Turn that commercial down
How many times has this happened to you? You are sitting there watching your favorite program on television and boom a commercial comes on 1115% louder than the show was. You quickly rush to grab the remote to either turn the volume way down or switch the channel as you are about to start bleeding from the ears. It’s terrible, and nothing is worse than watching sports. Commercial breaks during sports games are so loud that I fear my television is going to blow up. So why are commercials so loud?
The short answer is that commercials are louder than televisions shows. Currently, the FCC does not regulate the volume of television programs and commercials. When a television show is filmed they use a number of different audio levels so the viewer can hear the distinction of a soft whisper versus a car explosion. Advertisers don’t want to have different audio levels in their commercials so they record the commercials at the highest possible level possible because they want to grab the viewer’s attention.
Well it works. They certainly grab your attention. Personally these commercials grab my attention so well that I have now transformed myself into a third-level degree black belt in the art of channel changing. I have not seen a commercial in about three straight months and I am finally starting to get my hearing back. I just can’t believe that the reason commercials are so loud is because of the advertisers. How stupid are advertisers? When recently watching the Yankees play in the World Series with a bunch of Red Sox fans, I noticed almost as many complaints about the volume of commercials as there were about the Yankees $200 million payroll. Something has to be done.
That is why I was so pleased to see that the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), the U.S. digital TV standards body, formally approved technical guidelines that networks and stations can follow to avoid the insane volume differences between shows and commercials. While these standards are not currently mandatory, the government is stepping in to make sure a solution is reached. The issue of audio volume has received a lot of attention in Congress with Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif) backing a bill titled the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act. The bill has been approved by the House Communications Subcommittee and seeking support in the Senate. Much of the CALM act would simply reinforce the ATSC standards. Thank you, California. Soon viewers will not have to reach for the remote to turn the volume down every time a commercial comes on; however, some viewers will continue to grab the remote and change the channel every time a commercial is on. But for thoes of you who are a commercial watchers, soon you will be able to enjoy them without having to cover your ears.
Tags: ATSC, CALM Act, Commercial volume down
