Re: Commercials TOO Loud
AdamK3
Enthusiast - Level 2

While many TV's have built-in auto-volume, if you are *desperate* you can wire in a 2-channel compressor (about $40 used on eBay, Behringer, ART, Presonus, etc.) between the STB and the TV. During "quiet" or "normal" programming, turn the threshold knob so just a little compression is applied (you will see LEDs lighting up indicating the amount of compression being applied). When a loud commercial comes on, turn the ratio knob up until it is "squishing" (attenuating) it to match the quiet programming. Finally, you can turn the overall volume of everything (the quiet program + the compressed commercials) up to a reasonable level with the makeup gain knob. I know, it's really clunky and inelegant (and not free)... but it seems people are REALLY bothered by this!

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Re: Commercials TOO Loud
Hubrisnxs
Legend

there is Dolby Volume and SRS TruVolume if you want to take matters into your own hands

http://hd.engadget.com/2009/10/09/itll-probably-take-an-act-of-congress-to-ban-loud-commercials/

http://hd.engadget.com/2009/10/09/itll-probably-take-an-act-of-congress-to-ban-loud-commercials/


Whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. Is this report really saying that those obnoxiously loud used car commercials aren't any louder than the programs they accompany? In fact, yes. Tom Feran has taken the time to actually explain how loudness works in television here in the US, and the resulting report is pretty fascinating. In essence, a typical drama will have moments of loudness and moments of quiet, and commercials that follow the show have to respect the same maximum as the show. However, unlike the program, commercials can simply max out the volume from start to finish, causing a "perceived" or "inconsistent" loudness that's just barely lawful. As you well know, British regulators are stepping in to make sure no ad is "excessively noisy or strident," but the situation in America could get worse post-2009. You see, digital broadcasts have a wider dynamic range (or loudness spectrum), leaving more room for annoying salespeople to totally invade your eardrum. Nevertheless, the article linked below is a must-read for anyone who has ever been enraged by a "ridiculously loud commercial."

[Image courtesy of Derrick Logan]
Re: Commercials TOO Loud
prisaz
Legend

Have you ever seen the applications that levelize or normalize the MP3 playback. Would be nice to have something like that in the Verizon boxes so a maximum loudness could be set by the volume control. Have it as an optional setting. What you see is what we get is fine for the pictutre, but the other could be an option for the volume. And the fact that Verizon provides what is transmitted is not 100% true. They do not add compression, but actually have to decompress mp4 from what I have read, and without native pass through the box does change the image. I suspect with mp4 abilities they will eventually have more bandwidth.

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Re: Commercials TOO Loud
BrianC
Contributor - Level 3

The only commercials that seem to be extremely loud compared to others are the FIOS On Demand commercials.  Those wake me up in the middle of the night if I accidentally leave the TV on.  So Verizon, these are your own commercials!  They don't have to be obnoxious.  The emergency broadcast message in the middle of the night doesn't seem to be as loud as the On Demand commercials.

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Re: Commercials TOO Loud
Red491
Newbie

It's 3 years later from the last post, I'm watcing NASCAR on NBC-HD, so there's no way you can say that it's the show that's quiet, and the comercials come on and the pictures on my wall start to rattle. I've also noticed that almost all shows on most of the channels have very little bass and then the commercials have the bass way up. So when I'm watching any sports (NASCAR, NFL, NHL mainly) I like to feel the game, but these commercials are rediculous. Why is there nothing being done about this? Why doesn't Verizon at least have a feature for us to be able to equalize the shows and commercails? I've played with the "Dynamic control" did nothing noticeable.

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Re: Commercials TOO Loud
PaintMan1
Newbie

Hi...

My complain is similar and some what different but its also going to force me out of verizon and go to comcast. (I don't know if they doing the same thing too,I'll have to check.

And yes Verizon seems to be all about commercials. My mayor problem is with their website, I like it but you have to mute your speaker in the middle of you reading something because some of the commercial on the page start playing whether you want to or not. I don't know about you all but I find it annoying and disrespectfull. I f I want to listen to a commercial I would click on it. I'am not paying for commercials I'am paying for a service I thought. I also finding it fony that 50/50 is not been  good enugh for strimming anymore, I'm getting some buffering issues. I'll have to go to 75/75? And if you go to them with an issue of any kind you have to keep saying no to upgrading that's seem to be a mayor issue also. Well there are my 2 cents.

Maybe Verizon will read this, the feed back section doesn't seem to work or do anyting.

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