Senate votes to turn down volume on TV commercials

[3mnkids]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100930/ap_on_en_tv/us_congress_loud_commercials_

WASHINGTON – Legislation to turn down the volume on loud TV commercials that send couch potatoes diving for their remote controls looks like it'll soon become law.

The Senate late Wednesday unanimously passed a bill to require television stations and cable companies to implement industry standards capping the volume of commercials and equalizing the volume between ads and other programming.

The House has passed similar legislation but minor differences have to be worked out when Congress returns to Washington after the Nov. 2 election.

 

    loud commercials drive me crazy. 

[indianasmith]

On the one hand, this is a real problem, especially when my daughter is very sensitive to loud noises and the commercials blare out like a clap of thunder!

On the other hand, AN ACT OF CONGRESS?  Is that what it took to get something done?

Yeeks!

[The Gravekeeper]

"But Robert Thompson, a professor of television and popular
culture at Syracuse University, says Congress should have better
things to do. He says he doesn't think anyone has ever been harmed
by loud commercials." http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/79261977.html

Anyone who has watched an older TV show or movie on TV has likely been genuinely startled by the huge jump in volume when a commercial comes on. It's not so bad for newer shows, but older ones tend to be quieter so you have to turn the volume up to properly hear them. It's really unpleasant and potentially harmful if you had the volume up high to hear the program or have a fickle heart.

[Joe the Destroyer]

Economic turmoil and the like and THIS IS WHAT THEY'RE VOTING ON?  What next, is congress going to have a vote on who should be eliminated on Dancing With the Stars?

[3mnkids]

Im just thrilled they have agreed on something    

[Jack]

I always hit mute the moment the commercials come on anyway.  Between the banner ads and pop up ads - which can be extremely distracting, the umpteen minutes of commercials that make it impossible to enjoy a movie, the "Tune in next week for the premiere of [insert garbage here]" that's displayed in the corner of the screen throughout the entire show, and the 8 minutes of commercials before the last 5 minutes of the show, the networks have driven me away long ago.

[InformationGeek]

Im just thrilled they have agreed on something    

Agreed, plus it something must political parties can agree on.  I think at least...

About time this happened.  I always have to quickly turn the volume down when the commercials hit but then have to crank it up again when the show comes back on.  Glad this is suppose to solve this issue.

[Mean Machine]

Meh, damn supreme court will just rule that it violates the fre speech of advertisers and overturn it.

[dean]

We have, from memory, a law where broadcasters/advertisers cannot exceed a certain dB level, thereby limiting the volume.

BUT, what you find is that some advertisers use a trick where they fill the ad with more sounds: the volume doesn't exceed the limit, but because there's more noise there compared to the TV/Show movie, which was probably just people talking [a relatively quiet thing] then you notice a big jump.

I wonder really what the point is: Ads always sound louder because TV shows are usually quiet right before the break [dramatic pause as the characters ponder and then black, and then ads]

[Jim H]

Meh, damn supreme court will just rule that it violates the fre speech of advertisers and overturn it.

No.  Advertisers have highly restricted free speech already.  There have already been numerous supreme court decisions about restrictions, actually.  That's why outright lies in advertising aren't legal (though misleading ads can be). 

[The Gravekeeper]

Meh, damn supreme court will just rule that it violates the fre speech of advertisers and overturn it.

No.  Advertisers have highly restricted free speech already.  There have already been numerous supreme court decisions about restrictions, actually.  That's why outright lies in advertising aren't legal (though misleading ads can be). 

Free speech ain't free. You can say almost whatever you like as long as no one gets hurt as a result of what you're saying (hence why advertisers can't outright lie in any way that leaves evidence that they did so. Homeopathic practioners get away with it because the smarter ones don't write it down).

[Mr. DS]

I am for loud commercials and am protesting this bill.


Ok I'm not...I actually hate it when I fall asleep with the tv on and one wakes me up.  It happens at least twice a week.