Sound increase during adverts

[billc]

Hi

Is it true that it is still illegal for TV stations to almost double sound levals during adverts ?

Don't they realise that we retaliate by pressing the "mute" button until adverts are over, thus avoiding all the garbage instead of possibly just missing bits of it.

Any comments / views

Regards

WPC

[Stuart C]

Err. AFAIK, it never has been illegal. Irritating, yes, but illegal, no.

[altis]

Some background information:
http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/focus/back...und+Levels.htm

The current rules:
http://www.asa.org.uk/cap/codes/broa...nd+Offence.htm

6.9 Sound levels in advertisements

Advertisements must not be excessively noisy or strident. Studio transmission power must not be increased from normal levels during advertising breaks

Note:

The peak level of sound at the studio output should not exceed +8dBm.

To ensure that the subjective volume is consistent with adjacent programming, whilst also preventing excessive loudness changes, highly compressed commercials should be limited to a Normal Peak of 4 and a Full Range of 2–4 (measured on a PPM Type IIa, specified in BS6840: Part 10, Programme Level Meters). A fairly constant average level of sound energy should be maintained in transitions from programmes to advertising breaks and vice versa so that listeners do not need to adjust the volume. A perceived loudness meter may be useful where sound levels might cause problems.

[SOSAGES]

i only notice it on sky1
gits on my t!ts
luckily virgin took sky1 away

[JadeFalcon]

dave does it alot here especially at night, have noticed this cause i watch alot of dave chan when in bed late at night

[kryogenik]

I'm sure some 'body' or other was supposedly upholding complaints about this and we were waiting for an outcome..

:edit: This is the last I can find about it.
http://www.cap.org.uk/cap/Consultati..._sound_levels/

This consultation sets out BCAP's proposed revision of rule 6.9 (Sound Levels) of the BCAP Television Advertising Standards Code.

[Rob]

It's more noticable on many of the digital tv channels. Fairly annoying when you are sort of snoozing in bed and an ad break comes on. Don't notice it though on the V+. Usually have the speakers turned up enough that I'm half deafened anyway, or alternatively I'm skipping past the ads having prerecorded or timeslipped it

[mentalis]

I have always thought that it could actually be the programme that's at fault as sound levels can sometimes differ between programmes but the adverts stay the same.

I have noticed the sound levels on BBC HD seem to differ every time I watch it. Sometimes I strain to hear the TV and sometimes I am deafened (until I adjust the volume).

[kryogenik]

As far as I understood it, TV programme sound levels generally have a normalised level 'ceiling' and most productions tend to stay below this.
Ads don't have to conform to this so tend to exploit it (much the same way that certain music recordings are boosted in the studio to sound louder on radio and jukeboxes etc), hence the complaints to the Committee of Advertising Practice being upheld - i.e. the ads go louder to attract your attention. While almost everyone would agree that they do attract your attention, I'd say there's just as many that would say it's irritating enough to make you alter the volume, or even mute during the ads, so probably counter-productive anyway? I know I find it very, very annoying. I'm very heard of hearing and so have the volume up quite often - so when the ads come on it's even more apparent. I've gotten used to hitting the mute button when I know an ad break is due. Shame we can't see the little box anymore in the top right hand corner that used to appear just before an ad break.

[the-cable-guy]

adverts have always been louder.

[Wild Oscar]

Check your TV's sound settings .. you may have something called an 'Auto Volume Control' or similar which acts like an 'equaliser' (at least thats the idea!)... My Schneider TV has this ..

[Angua]

FX seems to be guilty of uncontrolled advert volume levels too

[wirecutter]

Add's have always been heavily compressed at least since the 70's but back then there
where Engineers to transfer the Tapes and to check levels In fact each tape had a test Bars & tone on it to match it to the rest! Now days about 1 in 20 of the ***** even look at what is on the tape / Hard disk IT's Progress

[SB_07]

I notice it on most channels, have to have my TV volume at about 24 during a program then turn it down to 17 for the adverts.

[paul nolan]

BCAP Has Sound Control Of The Situation

The Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP), the body responsible for writing the TV Advertising Code, has published a new rule on sound levels in TV advertisements. The new rule clarifies existing guidance about noise levels to address consumer concerns that TV ads sometimes seem louder than programming. The rule will come into force on 7 July 2008.

The revised code states that:

Advertisements must not be excessively noisy or strident. The maximum subjective loudness of advertisements must be consistent and in line with the maximum loudness of programmes and junction material.