TV companies have a year to pipe down loud

[__Kratos__]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shush, already. That's the message the Federal Communications Commission is sending with new rules that force broadcast, cable and satellite companies to turn down the volume on blaring TV commercials.

On Tuesday, the FCC passed a set of regulations that will prevent commercials from being louder than the shows around them. It's all part of the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (or CALM) Act, which President Obama signed into law last December. The rules go into effect a year from now. Companies that don't comply will face unspecified FCC action.

Thunderous television ads have annoyed viewers for years. The FCC says people have grumbled about the issue for at least a half century. But since 2002 — thanks in part to all those clangorous car commercials, earsplitting electronics ads and booming beer pitches — loud advertisements have been one of the top complaints the FCC receives.

More of the article here: Source

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But...

IT'S MY MONEY AND I NEED IT NOW!!!

Edited December 15, 2011 by __Kratos__

[Order66]

I'm glad Obama has taken on the fat cat 1% who think that everyone should pull themselves up by their bootstraps and press the volume button on the remote without government assistance, if that's even possible.

[_Only]

My grandma has to listen to the TV very loud to hear what is said well, and when these certain commercials come on, they are so sharp that I am certain they damage her ears.

edit - And no, Halloween78, she isn't as technically savvy or near quick enough to be able to change the volume to appropriate levels and back, to account for extreme fluctuations in volume from commercials who do this with intent...

Edited December 16, 2011 by Jerry Only

[Englishgent]

I just hope other countries follow suit. TV ads are a pain in the proverbial at the best of times without having to listen to them at a louder volume than what you were watching before. As for us turning the volume down with the remote....why should we?. We pay enough for the TV service in the first place. It's about time we got what we want and not what they want to give us.

[Mr_Snstr]

I thought this had been rectified years ago? Maybe I imagined the whole thing but I thought TVs had something built into them that kept everything relatively close to the volume it's set at.

I do end up leaving the TV on allot and fall asleep; so sometimes I don't know whether I saw something on late late at night or if I just dreamt it. But I haven't heard an extra loud commercial for a while now; or maybe I'm just not paying attention...

[preacherman76]

Let me get this striaght, our government can now indefinitly imprison an American citizan, with no due process. Yet they think we need to be protected from loud commercials?? I dont like using the word hate, but man I really hate this government.

[Order66]

My grandma has to listen to the TV very loud to hear what is said well, and when these certain commercials come on, they are so sharp that I am certain they damage her ears.

edit - And no, Halloween78, she isn't as technically savvy or near quick enough to be able to change the volume to appropriate levels and back, to account for extreme fluctuations in volume from commercials who do this with intent...

There is help! Get her one of those giant remotes, she can't miss:

[_Only]

There is help! Get her one of those giant remotes, she can't miss:

Lol, maybe she does need that. Her phone has same size buttons, it's hilarious.

[sam12six]

Thank goodness!!

Now they just have to address Youtube videos with intros so loud they make my ears bleed as I scramble to lower the volume on my computer, only to proceed into the body of the video whose volume is so faint I have to turn the volume up all the way and lean in to hear.

Edited December 16, 2011 by sam12six

[_Only]

Thank goodness!!

Now they just have to address Youtube videos with intros so loud they make my ears bleed as I scramble to lower the volume on my computer, only to proceed into the body of the video whose volume is so faint I have to turn the volume up all the way and lean in to hear.

Then maybe move on to DVDs I watch with my stereo system. Most DVDs I watch have 2 situations of volumes; whispering dialogue, and body shattering explosions of sound.

[sam12six]

Then maybe move on to DVDs I watch with my stereo system. Most DVDs I watch have 2 situations of volumes; whispering dialogue, and body shattering explosions of sound.

I know, right?!?

I believe movie producers are under the impression that the ideal movie viewing experience is 50% conferences to vote on what the guy actually said and 50% screaming in pain when the movie gets "exciting".

[rashore]

I thought the current standard was whatever the loudest decibel of the show was, ads could be that loud? And of course they would use the loudest they can so the ads follow us to the kitchen or bathroom, lol.

[Ravinar]

Thank goodness!!

Now they just have to address Youtube videos with intros so loud they make my ears bleed as I scramble to lower the volume on my computer, only to proceed into the body of the video whose volume is so faint I have to turn the volume up all the way and lean in to hear.

if you use firefox as your web browser go here: http://adblockplus.org/en/

download that' install it and say bye bye to almost all adds on the web forever!!

as to the OP. ya know i don't watch TV anymore now that i have the internet and the program listed above. i hate adds in all forms. if there is a show or a movie i wanna watch you can bet i can find it on the web somewhere. not only that but i can watch it when ever i dam well please for free with no commercials. to hell with television! it is becoming an out dated media format very fast.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

last time this was brought up in Australia, we were told "there is no difference in volume between the TV show and the ads, it's the pitch of the ad that makes them seem louder".

[_Only]

if you use firefox as your web browser go here: http://adblockplus.org/en/

download that' install it and say bye bye to almost all adds on the web forever!!

Unfortunately, YouTube is one of those sites whose ads are not blocked by ABP.

edit - Nevermind, guess ABP was disabled when I had been watching YouTube vids recently. Just checked.

Edited December 17, 2011 by Jerry Only

[sam12six]

if you use firefox as your web browser go here: http://adblockplus.org/en/

download that' install it and say bye bye to almost all adds on the web forever!!

I do surf with adblock. It doesn't regulate the relative volume of videos.

as to the OP. ya know i don't watch TV anymore now that i have the internet and the program listed above. i hate adds in all forms. if there is a show or a movie i wanna watch you can bet i can find it on the web somewhere. not only that but i can watch it when ever i dam well please for free with no commercials. to hell with television! it is becoming an out dated media format very fast.

As annoying as they can be, I don't really have a problem with ads (though I'm a hypocrite for using adblock). It costs money to produce content to offer to people. Without ads, there would be virtually NO free media.

[+DieChecker]

I have to disagree with those that are saying to use a remote control. Many movies are played on TV at a low volume, or have the annoying whispering scenes and then the commercial comes on and is twice as loud. You would not put up with a screen going to twice size only for commercials, or the screen going half as bright after commercials. It is obvious exploitation by the commercial distributors.

[xCrimsonx]

About time.,. and the news did their best recently to debunk the so called bumped volume for TV ads! Okay so for all the technology In the world why hasnt the leading country of all that Is technical Invent a decibel regulator into the sound systems of our televisions? Der! I'm flat out trying to find the remote, It really should be set up so we dont have to tamper with our tellies.,. for our convenience.

[Ravinar]

I do surf with adblock. It doesn't regulate the relative volume of videos.

then you need to check your settings cuz mine blocks all adds on every video streaming site i go to and i go to almost all of them!

to hell with hulu though.

they can detect adblock and won't let you watch vids unless you turn it off. i can always find what I'm looking for somewhere else.

As annoying as they can be, I don't really have a problem with ads (though I'm a hypocrite for using adblock). It costs money to produce content to offer to people. Without ads, there would be virtually NO free media.

i hate adds with a burning passion! and couldn't care less about any website that i go to that has adds anywhere! i would rather chew glass then put up with all the flashy noisy adds that slow my computer down to a crawl. to hell with those adds and to hell with the web masters that have them on their sites! i couldn't possibly care less if they lose money because of it ether! i don't wanna put up with it! i don't gotta put up with it! so I'm not gonna put up with it!

[sam12six]

then you need to check your settings cuz mine blocks all adds on every video streaming site i go to and i go to almost all of them!

Yeah, mine blocks ads too. What does that have to do with the volume non-ad videos are recorded and played at?

to hell with hulu though.

they can detect adblock and won't let you watch vids unless you turn it off. i can always find what I'm looking for somewhere else.

I watch videos on hulu fine with adblock. There's a blackscreen with the 30 second (or whatever) countdown, but it doesn't keep you from watching.

i hate adds with a burning passion! and couldn't care less about any website that i go to that has adds anywhere! i would rather chew glass then put up with all the flashy noisy adds that slow my computer down to a crawl. to hell with those adds and to hell with the web masters that have them on their sites! i couldn't possibly care less if they lose money because of it ether! i don't wanna put up with it! i don't gotta put up with it! so I'm not gonna put up with it!

Ooooookay.