Finally, some legislation I can get behind!

[Kaneman]

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House votes to lower volume on noisy TV ads
Bill aims to stop commercials from playing noticeably louder than programs
The Associated Press
updated 2:25 p.m. CT, Tues., Dec . 15, 2009

WASHINGTON - The House on Tuesday voted to level off the abrupt spikes in volume felt by television viewers during commercial breaks.

The bill — approved by a voice vote — is aimed at stopping TV ads from playing noticeably louder than programs.

"It's very frustrating," said Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va. "It's an annoying experience, and something really should be done about it."

Irritated by loud commercials, Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., drafted the measure after discovering it was a common complaint with the Federal Communications Commission.

Right now, the government doesn't have much say in the volume of TV ads. It's been getting grievances about commercial loudness for decades.

Correcting sound levels has its complications.

Managing the transition between programs and ads without spoiling the artistic intent of the producers poses technical challenges and may require TV broadcasters to purchase new equipment. To address the issue, an industry organization recently produced guidelines on how to process, measure and transmit audio in a uniform way.

The bill requires the FCC to adopt those recommendations from the Advanced Television Systems Committee as regulations within a year and begin enforcing them a year later.

Eshoo said the legislation would force the industry to comply with their own standards. "Volunteerism hasn't worked for 50 years," she said.

Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., addressed critics who have asked why Congress has to get involved in the matter.

"You can say, 'Well, that's fine. Just turn it off,'" Stearns said. "But it's constantly an irritant when you have to do it. And we've got all the new bowl games coming up."

An identical measure has been introduced in the Senate.

Some experts have said they are unsure whether viewers will notice much difference if the bills become law. Different volume levels can be part of storytelling. And some commercials may just seem noisy because they follow a quiet, intense scene.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34434875...-capitol_hill/

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[tommymac]

Glad they could get all that done esp with the pesky healthcatre bill getting in their way

Now thye can get on with solving the BCS issues with college football.

Tom

[shmike]

It's no wonder these guys can't find the time to read important legislation.

That would require turning off the TV.

At least the NCAA will have a play-off system and the commercials won't be too loud.

[azoomm]

People still watch live TV and don't skip commercials?

[Avatard]

I have tinnitus [job risk], and prefer to sleep with the TV on low, in order to mask the ringing.

I hate when I'm almost asleep, and something twice as loud as the program material comes on, and shouts me awake.

As an audio professional, I am often called upon in mixing and mastering to handle program levels, ensure continuity, and perform dynamics management.

This isn't rocket surgery, and the industry has proven unable to police itself.

Time to put some simple audio level management standards into place.

[101lifts2]

Why is the government involved in this? Do they hate the marketing of products this much?

Typical Democrats pushing for this...

[derf]

I like this, something finally usefull to come out of DC

[Avatard]

Wrong, can't blame the Democrats (sooooo sorry, 101), blame the constituents.

Seems this is the single largest complaint to the FCC, and something that people have been complaining to elected officials about since...well, the beginning of TV, I suppose.

Oh, nice try, 101, maybe you shoulda read the story.

[shmike]

Originally Posted by Avatard

Wrong, can't blame the Democrats (sooooo sorry, 101), blame the constituents.

Seems this is the single largest complaint to the FCC, and something that people have been complaining to elected officials about since...well, the beginning of TV, I suppose.

Oh, nice try, 101, maybe you shoulda read the story.

It was drafted and presented by a Democrat.

Commercials are louder for a reason, they need to divert your attention from discovering the apple juice in your bottle of Ocean Spray.*




*Ocean Spray does not actually contain the ocean. It does not spray. It also contains no spray of, from or by the ocean. We apologize for the false advertising and will introduce a bill into Congress to rectify the situation immediately.

[Adeptus_Minor]

Originally Posted by derf

I like this, something finally usefull to come out of DC

That's what I'm saying.