Volume of TV Commercials

I would like to settle an argument. Everyone knows that TV commercials often sound louder than TV programs. I heard from a reliable source that commercials aren't actually any louder but they just seem that way because of some clever tricks they use. My partner says this is nonsense because the commercials are obviously louder. It certainly seems like they are louder but my source should know what he's talking about.

Can anyone explain this ?

[Dave]

Technically, the maximum volume is the same for commercials and normal programming. If you watch the audio levels on a VU meter you will see that they peak at around the same level.

The difference is that advertisers make use of various tricks to make the commercials seem louder. Whereas a TV program will have a range of audio levels, commercials do tend to be full-on noisy. Tricks such as compression are also used to maintain constantly "louder" levels and try to attract attention.

So it's mainly a perceptual thing. Although the commercials don't reach a high volume, the way they are made gives the impression that they are louder..

those commerecials are definetly LOUDER...
if you hear them louder then they ARE louder.

they are usually accompanied by some cutting music track which fills up all the audio spectrum

no matter what signal you measure it by, when it hits the Ear its louder....

Why...maximum advertising impact!

The reason the commercials ARE louder is the audio compression used for storage. The compression flattens out the spectrum and boosts the midrange
which makes the whole thing sound louder.

Still friggin annoying. Espespeically if you have a baby.

I beleieve the reason the ads are louder is they lower the volume during the show, forcing you to turn it up.

its actually a conspiracy amongst the advertising indusctry and the battery producers.

advertisments are louder so you pick up the remote and turn it down, then when the ads finish you turn it back up. return to the ads and u turn it down again etc etc. This makes the batteries in ur remote wear out quicker causing you to purchase NEW batteries sooner than you usually would - thus leading you to buy more and more batteries creating more and more profit for the battery companies.

On the 19th of May there will be an AES symposium about this subject in The Netherlands.
http://www.luidheidsymposium.nl

[andrewr]

No they're not... If you mean louder as in the overall volume of all the frequencies is at a higher amplitude, then NO they're NOT louder. The only thing that's louder is the midtones which so happens to be the frequencies that the human ear picks up the best. And last, there is no conspiracy for the battery manufacturers to make more money (just think about for like 5 seconds then you'd understand), and no the shows don't lower their volume just for the commercials to blow your ears out, yes it is is "friggin" annoying, yes it is becuase of the compression which in turn expresses the midtones alot in the overall mix, and yes to the human ear the commericals are louder but no the overall volume is not louder, and finally: "the maximum volume is the same for commercials and normal programming. If you watch the audio levels on a VU meter you will see that they peak at around the same level.

The difference is that advertisers make use of various tricks to make the commercials seem louder. Whereas a TV program will have a range of audio levels, commercials do tend to be full-on noisy. Tricks such as compression are also used to maintain constantly "louder" levels and try to attract attention.

So it's mainly a perceptual thing. Although the commercials don't reach a high volume, the way they are made gives the impression that they are louder.." ---This was a nice quote by Dave da webmasa that explains it better than anybody can and ever will be able to with amazing detail.

[SC358]

And just to add something else to the mix since programming was mentioned - It is during that transition in the Space and Time Continuum that disrupts your concentration of finding out, "What's next...?" for next few seconds on the boob tube. Don't forget - most movie's/show's audio enhances what we watch and we can easily be carried away until that friggin' commerical brings us back to reality .

But do you have your volume set for the show or the commercial? As a converse to watching the show, if you adjust your volume to listen to a commerical at a nominal level, I can almost guarantee you will find the audio of the show you are watching to be a too low...

Enjoy!