Is there a device to limit how loud commercials are?

[A930Rocket]

Is there a device or setting to limit how loud commercials are? We are on Comcast/xfinity.

Maybe it’s my hearing, but when a commercial comes on, I reach for the remote and hit mute. A google search says that commercials can’t be louder than the program I’m watching, but if the program has loud bangs or music, I guess what the can play the commercial at.

Thinking about it more, a device that just evens out all sounds for all programs and mutes commercials automatically would be best.

Anyone have a device or any other ideas?

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

...

Thinking about it more, a device that just evens out all sounds for all programs and mutes commercials automatically would be best.

Anyone have a device or any other ideas?

My remote OFF button does that

[J-Mac]

It's called a DVR. I never watch live TV.

[biosurfer1]

To answer you question, your TV or sound bar might have a feature that does that. On my Vizio sound bar and TV is has a setting called TruVolume that works to maintain the same volume no matter what comes in. Similar to how some car sound systems slightly increase volume as you rev the engine to compensate.

Might want to see if you already have that feature that can be turned on.

"SRS TruVolume is an advanced, intelligent volume control solution that eliminates irritating fluctuations in volume during television broadcasts"

[asphaltgambler]

Originally Posted by J-Mac

It's called a DVR. I never watch live TV.

This^^^^^^^ it's a small price to pay to watch TV on your terms most 30 min shows have close to if not exactly 10 mins of commercial time. That is unbelievable. A full 1/3 of time is devoted to shuckin and jivin you.

[A930Rocket]

Some of you guys are masters of the obvious with the mute and DVR.

I don't watch much tv, an occasional movie, but Ms Rocket likes to watch and the commercials are annoying to hear.

biosurfer1...We have a Vizio and I'll have to find the tv remote and see what settings there are.

[porsche4life]

Online streaming.... I haven’t watched a commercial in ages. 🤣🤣

[john70t]

Originally Posted by asphaltgambler

it's a small price to pay to watch TV on your terms most 30 min shows have close to if not exactly 10 mins of commercial time.

"You know with this new thing called cable tv there will be no more commercials because you are already paying for the entertainment.
We promise.
Just plug the cable from the wall into the back of the cathode-ray tube unit and you will be ready to access everything under the sun.
Sign here."

[T77911S]

i am deaf in one ear. cant hear the TV until the commercials come on,.
no problem with them.

[kach22i]

The word "compression" has several meanings. The TV program I watched on this topic 30 years ago spoke of compressing the volume to the maximum limits.

The TV commercials are no louder than the program, just that every little sound has been turned up to 10 so they are all high explosion loud.

Loud Commercials on TV
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/loud-commercials-tv

Do television commercial advertisements sometimes seem louder than the shows they accompany? TV stations are prohibited from boosting the average volume of commercials to levels beyond the programs they accompany.

FCC rules for loud TV commercials are based on the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act.
Adjust your settings

If you are experiencing spikes in volume with both programming and commercials, you may be able to change the settings on your television or home theater system to help stabilize overall loudness. Many televisions and home theater systems have features to control loudness, such as automatic gain control, audio compression, or audio limiters, that can be turned on to provide a more consistent volume level across programs and commercials. These functions usually need to be activated through the equipment's "Set Up/Audio" menu.

Some commercials with louder and quieter moments may still seem "too loud" to some viewers, but are still in compliance because average volume is the rule

I should note than when I've adjusted my TV per the FCC's suggestion above, movies are dull and lackluster, the exciting moments are not so exciting, and the darn commercials are not noticeably less annoying.

My experience as of late is that the commercial content is loudest seconds before the regular TV program comes on. Super annoying as just as I cannot take it anymore and go to lower the volume, the program comes on and I have to readjust mid-stream.

[Tervuren]

What you are experiencing is the commercial cuts frequencies from the original sound.

By cutting frequencies, at a given power the sound is louder.

Not only does it sound louder, it sounds annoying to me with the frequency gaps.

It does help their commercial be heard on crappy sound systems.

As mentioned smart software could recognize this technique is happening and lower the ear pain.

[dad911]

There were a few devices, seem to be no longer made. MuteMagic was one. I seem to remember a dvr or vhs recorder that would skip commercials also.

I may get one of these as a gag gift, will definitely make muting more fun:

[GH85Carrera]

As I understand it, the "rules" say they commercials can't be louder than the loudest part of the show. So if you are watching a "they blowed up real good" action show, you will not likely notice the commercials as much louder. If you are watching some chick flick and the female lead is like many women, and can only really "act" at a near whisper to get the raw emotions right, and they are talking quietly in the scene before the commercial, there is a HUGE difference.

The biggest difference is a good action blow em up kill the bad guys, action flick, and the director has to, just HAS to, insert the obligatory women that the hero has to fall in love within hours of meeting her, with and big rescue near the end of the movie, and she is a whisperer-quiet talking romantic, and the next scene jumps to a big explosion and battle scene it will blow you out of the seats if you turned it up enough to hear the lady. Even worse is they are all whispering trying to set up a 'plan" and then cut to the big explosion.

It is typical Hollywood boilerplate writing. Nothing new, just the same old plot.

[hcoles]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

As I understand it, the "rules" say they commercials can't be louder than the loudest part of the show. So if you are watching a "they blowed up real good" action show, you will not likely notice the commercials as much louder. If you are watching some chick flick and the female lead is like many women, and can only really "act" at a near whisper to get the raw emotions right, and they are talking quietly in the scene before the commercial, there is a HUGE difference.

The biggest difference is a good action blow em up kill the bad guys, action flick, and the director has to, just HAS to, insert the obligatory women that the hero has to fall in love within hours of meeting her, with and big rescue near the end of the movie, and she is a whisperer-quiet talking romantic, and the next scene jumps to a big explosion and battle scene it will blow you out of the seats if you turned it up enough to hear the lady. Even worse is they are all whispering trying to set up a 'plan" and then cut to the big explosion.

It is typical Hollywood boilerplate writing. Nothing new, just the same old plot.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) rules require commercials to have the same average volume as the programs they accompany. In the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, Congress directed the FCC to establish these rules, which went into effect on December 13, 2012.

[widebody911]

While there are "rules" in place, advertisers want their commercials to be loud, I'm willing to bet it would be pretty difficult to prove said sound level rules were broken. Even if they did get called on it, it could be easily hand-waived away as a "technical error"

[hcoles]

Originally Posted by widebody911

While there are "rules" in place, advertisers want their commercials to be loud, I'm willing to bet it would be pretty difficult to prove said sound level rules were broken. Even if they did get called on it, it could be easily hand-waived away as a "technical error"

+1 - there are many laws that are not enforced. Likely they do what they want and take a let's-see-what-happens approach.

[hcoles]

Originally Posted by hcoles

+1 - there are many laws that are not enforced. Likely they do what they want and take a let's-see-what-happens approach.

I agree, difficult to prove. The Bill was probably written by the industry.

[widebody911]

Did you just post again to agree with your previous post?

[A930Rocket]

I saw that on Amazon and read about the magicmute.

Originally Posted by dad911

There were a few devices, seem to be no longer made. MuteMagic was one. I seem to remember a dvr or vhs recorder that would skip commercials also.

I may get one of these as a gag gift, will definitely make muting more fun:

[dad911]

I think it would be fun to mount next to the TV, and shoot at it with a nerf gun.....