regulating the volume of televisions, not the commercials that are broadcast. Two very different things, and it points out very nicely how we have grown to just accept Congressional over-reaching into just about everything they touch.
Although it may seem simple enough, there are problems inherent in accomplishing this goal, and there have been previous efforts to provide relief.
Advertisers claim that it’s not absolute loudness that’s to blame. In other words, the peak amplitude doesn’t exceed the loudest parts of the programming in which their ads appear. But they rely on compression for the duration of their ads, which greatly increased the average amplitude and results in seeming like they’re shouting. Given that many commercials feature spokespersons speaking excitedly, it does seem like they’re yelling.
Some TVs, and even some cable boxes, have compression that can be enabled so that you can try to ‘even out’ the volume between commercials and other programming. However, some find this limiting, because you’re changing the dynamic range of the material.
Dynamic range — the difference between soft and loud parts — is important in conveying a director’s or musician’s emotions and dramatic intent. This is especially important in theatrical movies and classical music, where there is often a very wide dynamic range.
I used to wonder why it annoyed me when my wife was watching a movie on cable while I was trying to go to sleep, but that listening to a radio talk show didn’t have the same effect. It’s because of that dynamic range — there are very quiet and very loud parts in most movies. Talk radio stations usually use compression to keep voice levels reasonably constant. (although Mark Levin is a challenge — he alternately mutters at low volume, and then blurts out “There, I said it!” at a much higher volume. Hard to go to sleep with that going on...)
Using compression or automatic gain control to flatten audio to a consistent level can be done quite easily, but it can affect the viewing experience in a negative way.
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