Jolt Country

From WHEC TV

A viewer wrote to us saying: “The TV commercials are still very much louder than the programs. We have to mute them because they are so loud. Is there any way that the station can adjust the volume of the commercials to be at least the same level as the program? …Can you find out why this is still happening?”

I went to our engineers, who explained that TV stations like us can control the volume levels of our programs but not the commercials. Those levels are set before commercials get to us.

Is this really a thing?

Always has been.

This may be the most elderly topic ever posted here, BUT.

This is so incredibly, obviously bullshit - of course they can control the volume of shit they broadcast, Jesus Christ. They are passing the buck because god forbid they take some responsibility for the enshittification of America. But what do they care, they don't listen to it.

I will be honest, I've never noticed commercials being at a higher volume. I have not watched 15 minutes of broadcast television in 15+ years though, maybe longer.

There used to be smart tvs that would auto lower the volume during commercials. I would suspect that’s a rare feature these days.

OBS, the software I use for my Twitch streams, has a compressor/limiter built in that compresses the audio and limits the volume ceiling. OBS is free. The app I use for recording my podcasts, Audacity, also has audio compressors built in that will levelize audio levels across an entire recording. Based on that, I'm stuck between two possible realities -- either these bazillion dollar broadcast corporation don't have the same capabilities my free programs do, or -- OR -- the people making commercials pay them millions of dollars and it's to their best interest to make them louder so that consumers will take notice and buy those products, enduring the advertisers will continue to advertise on their station. I'm on the fence.

If you think loud TV commercials are bad, you ain't seeen/heard the commercials they put into free-to-play Android games. Someimes the in-game app does not include a 'silence' button. HEY MORON! FUCKIN' MORON! Making your ad unskippable, loud , and un-silencable doen't mean I'll install your game and play it so either you can sell it to me or show me an ad, it's more likely to make me boycott the game or install it, give it a one star rating, then uninstall it. Plus bad mouth it anywhere I can.

Maybe you should send a sternly worded email, or let them know your displeasure by giving them a one-star rating.

Just watch with the sound off. It works for me 100%

Kinda why I was surprised that this was a viewer complaint

AArdvark wrote: Fri Mar 10, 2023 4:31 pm Just watch with the sound off.

LOL I was waiting for this.

AArdvark wrote: Fri Mar 10, 2023 4:31 pm Just watch with the sound off. It works for me 100%

Kinda why I was surprised that this was a viewer complaint

Yes, but sometimes the game gives "sound cues" relevant to the game.

Years ago I was shacked up with a deaf diva. Thank god for closed captioning so I didn't have to listen to the shit she watched (and the annoying commercials).