Evidence, We knew they were doing this all along!

ActingThe Magot

When I lived in Ireland, it always was a source of controversy with work colleagues about whether the makers of TV and Radio commercials "adjusted' the volume of commercials to make them seem louder.

We had our suspicions, but finally I have found some proof!



De Telegraaf

The end is coming for loud commercials

A solution to the sudden increase in a television's volume when various commercial are broadcasts is close at hand.

The advertisement bureau of Dutch public television, De Ster, has launched a trial on public broadcast station Nederland 2 in which commercials are sent through a special machine preventing the extra decibels from being heard in someone's lounge room.

A Ster spokesman said the initial results have proven positive and the other public stations (Nederland 1 and 3) will soon follow suit. Commercial stations RTL4, RTL5 and Yorin, plus rival group SBS6, Net5 and V8 will also make use of the new technology.

Advertisement companies often use a technique in which the sound of a commercial is louder than the programme someone is watching in a bid to draw more attention to the commercial. But study results in October 2002 found that a large number of viewers are disturbed by loud commercials.

The Ster spokesman said advertisement companies are within international technical regulations, but are aware of a trick to make the commercial louder. He said limits needed to be placed on the practice and the machine being used would not affect the sound of quieter commercials.

[Copyright Expatica News 2003]


Reading through some of the posts on these ICDG bulletin boards, it is clear that we have some "broadcasting professionals" who perhaps can reveal what technique(s) are used to ensure that ads see louder.

Some, come on, how do they do it?

mike65

Reading through some of the posts on these ICDG bulletin boards, it is clear that we have some "broadcasting professionals" who perhaps can reveal what technique(s) are used to ensure that ads see louder.

I'm not a broadcasting type but I am a musician so I can reveal how its done....COMPRESSSION! Which is to say the sound is enginered to be at the maximum level posible before clipping/distortion occures. Most ads are designed to contain
sounds that catch your attention anyway (how often do you hear a deliberatly quiet ad?) but in mixing the engineer will use compression to maximise the soundtrack and squeeze out anything that resembles "quiet bits". Radio Stings/jingles use the same approach.

Mike.

carrolls

If somebody is using a Pro-logic amp with RTE while watching a monaural (Non Stereo) programme and the adverts come on (Which are Stereo and a lot louder), the resulting boom can be disturbing. RTE are the main culprits, ITV/Channel 4/Five
don't have this problem.

FIRE

The father will be pleased to hear the explanation.......He's been asking me for a while now "why do es that keep happening"

It'll solve a mystery for him:D

watty

This is why remotes have a Mute.

I believe compression is self defeating.

It was the demise of quality on FM Radio. Now music played on FM sounds nothing like the CD and is distorted.

IT is a fine technique for 2 way radio to get over fading and vechile noise.

On FM Radio it is done to suit car radios. Means the HiFi sounds rotten. Car radios can eaily have it built in and even adjust it according to radio volume, engine noise and road noise.

I hope the Dutch thing is the start of a reverse trend.