http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_Advertisement_Loudness_Mitigation_Act (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_Advertisement_Loudness_Mitigation_Act)
The Obama administration thinks it's very important that television commercials are too loud. This certainly seems like a prudent usage of tax payer's dollars. [/sarcasm]
Will this be used to bailout TV owners so they can afford to get a "volume down" or, if they are feeling extravagant, "mute" button on their TV control?
THIS IS IMPORTANT GUBBMINT BIZNIZ!
/
:redneck2:
When I heard that the senate had passed this unanimously, I was excited.
I will not miss being blasted with sound as soon as a commercial break starts.
It is, admittedly, rather annoying. I've noticed a steady creep in this particular tactic over here, as if they think making me deaf will somehow render me more likely to buy their shitty products (with what money?). But that's what the volume control on the remote is for.
If only it were so easy!
Quote from: Cain on January 11, 2011, 03:05:54 PM
It is, admittedly, rather annoying. I've noticed a steady creep in this particular tactic over here, as if they think making me deaf will somehow render me more likely to buy their shitty products (with what money?). But that's what the volume control on the remote is for.
Yes. Fucking yes.
fuck adjusting the volume 4 times every 30 minutes. Ever fall asleep with the TV on? Invariably you get startled awake by a mountain dew commercial. Glad that shit's getting regulated because it's a cheap marketing trick and it annoys everybody.
I usually DVR network shows, and just fast forward through the commercials.
When watching sports, the volume is already pretty fucking loud, so there's not much of a difference.
And I don't sleep with the TV on... that's when the brain gnomes come out and infest your skull.
Quote from: Cramulus on January 11, 2011, 03:04:01 PM
When I heard that the senate had passed this unanimously, I was excited.
I will not miss being blasted with sound as soon as a commercial break starts.
yeah, it's pretty damn annoying, agreed. But seriously, just turn the fucking tv down, don't write new legislation.
Besides, this should already fall under the powers of the FCC to regulate. And you don't need new technology either. The technology has existed for decades. Companies have just been mastering their commercial sound tracks at a higher volume. Fuck em if that's how they want to play it, turn it down at the desk inline to the broadcast feed and if there's any quality lost, they'll stop doing it.
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 02:58:59 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_Advertisement_Loudness_Mitigation_Act (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_Advertisement_Loudness_Mitigation_Act)
The Obama administration thinks it's very important that television commercials are too loud. This certainly seems like a prudent usage of tax payer's dollars. [/sarcasm]
From what I gather, the volume level of commercials is jacked WAY the fuck up in the evening and at night.
I support this act.
I don't think I've ever fallen asleep with the TV on...though falling asleep with the radio one did lead to some severely fucked up dreams (this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boosh_%28radio_series%29) may have been the reason for it). Also, with the mute button, once you turn it off, the TV comes back on at the same volume.
Also, what LMNO said about downloading programs so there are no adverts at all.
True, true...But I'm supporting it on principle. It's bad enough that we are subjected to commercials. Having to dodge ear-damaging volumes is even worse.
Fair enough. I'm not especially invested in this....I just find it rather amusing that minor and easily solved annoyances like this are being taken seriously by Congress when the Eurozone is tanking, North and South Korea are threatening to go to war again and, well, basically everything else in the news.
Then again, this is The People's Congress...
:lulz:
Oh that's a great use of our time and money. Well at least the god damned government can be bipartisan when it doesn't fucking matter.
:horrormirth:
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 03:13:53 PM
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 02:58:59 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_Advertisement_Loudness_Mitigation_Act (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_Advertisement_Loudness_Mitigation_Act)
The Obama administration thinks it's very important that television commercials are too loud. This certainly seems like a prudent usage of tax payer's dollars. [/sarcasm]
From what I gather, the volume level of commercials is jacked WAY the fuck up in the evening and at night.
I support this act.
It is
much louder in the evenings. We don't have cable so there is no buffer for the sound, if you aren't on the volume button in seconds you get blasted.
I support this act as well!!!
Quote from: Cain on January 11, 2011, 03:27:30 PM
Fair enough. I'm not especially invested in this....I just find it rather amusing that minor and easily solved annoyances like this are being taken seriously by Congress when the Eurozone is tanking, North and South Korea are threatening to go to war again and, well, basically everything else in the news.
Then again, this is The People's Congress...
I expect congressmen to be able to chew bubble gum and walk at the same time.
Just because they've proven that they can't is no reason to lower my standards.
Whether or not its annoying is NOT the issue here. It's whether you think it's the government's job to be policing the volume of televised advertisements.
I say it is not their job.
Well, the industry's not regulating itself, and it's not something that can be easily affected by consumer behavior, so... what would YOU do?
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 03:31:18 PM
Whether or not its annoying is NOT the issue here. It's whether you think it's the government's job to be policing the volume of televised advertisements.
I say it is not their job.
The FCC says otherwise. They are the ones who took cigarette ads off of TV, for example. From a United States point of view, it's regulating trade, which IS a constitutional function of the government.
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 03:31:18 PM
Whether or not its annoying is NOT the issue here. It's whether you think it's the government's job to be policing the volume of televised advertisements.
I say it is not their job.
Well it falls under the FCC's jurisdiction and they are a government entity....
If it isn't their job who's is it?Yeah what Roger said! :D
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on January 11, 2011, 03:32:24 PM
Well, the industry's not regulating itself, and it's not something that can be easily affected by consumer behavior, so... what would YOU do?
Ignore it?
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 03:34:54 PM
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 03:31:18 PM
Whether or not its annoying is NOT the issue here. It's whether you think it's the government's job to be policing the volume of televised advertisements.
I say it is not their job.
The FCC says otherwise. They are the ones who took cigarette ads off of TV, for example. From a United States point of view, it's regulating trade, which IS a constitutional function of the government.
Don't get me started on the FCC or the CRBC...
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 03:36:03 PM
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on January 11, 2011, 03:32:24 PM
Well, the industry's not regulating itself, and it's not something that can be easily affected by consumer behavior, so... what would YOU do?
Ignore it?
Fuck that, Hoops. These people are doing their best to deafen the people in my home.
They can state the case for their product at the save volume as the rest of the broadcast, or lump it.
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 03:36:32 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 03:34:54 PM
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 03:31:18 PM
Whether or not its annoying is NOT the issue here. It's whether you think it's the government's job to be policing the volume of televised advertisements.
I say it is not their job.
The FCC says otherwise. They are the ones who took cigarette ads off of TV, for example. From a United States point of view, it's regulating trade, which IS a constitutional function of the government.
Don't get me started on the FCC or the CRBC...
They're (the FCC) constitutional.
I'm pretty sure the FCC already regulates radio commercial volume - why not TV as well? I had a radio show very briefly, and we had to keep watching the volume meter to make sure it was within a certain range. On the radio, you can actually get fined for suddenly blasting your listeners with high volume sounds.
I gotta admit I'm a bit surprised at the number of people here who are defensive of having to adjust the volume every time a commercial comes on. I mean it's not like this is a free speech issue. But the US government isn't in good favor right now so everything they does seems like WTF IS THIS SHIT :tgrr:
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 03:37:44 PM
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 03:36:32 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 03:34:54 PM
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 03:31:18 PM
Whether or not its annoying is NOT the issue here. It's whether you think it's the government's job to be policing the volume of televised advertisements.
I say it is not their job.
The FCC says otherwise. They are the ones who took cigarette ads off of TV, for example. From a United States point of view, it's regulating trade, which IS a constitutional function of the government.
Don't get me started on the FCC or the CRBC...
They're (the FCC) constitutional.
Doesn't the FCC violate the First Amendment?
As I see it, the FCC was created for radio because there was a limited amount of radio frequencies. They have no purpose now other than to be intrusive and controlling.
I cannot find it within myself to see how the volume of commercials can be important enough to be given time and money.
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 03:45:41 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 03:37:44 PM
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 03:36:32 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 03:34:54 PM
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 03:31:18 PM
Whether or not its annoying is NOT the issue here. It's whether you think it's the government's job to be policing the volume of televised advertisements.
I say it is not their job.
The FCC says otherwise. They are the ones who took cigarette ads off of TV, for example. From a United States point of view, it's regulating trade, which IS a constitutional function of the government.
Don't get me started on the FCC or the CRBC...
They're (the FCC) constitutional.
Doesn't the FCC violate the First Amendment?
As I see it, the FCC was created for radio because there was a limited amount of radio frequencies. They have no purpose now other than to be intrusive and controlling.
I cannot find it within myself to see how the volume of commercials can be important enough to be given time and money.
Nope: They are also responsible for enforcing fraudulent claims made on TV, and - I disagree with this part - enforcing a common code of decency on air.
It is interesting to note that there are not an infinite amount of bands to broadcast television on, either.
Fair enough.
I still don't care for this act.
I say FUCK YA. And I don't even watch TV anymore.
Quote from: Cramulus on January 11, 2011, 03:39:16 PM
I'm pretty sure the FCC already regulates radio commercial volume - why not TV as well? I had a radio show very briefly, and we had to keep watching the volume meter to make sure it was within a certain range. On the radio, you can actually get fined for suddenly blasting your listeners with high volume sounds.
I gotta admit I'm a bit surprised at the number of people here who are defensive of having to adjust the volume every time a commercial comes on. I mean it's not like this is a free speech issue. But the US government isn't in good favor right now so everything they does seems like WTF IS THIS SHIT :tgrr:
my reasoning is this: you're already doing the least possible amount of activity available to you. If having to turn down the volume (which was probably much higher than needed or is healthy) is too much fucking work then you should probably just pack it up and get off the planet. Helping americans become even more fucking lazy tv watchers gets under my skin a bit.
We don't want to do it ourselves so lets get the government to do it for us.
I always mute commercials.
However, I do support this legislation simply because it prevents those idiots from fucking up anything important.
Well as someone who uses the news as her "background noise" it is preferable to have a fairly steady volume. I think maybe some of y'all should hook up a regular antenna to your tv for an evening and see just how loud these non-buffered commercials are IRL and not from cable. When you can turn the commercial volume down to 3 to match the tv show volume of 16, there is a problem.
It's not laziness or really annoyance as much as my neighbors banging on the fucking walls if I'm not right there to turn the volume down. God forbid I have to pee.....
I mean seriously, you are going from la la la la to COMMERCIAL with little or no warning sometimes. It can scare the crap out of you if you aren't paying attention.
Well, I've found having two small children running around the living room easily drowns out the loud commercials.
Quote from: Niamh on January 11, 2011, 04:10:58 PM
Well as someone who uses the news as her "background noise" it is preferable to have a fairly steady volume. I think maybe some of y'all should hook up a regular antenna to your tv for an evening and see just how loud these non-buffered commercials are IRL and not from cable. When you can turn the commercial volume down to 3 to match the tv show volume of 16, there is a problem.
It's not laziness or really annoyance as much as my neighbors banging on the fucking walls if I'm not right there to turn the volume down. God forbid I have to pee.....
I mean seriously, you are going from la la la la to COMMERCIAL with little or no warning sometimes. It can scare the crap out of you if you aren't paying attention.
Isn't it actually the dictionary definition of lazy?
lazy |ˈlāzē|adjective ( lazier , laziest )1 unwilling to work or use energy
Quote from: The Dancing Pickle on January 11, 2011, 04:02:42 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on January 11, 2011, 03:39:16 PM
I'm pretty sure the FCC already regulates radio commercial volume - why not TV as well? I had a radio show very briefly, and we had to keep watching the volume meter to make sure it was within a certain range. On the radio, you can actually get fined for suddenly blasting your listeners with high volume sounds.
I gotta admit I'm a bit surprised at the number of people here who are defensive of having to adjust the volume every time a commercial comes on. I mean it's not like this is a free speech issue. But the US government isn't in good favor right now so everything they does seems like WTF IS THIS SHIT :tgrr:
my reasoning is this: you're already doing the least possible amount of activity available to you. If having to turn down the volume (which was probably much higher than needed or is healthy) is too much fucking work then you should probably just pack it up and get off the planet. Helping americans become even more fucking lazy tv watchers gets under my skin a bit.
We don't want to do it ourselves so lets get the government to do it for us.
it sounds like you don't think it's the government's job to protect us from annoying marketing tactics
but it IS the government's job to make sure that we're "less lazy"
I don't really understand how not wanting to be blasted with sound = laziness
it's not like the threshold between Living Vegetable and Hercules will get any narrower by making people to adjust the volume 4+ times every 30 minutes.
and it's not like anybody's saying
waaaah it's too much work to turn down the TV... it's more like, why should we be subjected to these annoying marketing tactics in the first place? You can't even hold a conversation over some commercials.
Quote from: Cramulus on January 11, 2011, 04:14:08 PM
it sounds like you don't think it's the government's job to protect us from annoying marketing tactics
I
don't think it's the government's job to protect us from annoying marketing tactics. I believe it's the government's job to protect us from invading forces.
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 04:15:30 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on January 11, 2011, 04:14:08 PM
it sounds like you don't think it's the government's job to protect us from annoying marketing tactics
I don't think it's the government's job to protect us from annoying marketing tactics. I believe it's the government's job to protect us from invading forces.
Mexicans! Dammit!
Quote from: Cramulus on January 11, 2011, 04:14:08 PM
Quote from: The Dancing Pickle on January 11, 2011, 04:02:42 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on January 11, 2011, 03:39:16 PM
I'm pretty sure the FCC already regulates radio commercial volume - why not TV as well? I had a radio show very briefly, and we had to keep watching the volume meter to make sure it was within a certain range. On the radio, you can actually get fined for suddenly blasting your listeners with high volume sounds.
I gotta admit I'm a bit surprised at the number of people here who are defensive of having to adjust the volume every time a commercial comes on. I mean it's not like this is a free speech issue. But the US government isn't in good favor right now so everything they does seems like WTF IS THIS SHIT :tgrr:
my reasoning is this: you're already doing the least possible amount of activity available to you. If having to turn down the volume (which was probably much higher than needed or is healthy) is too much fucking work then you should probably just pack it up and get off the planet. Helping americans become even more fucking lazy tv watchers gets under my skin a bit.
We don't want to do it ourselves so lets get the government to do it for us.
it sounds like you don't think it's the government's job to protect us from annoying marketing tactics
but it IS the government's job to make sure that we're "less lazy"
I don't really understand how not wanting to be blasted with sound = laziness
it's not like the threshold between Living Vegetable and Hercules will get any narrower by making people to adjust the volume 4+ times every 30 minutes.
and it's not like anybody's saying waaaah it's too much work to turn down the TV... it's more like, why should we be subjected to these annoying marketing tactics in the first place? You can't even hold a conversation over some commercials.
come on Cram, thinking it's not the governments job to protect us from annoying marketing tactics does not translate to advocating for the government to make sure we're less lazy.
knowing the sorts of things you usually post, I have to call willful misinterpretation on that.
If you can't hold a conversation over the commercials, you probably have the volume up too high during the program too.
S'ok Hoops, condsidering y'all watch what? The Curling channel 24/7 up there, I'm sure you look forward to the commercials so you don't stab yourself in the fucking eye.
However, until you have actually experienced the huge volume jump in commercials (and it is not minor, I tried to explain, but I guess you didn't or couldn't read) you really have no true opinion on any of it!
Oh look, your metal disc isn't being swept in front of properly.....
Quote from: Niamh on January 11, 2011, 04:24:18 PM
S'ok Hoops, condsidering y'all watch what? The Curling channel 24/7 up there, I'm sure you look forward to the commercials so you don't stab yourself in the fucking eye.
However, until you have actually experienced the huge volume jump in commercials (and it is not minor, I tried to explain, but I guess you didn't or couldn't read) you really have no true opinion on any of it!
Oh look, your metal disc isn't being swept in front of properly.....
Oh, a Canadian joke! How precious.
I guess we're done here.
Quote from: Niamh on January 11, 2011, 04:24:18 PM
S'ok Hoops, condsidering y'all watch what? The Curling channel 24/7 up there, I'm sure you look forward to the commercials so you don't stab yourself in the fucking eye.
However, until you have actually experienced the huge volume jump in commercials (and it is not minor, I tried to explain, but I guess you didn't or couldn't read) you really have no true opinion on any of it!
Oh look, your metal disc isn't being swept in front of properly.....
Speaking as someone who grew up watching Canadian Television, you have no fucking clue of what you're talking about.
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 04:15:30 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on January 11, 2011, 04:14:08 PM
it sounds like you don't think it's the government's job to protect us from annoying marketing tactics
I don't think it's the government's job to protect us from annoying marketing tactics. I believe it's the government's job to protect us from invading forces.
Somebody has to keep corporations playing fair, or they simply won't.
I'm reminded of how General Mills was presenting Cheerios as if it was a form of medicine. the FDA stepped in and said "If you're going to make a medical claim, you
do have to go through a clinical trial."
Quote from: The Dancing Pickle on January 11, 2011, 04:20:35 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on January 11, 2011, 04:14:08 PM
Quote from: The Dancing Pickle on January 11, 2011, 04:02:42 PM
Quote from: Cramulus on January 11, 2011, 03:39:16 PM
I'm pretty sure the FCC already regulates radio commercial volume - why not TV as well? I had a radio show very briefly, and we had to keep watching the volume meter to make sure it was within a certain range. On the radio, you can actually get fined for suddenly blasting your listeners with high volume sounds.
I gotta admit I'm a bit surprised at the number of people here who are defensive of having to adjust the volume every time a commercial comes on. I mean it's not like this is a free speech issue. But the US government isn't in good favor right now so everything they does seems like WTF IS THIS SHIT :tgrr:
my reasoning is this: you're already doing the least possible amount of activity available to you. If having to turn down the volume (which was probably much higher than needed or is healthy) is too much fucking work then you should probably just pack it up and get off the planet. Helping americans become even more fucking lazy tv watchers gets under my skin a bit.
We don't want to do it ourselves so lets get the government to do it for us.
it sounds like you don't think it's the government's job to protect us from annoying marketing tactics
but it IS the government's job to make sure that we're "less lazy"
I don't really understand how not wanting to be blasted with sound = laziness
it's not like the threshold between Living Vegetable and Hercules will get any narrower by making people to adjust the volume 4+ times every 30 minutes.
and it's not like anybody's saying waaaah it's too much work to turn down the TV... it's more like, why should we be subjected to these annoying marketing tactics in the first place? You can't even hold a conversation over some commercials.
come on Cram, thinking it's not the governments job to protect us from annoying marketing tactics does not translate to advocating for the government to make sure we're less lazy.
knowing the sorts of things you usually post, I have to call willful misinterpretation on that.
If you can't hold a conversation over the commercials, you probably have the volume up too high during the program too.
your post indicated that you think the government is "Helping americans become even more fucking lazy" - which to me sounds like you think government policies should be influenced by the potential impact on "public laziness". Personally, I don't think that should be a factor. If people want to be lazy, Columbia bless them.
"willful misinterpretation" - eat a bag of double dipped chocolate dicks
anyway, let me present an alternate universe
let's pretend that the new wave in marketing is fliers. In this bizarro USA, marketers visit your house each night and slip some commercial inserts under your door. Every day, you go to your car, and there are 15 sheets of paper jammed underneath your windshield. The government passes a law saying you can't do this, or maybe you're only allowed to put up 1 flier per evening. The logical counterargument is "what, are you too lazy to remove a few sheet of paper from your windshield? That shit takes like 3 seconds." laziness isn't the point - the point is that the tactic was wasteful, annoying, and intrusive. If everybody in the country is annoyed by it, (notice nobody is saying "I love loud commercials") why shouldn't the government do something to reel it in?
I love loud commercials.
Well, not love. It's more like a long term infatuation...but whatever.
Important to never forget that corporations are profit maximizers. They the hounds of mammon, and none but the dread Usgov can hold them at bay.
Hoops is forgetting the public safety aspect of this issue.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 04:39:06 PM
Hoops is forgetting the public safety aspect of this issue.
No no, I have no opinion because all we watch up here is curling. My mistake.
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 04:40:47 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 04:39:06 PM
Hoops is forgetting the public safety aspect of this issue.
No no, I have no opinion because all we watch up here is curling. My mistake.
Okay, my joke is now ruined. Out of this thread, for good.
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 04:40:47 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 04:39:06 PM
Hoops is forgetting the public safety aspect of this issue.
No no, I have no opinion because all we watch up here is curling. My mistake.
Y'know, when you ascribe the asshattery of one poster to the rest of the group, it gives you the appearance of being petty and bitchy.
Have it out with Nimah if you must, but don't accuse the rest of us of belittling your posts.
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on January 11, 2011, 04:45:56 PM
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 04:40:47 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 04:39:06 PM
Hoops is forgetting the public safety aspect of this issue.
No no, I have no opinion because all we watch up here is curling. My mistake.
Y'know, when you ascribe the asshattery of one poster to the rest of the group, it gives you the appearance of being petty and bitchy.
Have it out with Nimah if you must, but don't accuse the rest of us of belittling your posts.
But what if I am petty and bitchy?
Quote from: Rev. What's-His-Name? on January 11, 2011, 04:13:34 PM
Well, I've found having two small children running around the living room easily drowns out the loud commercials.
You Monster! It's the children's spongy little minds that need protecting the most! Exposing them to pollutants like that, forces them to engage in acts that children are too young to understand or know what's being done to them........
Before you know it, they'll be five years old, with the next 80 year's worth of Brand Loyalties, in undeletable jingle format rattling around their poor little brains. My friend's 3 year old son already knows which Motor Insurance Brokers he will use, which Credit card he'll have, which Premium Lager is best, ("Due to the freshestt Fuggles Hops, and their unique "Triple cold filtering process") He's never even been properly drunk yet, and he already knows he wants a Tequila Chaser with his Pint. That can't be right in a three year old, surely?
I blame teh Gubmant and Bill Shatner.
QuoteIf people want to be lazy, Columbia bless them.
fair enough. I still don't think you need new legislation when the FCC has it within their power to do this.
Quote"willful misinterpretation" - eat a bag of double dipped chocolate dicks
Were I a guy who liked dicks, that would sound very tasty indeed.
Quotelet's pretend that the new wave in marketing is fliers. In this bizarro USA, marketers visit your house each night and slip some commercial inserts under your door. Every day, you go to your car, and there are 15 sheets of paper jammed underneath your windshield. The government passes a law saying you can't do this, or maybe you're only allowed to put up 1 flier per evening. The logical counterargument is "what, are you too lazy to remove a few sheet of paper from your windshield? That shit takes like 3 seconds." laziness isn't the point - the point is that the tactic was wasteful, annoying, and intrusive. If everybody in the country is annoyed by it, (notice nobody is saying "I love loud commercials") why shouldn't the government do something to reel it in?
ok, except that this tactic is not wasteful (that I can see) it IS annoying and intrusive, but again if it's so damn loud that you can't have a conversation over the commercial, it was probably too loud during the program as well.
I can see a fair argument being made that I should be able to set my TV at one volume and not have to continually adjust the volume or risk damaging a speaker, as I bought the TV with the expectation that that's how it would function.
Quote from: Rev. What's-His-Name? on January 11, 2011, 04:31:53 PM
Quote from: Niamh on January 11, 2011, 04:24:18 PM
S'ok Hoops, condsidering y'all watch what? The Curling channel 24/7 up there, I'm sure you look forward to the commercials so you don't stab yourself in the fucking eye.
However, until you have actually experienced the huge volume jump in commercials (and it is not minor, I tried to explain, but I guess you didn't or couldn't read) you really have no true opinion on any of it!
Oh look, your metal disc isn't being swept in front of properly.....
Speaking as someone who grew up watching Canadian Television, you have no fucking clue of what you're talking about.
You know, I was being a sarcastic bitch because he called me lazy. I am well aware of what is and isn't on Canadien TV. But s'ok I'm done as well.
Quote from: The Dancing Pickle on January 11, 2011, 04:50:47 PM
ok, except that this tactic is not wasteful (that I can see) it IS annoying and intrusive, but again if it's so damn loud that you can't have a conversation over the commercial, it was probably too loud during the program as well.
the POINT of putting commercials up that high is that they suddenly grab your attention. It's MEANT to keep you from having a conversation IMHO.
QuoteI can see a fair argument being made that I should be able to set my TV at one volume and not have to continually adjust the volume or risk damaging a speaker, as I bought the TV with the expectation that that's how it would function.
exactly! You want to watch TV at a certain volume, so you set it to that level.
This works for about 6 minutes, and then you have to adjust it again
and 6 minutes later you have to adjust it again
and 6 minutes later you have to adjust it again
and 6 minutes later you have to adjust it again
whyyyyy? just so that somebody can be totally sure that I am paying attention to their commercial? If I wanted to hear it that loud, I'd turn my TV up!
Aren't there some newer TVs that can automatically adjust the volume to minimize the unsuspected blaring? If not there should be damnit! C'mon private sector, don't let me down!!!!
Quote from: Cramulus on January 11, 2011, 04:55:03 PM
Quote from: The Dancing Pickle on January 11, 2011, 04:50:47 PM
ok, except that this tactic is not wasteful (that I can see) it IS annoying and intrusive, but again if it's so damn loud that you can't have a conversation over the commercial, it was probably too loud during the program as well.
the POINT of putting commercials up that high is that they suddenly grab your attention. It's MEANT to keep you from having a conversation IMHO.
QuoteI can see a fair argument being made that I should be able to set my TV at one volume and not have to continually adjust the volume or risk damaging a speaker, as I bought the TV with the expectation that that's how it would function.
exactly! You want to watch TV at a certain volume, so you set it to that level.
This works for about 6 minutes, and then you have to adjust it again
and 6 minutes later you have to adjust it again
and 6 minutes later you have to adjust it again
and 6 minutes later you have to adjust it again
whyyyyy? just so that somebody can be totally sure that I am paying attention to their commercial? If I wanted to hear it that loud, I'd turn my TV up!
To be clear, I'm not saying the loud commercials are not annoying. They are.
I just don't think this is an issue for the government.
TBH, I'm okay with this. There's NO REASON for commecials to be that loud, it's not going to make anyone any more likely to buy a particular product. I don't watch a lot of television, but when I do, this kind of thing bugs the fuck out of me (Sure, I could mute the TV, but that's not the point. The point is, if I, every fifteen minutes decided to bust into someones house and start yelling, I'd be "disturbing the peace," but because these guys are advertising, so it's OK?)
Anyhow, while I'm all for this, I think it's only begining to scratch the surface of putting an end to deceitful/unethical advertising practices. Things I'd like to see addressed:
Commercials that contain no actual information about a given product, and, instead, shove a "cute" cgi character in your face telling you that "Geico is #1 in Car Insurance." (Seriously, watch some of these commercials. Sure, you and I know better than to let a cartoon tell us what to purchase, but I think we can all agree that most of us are an exception, and not the "rule").
False and generaized claims. I don't understand how many companies are allowed to make certain claims. No specific example comes to mind, but it seems that it's okay for companies to fudge, or completely fabricate statistics, and, sometimes, are allowed to outright lie about the quality/effectiveness of the product.
Pharmaceuticals should not be advertised on television. Your doctor, or a trained and licensed physician should be helping you decide what type of medication you should be taking. Not Pfizer.
Mega-corporations over-advertising. Seriously, who here has never heard of McDonalds? Quick answer: No one. If a company makes over a certain amount per year, they should be limited to certain types of advertising. I mean, really, does McDonalds, at this point, even NEED to advertise? Hell no, they're doing just fine. Plus, the only reason they DO advertise (because they know that everyone knows McDonalds) is so they can hook children into yelling and screaming "I WANT A HAPPY MEAL!"
In fact, while we're at it, there should be some form of regulation concerned with advertising to children (they axed Joe Camel, because ciggarettes are dangerous. Why not get rid of the Hamburgler, because triple bypass surgery is also dangerous?). It's really an underhanded tactic. You would be SO pissed if some member of a religious group tried to "indoctrinate" your child behind your back, but are you really okay with McDonalds, etc., doing it?
Plus, I think any company using words like "door buster" to advertise a sale should be arrested for attempting to incite a riot.
In the end, it doesn't matter, because TV stations exist because of advertisers. And as soon as this piece of regulation goes into effect, it's only a matter of time before companies "convince" the TV stations to LOWER the volume of their programming, basically bringing us right back where we started.
Quote from: Rev. What's-His-Name? on January 11, 2011, 04:57:17 PM
Aren't there some newer TVs that can automatically adjust the volume to minimize the unsuspected blaring? If not there should be damnit! C'mon private sector, don't let me down!!!!
I'm sure there are. It's not like it's new technology.
Run your stereo through a hard limiting compressor with a low threshold.
Anyway, before this gets much further, I'd like to point out that there is more to a loud commercial than merely volume.
It's long been known in music production circles that if you play two separate mixes for someone, and the only difference is that mix B is 3dB louder (and you keep that a secret from the listener), they will prefer mix B. If pushed for a reason why, they will imagine that the EQ is "brighter", or that there's more "energy" in the mix*.
The point being, there's a psychological element at play when the commercials are louder. It excites the nervous system (which triggers the endocrine system) in ways that a low volume commercial won't. So the manipulation isn't just "louder so it gets your attention". The manipulation affects your subconcious in ways you aren't aware of.
Just thought I'd throw that out there.
*Technically, that's true. There is more acoustical energy when you make it louder. Doesn't affect the mix itself, though.
Maybe it excites the nervous system to such a degree you can snatch at the controls and turn it down before you even consciously realize it's loud?
You're so negative, LMNO, always willing to believe the worst of advertising people. They just want to help us, and this is another example of their kind and giving nature.
In regards to Roger and LMNO's posts above, I would like to attempt to retract the attitude I was dishing out at those who didn't deserve it, when I should have saved it just for Niamh.
Niamh, if the only insult you can think up to throw at me when I call you lazy for being lazy is to make a Canadian joke it only shows you have not being paying enough attention... my faults are numerous and perfect fodder for zingers, why mock me for the accidental circumstance of the place I was born when there is so much more you could be mocking?
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on January 11, 2011, 05:05:13 PM
Run your stereo through a hard limiting compressor with a low threshold.
Anyway, before this gets much further, I'd like to point out that there is more to a loud commercial than merely volume.
It's long been known in music production circles that if you play two separate mixes for someone, and the only difference is that mix B is 3dB louder (and you keep that a secret from the listener), they will prefer mix B. If pushed for a reason why, they will imagine that the EQ is "brighter", or that there's more "energy" in the mix*.
The point being, there's a psychological element at play when the commercials are louder. It excites the nervous system (which triggers the endocrine system) in ways that a low volume commercial won't. So the manipulation isn't just "louder so it gets your attention". The manipulation affects your subconcious in ways you aren't aware of.
Just thought I'd throw that out there.
*Technically, that's true. There is more acoustical energy when you make it louder. Doesn't affect the mix itself, though.
It;s not working for me, it just makes me mute them.
Quote from: Cain on January 11, 2011, 05:08:59 PM
Maybe it excites the nervous system to such a degree you can snatch at the controls and turn it down before you even consciously realize it's loud?
You're so negative, LMNO, always willing to believe the worst of advertising people. They just want to help us, and this is another example of their kind and giving nature.
Good point.
And now, a word from our sponsors:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v711/Marburger/cokerevolution-1.jpg)
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on January 11, 2011, 05:13:49 PM
Quote from: Cain on January 11, 2011, 05:08:59 PM
Maybe it excites the nervous system to such a degree you can snatch at the controls and turn it down before you even consciously realize it's loud?
You're so negative, LMNO, always willing to believe the worst of advertising people. They just want to help us, and this is another example of their kind and giving nature.
Good point.
And now, a word from our sponsors:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v711/Marburger/cokerevolution-1.jpg)
:spittake:
I've been waiting years to use that again.
Quote from: Charley Brown on January 11, 2011, 05:09:28 PM
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on January 11, 2011, 05:05:13 PM
Run your stereo through a hard limiting compressor with a low threshold.
Anyway, before this gets much further, I'd like to point out that there is more to a loud commercial than merely volume.
It's long been known in music production circles that if you play two separate mixes for someone, and the only difference is that mix B is 3dB louder (and you keep that a secret from the listener), they will prefer mix B. If pushed for a reason why, they will imagine that the EQ is "brighter", or that there's more "energy" in the mix*.
The point being, there's a psychological element at play when the commercials are louder. It excites the nervous system (which triggers the endocrine system) in ways that a low volume commercial won't. So the manipulation isn't just "louder so it gets your attention". The manipulation affects your subconcious in ways you aren't aware of.
Just thought I'd throw that out there.
*Technically, that's true. There is more acoustical energy when you make it louder. Doesn't affect the mix itself, though.
It;s not working for me, it just makes me mute them.
Then how do you know which brand of Orange Juice to buy? Or washing Powder? :?
Everybody stop PMing me until I can figure out how to turn the butthurt down.
Look, I can make this REALLY easy. There is a certain contingent - of which I used to be a member - that comes here DESPERATE to get pissed off. Even though I now consider that the lazy man's rage, I AM a Holy Man™, and I am in fact here to help you. Respond to this thread, and I'll wound your fucking inner child. Then you'll get what you came for, and everyone will be happy.
Hell, I ought to start a new thread, just for this.
Quote from: BadBeast on January 11, 2011, 05:17:22 PM
Quote from: Charley Brown on January 11, 2011, 05:09:28 PM
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on January 11, 2011, 05:05:13 PM
Run your stereo through a hard limiting compressor with a low threshold.
Anyway, before this gets much further, I'd like to point out that there is more to a loud commercial than merely volume.
It's long been known in music production circles that if you play two separate mixes for someone, and the only difference is that mix B is 3dB louder (and you keep that a secret from the listener), they will prefer mix B. If pushed for a reason why, they will imagine that the EQ is "brighter", or that there's more "energy" in the mix*.
The point being, there's a psychological element at play when the commercials are louder. It excites the nervous system (which triggers the endocrine system) in ways that a low volume commercial won't. So the manipulation isn't just "louder so it gets your attention". The manipulation affects your subconcious in ways you aren't aware of.
Just thought I'd throw that out there.
*Technically, that's true. There is more acoustical energy when you make it louder. Doesn't affect the mix itself, though.
It;s not working for me, it just makes me mute them.
Then how do you know which brand of Orange Juice to buy? Or washing Powder? :?
I watch the pictures.
Quote from: Charley Brown on January 11, 2011, 05:14:55 PM
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on January 11, 2011, 05:13:49 PM
Quote from: Cain on January 11, 2011, 05:08:59 PM
Maybe it excites the nervous system to such a degree you can snatch at the controls and turn it down before you even consciously realize it's loud?
You're so negative, LMNO, always willing to believe the worst of advertising people. They just want to help us, and this is another example of their kind and giving nature.
Good point.
And now, a word from our sponsors:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v711/Marburger/cokerevolution-1.jpg)
:spittake:
Forget loud commercials. Nanny filters! They ruin jokes and make pandas sad. :x
Quote from: Charley Brown on January 11, 2011, 05:19:17 PM
Quote from: BadBeast on January 11, 2011, 05:17:22 PM
Quote from: Charley Brown on January 11, 2011, 05:09:28 PM
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on January 11, 2011, 05:05:13 PM
Run your stereo through a hard limiting compressor with a low threshold.
Anyway, before this gets much further, I'd like to point out that there is more to a loud commercial than merely volume.
It's long been known in music production circles that if you play two separate mixes for someone, and the only difference is that mix B is 3dB louder (and you keep that a secret from the listener), they will prefer mix B. If pushed for a reason why, they will imagine that the EQ is "brighter", or that there's more "energy" in the mix*.
The point being, there's a psychological element at play when the commercials are louder. It excites the nervous system (which triggers the endocrine system) in ways that a low volume commercial won't. So the manipulation isn't just "louder so it gets your attention". The manipulation affects your subconcious in ways you aren't aware of.
Just thought I'd throw that out there.
*Technically, that's true. There is more acoustical energy when you make it louder. Doesn't affect the mix itself, though.
It;s not working for me, it just makes me mute them.
Then how do you know which brand of Orange Juice to buy? Or washing Powder? :?
I watch the pictures.
Gaah! The Pictures! They're even worse.
If there is some concern that the well being of peoples ears are actually at risk, then it falls under FCC guidelines and doesn't need a new rule.
If the concern is "its annoying" then its not the federal governments job to fix.
---Side Rant---
I don't care much for commercials either, but that's how most broadcast stations and cable networks pay to be on the air. Running a station is expensive, paying for network affiliation is fucking expensive, paying studios for access to television shows... also expensive.
So either you can pay for channels that are premium, thus paying for the material you watch directly, you can 'pay-per-view', or you can run up an antenna (or watch basic cable) and get "free" content along with commercials. I don't understand bitching about commercials and still watching television.
if you don't want to be hit by marketing, don't watch free TV. If you want to watch free TV, deal with the marketing.
Goddamn, why do people think they have some kind of right to be entertained for free?
Everything costs money. Every fucking piece of equipment that supports Radio, TV or the Internet costs money. Often its a huge investment... yet somehow normally intelligent, thoughtful people freak out because 'marketing is evil'. How the hell do you expect all that hardware, software, time and effort to be paid for?*
*and don't even get me started on the people that get pissed off when PBS/NPR etc runs their fundraisers.
Or, you know, internet piracy.
:canofworms:
Quote from: Cain on January 11, 2011, 05:31:32 PM
Or, you know, internet piracy.
:canofworms:
:argh!:
:lulz:
Quote from: Ratatosk on January 11, 2011, 05:30:19 PM
Goddamn, why do people think they have some kind of right to be entertained for free?
I do. Not by TV, but by the endless freak parade as you and the rest of the planet slither by me. Free market asstards, commies, and other libertarian types are a hoot, but they are hardly alone in the list of Unfortunate Things That Make Roger Laugh. There's also the drips that think magic is real, the scabby little tards that show up explaining what Discordia is, the stupid fucking hippie loveburgers jacking off about the "singularity", etc.
All stupid fucking primates, and all funny as hell...And it doesn't cost me a fucking dime.
I saw a Woman walking her little Dog earlier, and when her Dog took a crap, she bagged it, (OK so far, that's normal) but then took out a little bit of tissue paper, and wiped her Lakeland Terriers arse before moving on. That's hilarious.
Quote from: BadBeast on January 11, 2011, 05:40:30 PM
I saw a Woman walking her little Dog earlier, and when her Dog took a crap, she bagged it, (OK so far, that's normal) but then took out a little bit of tissue paper, and wiped her Lakeland Terriers arse before moving on. That's hilarious.
TOTAL COST TO YOU?
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 05:36:40 PM
Quote from: Ratatosk on January 11, 2011, 05:30:19 PM
Goddamn, why do people think they have some kind of right to be entertained for free?
I do. Not by TV, but by the endless freak parade as you and the rest of the planet slither by me. Free market asstards, commies, and other libertarian types are a hoot, but they are hardly alone in the list of Unfortunate Things That Make Roger Laugh. There's also the drips that think magic is real, the scabby little tards that show up explaining what Discordia is, the stupid fucking hippie loveburgers jacking off about the "singularity", etc.
All stupid fucking primates, and all funny as hell...And it doesn't cost me a fucking dime.
:mittens:
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 05:41:45 PM
Quote from: BadBeast on January 11, 2011, 05:40:30 PM
I saw a Woman walking her little Dog earlier, and when her Dog took a crap, she bagged it, (OK so far, that's normal) but then took out a little bit of tissue paper, and wiped her Lakeland Terriers arse before moving on. That's hilarious.
TOTAL COST TO YOU?
Fuck all, and it cracked me up!
I'm going to keep an eye out for her, to see if she does it every time.
Quote from: BadBeast on January 11, 2011, 05:56:00 PM
I'm going to keep an eye out for her, to see if she does it every time.
Next time run out with a wet wipe screaming she missed a spot.
Funnily enough, I think her Dog's called Spot. Or it fucking should be. (Short for "Spotless Rectum III")
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 05:09:10 PM
In regards to Roger and LMNO's posts above, I would like to attempt to retract the attitude I was dishing out at those who didn't deserve it, when I should have saved it just for Niamh.
Niamh, if the only insult you can think up to throw at me when I call you lazy for being lazy is to make a Canadian joke it only shows you have not being paying enough attention... my faults are numerous and perfect fodder for zingers, why mock me for the accidental circumstance of the place I was born when there is so much more you could be mocking?
Yeah, and you know me so well to be able to call me lazy. I really don't care, you were an ass so I was a bitch.
If you had bothered to read my post, and realized I said you couldn't leave the room because of just how loud commercials were in comparison to the tv shows..... I wasn't joking, I was serious. It really is that much of a difference.
Doesn't matter, I'm done, I'm sorry I made smart ass bitchy remarks about your country and your sports.
On the other hand, I don't let machines dictate my actions. If the TV gets too loud all of a sudden, I will teach it obedience.
Failing that, I may take it out on my cable provider, who actually sets that shit up.
(http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/9859/34339171.jpg)
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 06:03:19 PM
... take it out on my cable provider, who actually sets that shit up.
There goes Roger, riding the high wire on the correct motorcycle!
Quote from: Ratatosk on January 11, 2011, 06:07:50 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 06:03:19 PM
... take it out on my cable provider, who actually sets that shit up.
There goes Roger, riding the high wire on the correct motorcycle!
All the better to scatter my "blessings".
Seriously, a bit of legislation to stop them from being annoying cunts IN MY LIVING ROOM isn't half as bad as a few things I just thought up. Especially given that Comcast is also really big on trying to claim ownership of the interbutts, despite the fact that all they are is an ISP.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 06:03:19 PM
On the other hand, I don't let machines dictate my actions. If the TV gets too loud all of a sudden, I will teach it obedience.
Failing that, I may take it out on my cable provider, who actually sets that shit up.
You don't have to scratch very deep to see the inner Luddite! Smash those Looms of commercial carnality, Sleazing and leching their product past the door, up the stairs, and tucked up nicely in your subconscious like a the Post Hypnotic "Buy me now" triggers that they are. Bless.
It's the
really real thing, Neo! None of that "Nurture / Nature Red pill, Blue pill" bollocks, this one will have it's claws in your nadsack well before you even think to mute the fucker! With the added bonus of Audience participation. It will make you love it like Ice Cream. Then slowly leach your life away over the years while you subscribe to it's "Fruity, Zingy flavour." Or whatever.
Because we are
all worth it!
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 06:03:19 PM
On the other hand, I don't let machines dictate my actions. If the TV gets too loud all of a sudden, I will teach it obedience.
Failing that, I may take it out on my cable provider, who actually sets that shit up.
I don't have cable. I mentioned that without the cable buffer it was an even greater difference in volumes between the shows and commercials.
I have had my neighbors bang on the wall more than once because I went to the bathroom and a commercial came on so loud. Which was my point.....
Quote from: BadBeast on January 11, 2011, 06:14:00 PM
You don't have to scratch very deep to see the inner Luddite!
Belt loops are a sign of technology destroying our values.
Don't even get me started on zippers.
Quote from: Niamh on January 11, 2011, 06:14:35 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 06:03:19 PM
On the other hand, I don't let machines dictate my actions. If the TV gets too loud all of a sudden, I will teach it obedience.
Failing that, I may take it out on my cable provider, who actually sets that shit up.
I don't have cable. I mentioned that without the cable buffer it was an even greater difference in volumes between the shows and commercials.
I have had my neighbors bang on the wall more than once because I went to the bathroom and a commercial came on so loud. Which was my point.....
Wait a sec. What country do you live in?
I'm pretty sure the US stopped broadcasting analog TV last year.
Quote from: Niamh on January 11, 2011, 06:14:35 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 06:03:19 PM
On the other hand, I don't let machines dictate my actions. If the TV gets too loud all of a sudden, I will teach it obedience.
Failing that, I may take it out on my cable provider, who actually sets that shit up.
I don't have cable. I mentioned that without the cable buffer it was an even greater difference in volumes between the shows and commercials.
I have had my neighbors bang on the wall more than once because I went to the bathroom and a commercial came on so loud. Which was my point.....
Just turn it up louder then. They'll soon get the message and stop banging. Or you won't be able to hear them over the endless Mantra of "Every Little Helps".
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on January 11, 2011, 06:16:09 PM
Quote from: Niamh on January 11, 2011, 06:14:35 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 06:03:19 PM
On the other hand, I don't let machines dictate my actions. If the TV gets too loud all of a sudden, I will teach it obedience.
Failing that, I may take it out on my cable provider, who actually sets that shit up.
I don't have cable. I mentioned that without the cable buffer it was an even greater difference in volumes between the shows and commercials.
I have had my neighbors bang on the wall more than once because I went to the bathroom and a commercial came on so loud. Which was my point.....
Wait a sec. What country do you live in?
I'm pretty sure the US stopped broadcasting analog TV last year.
With a convertor box digital still works with antenna.
Makes no difference. They turn the fuckers up by hand. On their big remote control shopping console.
Quote from: Charley Brown on January 11, 2011, 06:17:09 PM
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on January 11, 2011, 06:16:09 PM
Quote from: Niamh on January 11, 2011, 06:14:35 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 06:03:19 PM
On the other hand, I don't let machines dictate my actions. If the TV gets too loud all of a sudden, I will teach it obedience.
Failing that, I may take it out on my cable provider, who actually sets that shit up.
I don't have cable. I mentioned that without the cable buffer it was an even greater difference in volumes between the shows and commercials.
I have had my neighbors bang on the wall more than once because I went to the bathroom and a commercial came on so loud. Which was my point.....
Wait a sec. What country do you live in?
I'm pretty sure the US stopped broadcasting analog TV last year.
With a convertor box digital still works with antenna.
Ah, I see. Carry on.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 06:11:01 PM
Quote from: Ratatosk on January 11, 2011, 06:07:50 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 06:03:19 PM
... take it out on my cable provider, who actually sets that shit up.
There goes Roger, riding the high wire on the correct motorcycle!
All the better to scatter my "blessings".
Seriously, a bit of legislation to stop them from being annoying cunts IN MY LIVING ROOM isn't half as bad as a few things I just thought up.
They'll still be annoying cunts, they'll just take a more sneaky route to do so. Sorta like the banks, the government says "You cannot charge stupid overdraft fees!" so now they have new fees aimed at driving out the low income customers that would normally have the overdraft fees. It's like whack-a-mole, except bureaucracy slows it down to whacking one mole every 10 minutes.
Quote
Especially given that Comcast is also really big on trying to claim ownership of the interbutts, despite the fact that all they are is an ISP.
Different issue, but a far more concerning one IMO.
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on January 11, 2011, 06:16:09 PM
Quote from: Niamh on January 11, 2011, 06:14:35 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 06:03:19 PM
On the other hand, I don't let machines dictate my actions. If the TV gets too loud all of a sudden, I will teach it obedience.
Failing that, I may take it out on my cable provider, who actually sets that shit up.
I don't have cable. I mentioned that without the cable buffer it was an even greater difference in volumes between the shows and commercials.
I have had my neighbors bang on the wall more than once because I went to the bathroom and a commercial came on so loud. Which was my point.....
Wait a sec. What country do you live in?
I'm pretty sure the US stopped broadcasting analog TV last year.
They broadcast in HD now. NBC, ABC, CBS, CW, PBS and FOX (forgot the FOX fuckers) and a few weird music stations and then the 20 something christian stations (I think they may still be analog) and the HSN can all be received on an HD tv with an HD antenna.
In fact, most of them have extra channels, weather, news, some weird living network something, has cooking and people hiking and local crap. I get like 20 channels on the antenna.
Quote from: Niamh on January 11, 2011, 06:24:41 PM
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on January 11, 2011, 06:16:09 PM
Quote from: Niamh on January 11, 2011, 06:14:35 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 06:03:19 PM
On the other hand, I don't let machines dictate my actions. If the TV gets too loud all of a sudden, I will teach it obedience.
Failing that, I may take it out on my cable provider, who actually sets that shit up.
I don't have cable. I mentioned that without the cable buffer it was an even greater difference in volumes between the shows and commercials.
I have had my neighbors bang on the wall more than once because I went to the bathroom and a commercial came on so loud. Which was my point.....
Wait a sec. What country do you live in?
I'm pretty sure the US stopped broadcasting analog TV last year.
They broadcast in HD now. NBC, ABC, CBS, CW, PBS and a few weird music stations and then the 20 something christian stations (I think they may still be analog) and the HSN can all be received on an HD tv with an HD antenna.
In fact, most of them have extra channels, weather, news, some weird living network something, has cooking and people hiking and local crap. I get like 20 channels on the antenna.
If your TV is newer then it has digital capacity without needing a box. Just the older analog ones required the convertor.
Quote from: Niamh on January 11, 2011, 04:24:18 PM
S'ok Hoops, condsidering y'all watch what? The Curling channel 24/7 up there, I'm sure you look forward to the commercials so you don't stab yourself in the fucking eye.
Oh look, your metal disc isn't being swept in front of properly.....
HEY! Curling is fucking awesome and hilarious! Don't diss curling.
Also (haven't read the entire thread yet so this may have been said), but isn't the loudness of commercials sort of similar to the Loudness Wars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_wars)?
Afaik, they don't just turn up the volume to max with commercials, as there's a maximum amplitude for the audio track, instead they use dynamic range compression and equalizing tricks so they can fit the maximum amount of "loud" in their allocated maximum waveform amplitude.
I think it's good that the government regulates that (our "commercials code commission" does that, even though they're not a legislative body), because it's truly an arms race. If you'd submit a commercial without all those loudness-maximization tricks, just normalized to maximum amplitude, it would be significantly less loud than the commercials before and after it, therefore having much less of an impact. So the advertising companies
have to use their loudness tricks, otherwise they're simply less effective. This causes them to get stuck in a vicious cycle where every commercial tries to be the loudest. The actual TV programs in between, however, do not wish to use these loudness tricks, because it completely screws up the dynamics of longer audio tracks, sometimes you want stuff to be not loud, otherwise a whisper would be compressed way up and be just as loud as shouting, TV producers making longer segments of material want to have the ability to use the dynamics of audio for effect.
This is a problem, and it could be voluntarily regulated by the networks, except apparently they don't do that, and IMO it's much more efficient to make all the networks adhere to the same rules by government order.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 11, 2011, 06:15:34 PM
Quote from: BadBeast on January 11, 2011, 06:14:00 PM
You don't have to scratch very deep to see the inner Luddite!
Belt loops are a sign of technology destroying our values.
Don't even get me started on zippers.
How about Buttons? Big ass Peg Toggly buttons, made from Mammoth bones or something suitably old school?
Quote from: Triple Zero on January 11, 2011, 06:29:44 PM
Quote from: Niamh on January 11, 2011, 04:24:18 PM
S'ok Hoops, condsidering y'all watch what? The Curling channel 24/7 up there, I'm sure you look forward to the commercials so you don't stab yourself in the fucking eye.
Oh look, your metal disc isn't being swept in front of properly.....
HEY! Curling is fucking awesome and hilarious! Don't diss curling.
Also (haven't read the entire thread yet so this may have been said), but isn't the loudness of commercials sort of similar to the Loudness Wars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_wars)?
Afaik, they don't just turn up the volume to max with commercials, as there's a maximum amplitude for the audio track, instead they use dynamic range compression and equalizing tricks so they can fit the maximum amount of "loud" in their allocated maximum waveform amplitude.
I think it's good that the government regulates that (our "commercials code commission" does that, even though they're not a legislative body), because it's truly an arms race. If you'd submit a commercial without all those loudness-maximization tricks, just normalized to maximum amplitude, it would be significantly less loud than the commercials before and after it, therefore having much less of an impact. So the advertising companies have to use their loudness tricks, otherwise they're simply less effective. This causes them to get stuck in a vicious cycle where every commercial tries to be the loudest. The actual TV programs in between, however, do not wish to use these loudness tricks, because it completely screws up the dynamics of longer audio tracks, sometimes you want stuff to be not loud, otherwise a whisper would be compressed way up and be just as loud as shouting, TV producers making longer segments of material want to have the ability to use the dynamics of audio for effect.
This is a problem, and it could be voluntarily regulated by the networks, except apparently they don't do that, and IMO it's much more efficient to make all the networks adhere to the same rules by government order.
Like the Cold War again. But with Jingles instead of Nukes.
Eta, I say Jingles, I mean fucking maddening little four second headsplinters that you hear three times, then need medicating to stop the viral loop just endlessly repeating in what's left of your mind.
Quote from: Triple Zero on January 11, 2011, 06:29:44 PM
Quote from: Niamh on January 11, 2011, 04:24:18 PM
S'ok Hoops, condsidering y'all watch what? The Curling channel 24/7 up there, I'm sure you look forward to the commercials so you don't stab yourself in the fucking eye.
Oh look, your metal disc isn't being swept in front of properly.....
HEY! Curling is fucking awesome and hilarious! Don't diss curling.
Also (haven't read the entire thread yet so this may have been said), but isn't the loudness of commercials sort of similar to the Loudness Wars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_wars)?
Afaik, they don't just turn up the volume to max with commercials, as there's a maximum amplitude for the audio track, instead they use dynamic range compression and equalizing tricks so they can fit the maximum amount of "loud" in their allocated maximum waveform amplitude.
I think it's good that the government regulates that (our "commercials code commission" does that, even though they're not a legislative body), because it's truly an arms race. If you'd submit a commercial without all those loudness-maximization tricks, just normalized to maximum amplitude, it would be significantly less loud than the commercials before and after it, therefore having much less of an impact. So the advertising companies have to use their loudness tricks, otherwise they're simply less effective. This causes them to get stuck in a vicious cycle where every commercial tries to be the loudest. The actual TV programs in between, however, do not wish to use these loudness tricks, because it completely screws up the dynamics of longer audio tracks, sometimes you want stuff to be not loud, otherwise a whisper would be compressed way up and be just as loud as shouting, TV producers making longer segments of material want to have the ability to use the dynamics of audio for effect.
This is a problem, and it could be voluntarily regulated by the networks, except apparently they don't do that, and IMO it's much more efficient to make all the networks adhere to the same rules by government order.
:mittens:
Nice points, Trip.
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on January 11, 2011, 05:05:13 PM
Run your stereo through a hard limiting compressor with a low threshold.
Anyway, before this gets much further, I'd like to point out that there is more to a loud commercial than merely volume.
It's long been known in music production circles that if you play two separate mixes for someone, and the only difference is that mix B is 3dB louder (and you keep that a secret from the listener), they will prefer mix B. If pushed for a reason why, they will imagine that the EQ is "brighter", or that there's more "energy" in the mix*.
The point being, there's a psychological element at play when the commercials are louder. It excites the nervous system (which triggers the endocrine system) in ways that a low volume commercial won't. So the manipulation isn't just "louder so it gets your attention". The manipulation affects your subconcious in ways you aren't aware of.
Just thought I'd throw that out there.
*Technically, that's true. There is more acoustical energy when you make it louder. Doesn't affect the mix itself, though.
I've adapted to the commercial volume thing with a 'mute' reflex (and I close my eyes during some commercials).
The big one that's pissing me off right now is the Google Chrome ad on hulu.
Fucked up memetic tricks that I've pick out so far:
Nice, catchy, upbeat music that only increases in tempo until the final "Ba-DUM', when the Chrome logo is shown.
White background, colored letters. The colors shift (stuttering, but non-random), in the Chrome logo colours, starting with mostly cool, ending with mostly warm.
The words are the beginnings of commonly known phrases, prompting your brain to 'guess the ending for a seratonin reward", much like when you remember the lyrics of a song that has just started.
The phrases start as 5 word phrases (first 3 shown), and as the tempo of the music increases, the phrase length get's shorter, AND the time on screen gets shorter (making your brain really work for those chemical rewards).
After the first few times watching it, I could actually notice my mind falling into these little games. After the third time watching it, I noticed that they'd programmed a final "guess the ending - get chemicals" response with the use of the colors and the ending logo, combined with the music climax.
Classic NLP anchoring. So I've been closing my eyes when it comes up now, but the music is catchy and recognizable enough that my brain began to anticipate the musical climax, since it was already anchored into the Logo/Catchphrase chemical reward cycle.
My new plan (I did this once and it helped):
Shout the damn phrases at the TV, re-hijack my mental flow, and insert a new ending.
What's the 2 word phrase for the Chrome logo that comes after Mish (Mash) and Topsy (Turvy)?
"FUCK YOU!"
But Hulu is a website, can't you just block the ads?
QuoteThey are the ones who took cigarette ads off of TV
Then they took them off our stamps
http://www.boingboing.net/2011/01/10/time-traveling-cigar.html
Quote from: Triple Zero on January 11, 2011, 08:28:28 PM
But Hulu is a website, can't you just block the ads?
Nope. They actually nest 2 players, and switch the back-end stream when the commercial comes on (which is why you can sometimes see the first frame of the show that comes "after the break" right before the commercial starts). You can't even mute them via the player (have to use system controls).
Quote from: Telarus on January 11, 2011, 08:10:14 PM
Nice points, Trip.
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on January 11, 2011, 05:05:13 PM
Run your stereo through a hard limiting compressor with a low threshold.
Anyway, before this gets much further, I'd like to point out that there is more to a loud commercial than merely volume.
It's long been known in music production circles that if you play two separate mixes for someone, and the only difference is that mix B is 3dB louder (and you keep that a secret from the listener), they will prefer mix B. If pushed for a reason why, they will imagine that the EQ is "brighter", or that there's more "energy" in the mix*.
The point being, there's a psychological element at play when the commercials are louder. It excites the nervous system (which triggers the endocrine system) in ways that a low volume commercial won't. So the manipulation isn't just "louder so it gets your attention". The manipulation affects your subconcious in ways you aren't aware of.
Just thought I'd throw that out there.
*Technically, that's true. There is more acoustical energy when you make it louder. Doesn't affect the mix itself, though.
I've adapted to the commercial volume thing with a 'mute' reflex (and I close my eyes during some commercials).
The big one that's pissing me off right now is the Google Chrome ad on hulu.
Fucked up memetic tricks that I've pick out so far:
Nice, catchy, upbeat music that only increases in tempo until the final "Ba-DUM', when the Chrome logo is shown.
White background, colored letters. The colors shift (stuttering, but non-random), in the Chrome logo colours, starting with mostly cool, ending with mostly warm.
The words are the beginnings of commonly known phrases, prompting your brain to 'guess the ending for a seratonin reward", much like when you remember the lyrics of a song that has just started.
The phrases start as 5 word phrases (first 3 shown), and as the tempo of the music increases, the phrase length get's shorter, AND the time on screen gets shorter (making your brain really work for those chemical rewards).
After the first few times watching it, I could actually notice my mind falling into these little games. After the third time watching it, I noticed that they'd programmed a final "guess the ending - get chemicals" response with the use of the colors and the ending logo, combined with the music climax.
Classic NLP anchoring. So I've been closing my eyes when it comes up now, but the music is catchy and recognizable enough that my brain began to anticipate the musical climax, since it was already anchored into the Logo/Catchphrase chemical reward cycle.
My new plan (I did this once and it helped):
Shout the damn phrases at the TV, re-hijack my mental flow, and insert a new ending.
What's the 2 word phrase for the Chrome logo that comes after Mish (Mash) and Topsy (Turvy)?
"FUCK YOU!"
I take a different defensive line, by mentally rewriting the lyrical triggers that close the mesh, with my own, diametrically opposed phrases. Like instead of hearing "Because you're worth it" at the end of every L'oreal ad, I hear "Because you're worthless" instead. Or instead of "Maybe it's Maybelline" I hear "Spurious Labelling". And for the "Injury Lawyers for you!" campaign, I hear "Perjury Lawyers for you" instead. So the whole Ad-spell still has some kick in it, but my clever polarity reversal means it kicks outwards, square in their big, saggy balls. And it works, because I never buy cosmetics, or "Swishy" shampoo. And if a "Perjuring in Court" event is scheduled, I'm quite capable of perjuring myself, thanks.
BadBeast, hmm interesting, I remember we did that sort of thing all the time in kindergarten and elementary school. I wonder, maybe it was some kind of built-in defense mechanism, to subvert memetic viruses? [as opposed to just kids being kids]
Telarus, it's client-side code, your computer can be taught to handle it,
especially if the ads are somehow "different" from the show. If the ads were just video like the rest of the program, you couldn't detect them, but in that case the regular video controls would work.
But that means you have something to trigger on, in theory one could have a piece of code on top of everything that could go "IF site == hulu.com AND <player controler don't work> THEN <mute audio>".
A better idea (easier to implement) is based on the fact that the ads and the real video content probably come from different servers or differ in the URL of their videostream (these URLs are used internally in the Flash player script). That means you can block connections that match the URL pattern of the ad-stream. You can do that with AdBlockPlus.
However, Hulu's (still client-side) Flash Player script checks for this. From a discussion on the AdBlockPlus forums I find that the code logic goes something like "IF <failed to load ad stream> THEN <display hardcoded message>", where the hardcoded message says something like
"You're not seeing ads. Ads support Hulu. No ads makes Hulu a sad panda. Please to jump up and down for half a minute screaming about Coca Cola to wake your roommates in order to prevent withdrawal symptoms. Now might be the right moment to try out all the ringtones on your phone as well, especially that one with the frog." and apparently they blur the screen of the show for 30 seconds as well.
So instead, you need to replace the ad-stream with a video of black silence. Which is exactly what this guy describes (https://adblockplus.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=28485&sid=a989e24f1c456603251718e8cafe9421#p28485) in that same AdBlockPlus thread (he even found out you don't need a video of block silence, a serving a 0-byte flash video file is enough, as long as the URL exists).
Furthermore, a few posts further down somebody posts about a Windows application named Homer (http://funkytoad.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=32) that provides an easy-to-use interface to perform such in-place substitutions of your web-traffic. The other guy used a more complicated solution redirecting ads.hulu.com to his PHP webserver. I would personally have used a local filtering proxy solution such as Privoxy or Proxomitron. It's a tough choice because you might already have installed Privoxy (for use with Tor) but it's hard to configure, on the other hand Proxomitron has a green eye-in-the-pyramid icon and truly the most amazingly tacky user-interface skin ever known to mankind (http://img.informer.com/wiki/mediawiki/images/1/12/Proxomitron-main.png) and is a bit easier to configure, while Homer probably cuts the cake when it comes to ease-of-use.
(though I just saw that Homer is actually kind of limited, might better use Proxo or Privoxy)
Damn dude. Nice research.
I thought they turned the volume up for reasons LMNO explained AND for the people who leave the room to get more water, or go pee, or do whatever, so they don't miss the ever important product that they MUST FUCKING BUY.
I wrote a letter to my cable company some 6 months or so ago asking them to turn the shit down and stop assaulting my ears with this garbage. And let me tell you, it is BAD here. Every 12 minutes while I'm trying to watch family guy quietly in bed while mr squid sleeps (and i have no remote for this tv goddamnit) I hear SOMETHING EXCITING, SOMETHING DELIGHTING, SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE YOU'LL FIND IT AT FLEEEEEEEA WORLD!!!
It's fucking mind blowingly horrible, makes me hate this place that much more and fuck's sake I'll gladly spend my tax dollars on having the gov't step in and tell them to FUCK THE HELL OFF WITH THAT RACKET!
Sometimes my hands are full and I can't put shit down to get to the remote to turn it the fuck down. Sometimes I'm so tired I start hallucinating and just as I start to doze off-- UPTECH COMPUTERS WANTS TO CHARGE YOU AN OUTRAGEOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY TO PRETEND TO FIX YOUR SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!
That's the loudest of them all. Son of a BITCH. I'm suddenly jerked awake, heart pounding, eyes burning and snot flying out of my fucking nose.
They can take a years worth of MY taxes alone if it'll make this shit fucking STOP.
Quote from: Hoopla on January 11, 2011, 03:31:18 PM
Whether or not its annoying is NOT the issue here. It's whether you think it's the government's job to be policing the volume of televised advertisements.
I say it is not their job.
The government has been policing volume levels in ads since the 70s, they're only changing the rules, not making new ones.
Don't watch TV. Controversy over.
You're welcome.