My television is possessed by a gremlin, determined that the volume must be at full throttle when automobile commercials are aired! All of my family members know the location of the “mute” button, a direct result of the loudness in television programming. I noticed last week that SRS Labs announced that its “TruVolume” technology is now deployed in 30 million consumer electronic devices. TruVolume aims to solve television loudness problems by normalizing the volume between programs and commercials or when switching channels. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to work on my set. 
So sad… it’s so sad that we consumers need to pay more money to prevent networks and broadcasters from screaming in our homes. Although the industry (which touts self regulation) developed a body of standards on this issue, they appear to totally disregard them.
My hope… Congress crams regulations down their pipe as they have done to us with advertising broadcast.
Congress is currently considering legislation that would enforce certain technical parameters for broadcasters to help solve the problem. Call your representative and let them know your feeling. Yell, if you believe it necessary!
Tags: Broadcast Regulation, Great Conspiracy Theories, Television
I have noticed that this volume issue goes beyond TV. Lately I have spent more time watching TV shows online and typically these shows will have a commercial or two embeded in them and even those are at an increased volume from the actual program I am watching. I really don’t understand why these companies would intentionally allow this when everyone knows that it is just going to annoy the consumers they are trying to attract.
I look forward to continuous live streaming of television broadcasts in the very near future. Technological innovations have made this a reality, commercials no more, and bye bye monopolistic cable companies!!!
In a just world the mute button would one day have an effect on a Neilsen Rating system for commercials.
www.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nielsen_Ratings