IN FIVE MONTHS THE CALM ACT WILL GO INTO EFFECT

[Cetacea]

Spiking of TV advertisement volume is the most popular complaint to the FCC.

I believe that this bill is in part a symbolic Italian finger gesture aimed at Reagan and his minions.

Older article on the bill's creation:

http://www.watchsonomacounty.com/2010/12/washington/turning-down-the-volume-on-tv-ads/



snip: " Credit the congressman’s first-hand experience with the problem for what is now being touted as the solution: the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act, or CALM.

President Barack Obama last week signed the new law, which was based on legislation authored by Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Menlo Park, and co-sponsored by Thompson.

Thompson said he and Eshoo “conspired” to draft the bill as they sat with one another in House chambers and discussed their irritation with the ads, the source of frequent constituent complaints.

Eshoo told the Wall Street Journal that the bill was the most popular she has pushed in her 18 years in Congress.

“If I’d saved 50 million children from some malady, people would not have the interest that they have in this,” she said.

The law requires the FCC to limit the volume of audio on commercials transmitted by TV broadcast stations, cable operators and other multichannel video programming distributors..."

THANKS FOR READING THIS.

[Rhiannon12866]

1. K&R! Thank you!

I'd been wondering when and if this was going to happen... Because it sure hasn't yet! x( :hi:

[Proles]

2. But.... but...

That's BIG GOVERNMENT!!!

In all seriousness, it would be really a relief for this to finally happen.

[Drale]

3. I don't notice the volume of commercials because

I either mute them, walk away from the TV, or if I'm watching something recored I just fast forward through them.

[lunatica]

4. Now if they could eliminate the splashing ads for other shows in the corners

of the cable channels tempers would flare much less. And they're getting bolder and more irritating while they interrupt shows that are already on. Gah!

[progressoid]

5. I expect those to increase.

Especially as people either mute commercials or skip them with Tivo etc.

[Rhiannon12866]

6. Yes! That annoys the hell out of me, too!

It's very distracting because you think it's part of the show and it gets in the way... My personal favorite was when Conan O'Brien made himself really small and went down and punched out those little guys in the corner... :rofl:

[Cetacea]

8. LOL..n/t

[Cetacea]

9. Good sound sample with graph

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qflt648_U_M&feature=related

[Warren DeMontague]

7. No offense to the late Billy Mays, but he was half the problem right there.

[CaptRandom]

12. Don't forget Vince...

NSFW...or children...or the elderly...or those with good taste..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm03Dgu_yXA

[obliviously]

10. This is what we needed

Finally some relief from Americas most serious problems right now. This will help unemployment, solve the high energy costs,and end the drought.
Thank you Obama!

[RC]

11. Actually the commercials are not louder.

They just seem louder because they are compressed, so therefor have more energy. The average amplitude of the sound is higher because of the compression.
The shows in between the commercials are not compressed and therefore have a high dynamic range, i.e., quite stuff is quiet and loud stuff is loud, as in the movies and in real life. With the compressed commercials, this dynamic range is lost, everything, quite and loud, is loud.

[dreamnightwind]

13. You contradict yourself a little

"With the compressed commercials, this dynamic range is lost, everything, quite and loud, is loud."

So, they are, on the whole, louder, even if no instantaneous peak exceeds the instantaneous peaks of the actual program. Let's say I have a kid who yells quite loudly once a month, and another kid who yells that loudly every time he/she speaks. Clearly the constantly yeller is "louder", as are the commercials.

[RC]

16. Not really contradicting myself.

I was a broadcast engineer for 17 years. Two kids yelling have no comparison to compressing anything.

[SoCalDem]

14. We'll still watch our way

If a program starts at 8, we never start watching until 8:15.. The DVR starts watching at 8.. When we whizzzzz thru the commercials, we don't have to hear them at ANY volume:)

I can watch Morning Joe in 30 minutes:).. I whizzz past the republican blowhard guests and commercials:)

Dave Letterman only takes me 30 minutes or less (cannot stomach the "bands" he has on at the end)

[Raine]

15. Good, I can't stand those commericials that coming

screaming on at me. :puke:

[Cannikin]

17. I think networks are terrified that advertisers will one day realize the great lengths we go through

to mute or otherwise avoid the ads.