Automatic TV Volume Limiter

Factual Questions
1

I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but it seems like TV commercials are getting louder and louder these days. I really can’t take it anymore. It’s like a 40% difference sometimes.

Some television sets come with “smart” volume correction, but mine doesn’t have it. I need a device that can sit somewhere on the line (between TV and stereo I’d guess), and keep the output volume constant despite fluctuating input volumes

I see 2 possible solutions:

  1. Hardware - a small device built for that purpose (hopefully under $50)
  2. Software - hook my PC up in the middle and use software instead

My question: Does anyone know of a cheap solution to this problem? I don’t understand why there’s no market for this. Have the electronics companies overlooked a brilliant money-making scheme, are they afraid that their advertising power will be curtiailed, or is there a vast conspiracy here? (Actually, I really don’t care about the second question, as long as someone can answer the first.)

2

Here’s the short answer: It’s not actually louder, it just sounds that way.

The long answer: There’s two ways to descibe loudness or (as the engineer types properly refer to it as) modulation. There is peak modulation and there is average modulation.

First, picture in your mind a VU meter. You’ve seen those before, on tape recorders and the like. Digital, analog, it doesn’t matter. The thing to remember is when the needle (LED, LCD, etc.) crosses from the black (blue) into the red, that point is called 100% modulation. Anything over that 100% will overmodulate the signal and cause clipping and/or distortion.

Now, peak modulation is what the signal is doing every millisecond. It would be very difficult to read those peaks on a meter, not to mention expensive, as the circuitry of a peak meter is very complicated compared to the other type of meter, which is an average modulation meter. Those are the types we’re most familiar with.

Still with me? We’re almost there. So, if your average meter is timed for 1/10 second, and within that 1/10 second it receives samples of 75% modulation and 125% modulation, the meter will show exactly 100% modulation. Easy enough? Then here’s the answer to your question:

Commercials are designed to have greater peaks than average programming!

A broadcasting outlet cannot modulate their signal greater than 100%. Therefore, they utilize equipment such as the Optimod[sub]TM[/sub] from Orban Electronics. In it’s simplest form, if the signal is too loud, it makes it softer, if it’s too soft, it makes it louder.

Fine, in theory. But notice the difference between a TV show and commercial music. TV music is dynamic. It varies, most of the time soft behind dialogue. Commercial music is loud. It peaks very high. The announcers usually punctuate every word.

The Optimod (or other processor) is there. It tries to maintain order. But the low peaks on the show can only be brought up so far, and then when the high peaks hit, it’s all the poor processor can do to keep it within FCC limits for levels. So it’s “highly compressed.” You’re hearing a signal that maintains at 100% vs. a signal with dynamic range to it. More peaks vs. less peaks, run through a processor. The more peaks version will “sound” louder.

Now if you’re talking a cable channel which have no such limits, all bets are off.

Hope you’re still awake and understood that explanation.

3

If you use the mute button as soon as the commercials start, you won’t be bothered by whatever volume level they use to blast them at you.

I do this constantly, and can’t imagine actually listening to those commercials. It really annoys me when I’m watching TV at relatives’, and they leave the volume up during the commercials.

I’d gladly pay for a commercial-killing remote, that automatically mutes when the commercials start, and un-mutes when they end. But I suppose the TV networks and advertisers are working hard to prevent such a device from being marketed.

4

Okay, so far we’ve got the $2000 Orban solution, which is what the TV stations are using already and won’t really help because it uses average modulation, which the ad-makers know how to get around.

We’ve also got the free “press mute” solution, which is what I wanted to avoid in the first place.

Isn’t there anything better? I expected more from the teeming millions…

5

Oh !

This might be my first helpful reply ever. Yay !

Volume regulator

I don’t know if this is A Good Thing. I have it bookmarked because I’m also very annoyed with commercials. If I wind up buying it, I’ll let ya know if it works. If you buy it, please let us know if it works.

6

TIVO sounds like the answer to your problem.

7

Ok, since you guys know alot about this…

what about different STATIONS that are louder than others? Particularly TechTV and Fox Sports (Ohio, at least during Indians games)

I channel surf during commercials, so I don’t know if they are louder than the shows themselves. But when i get to TechTV the volume is at least 3 “ticks” higher on my television’s volume control (meaning I have to hit - 3 times to get it to not be loud). Same thing if switch away from an Indians game. I have to turn the volume UP.

Is this the same principle as the modulation Rico described, or can it be controlled easier?

8

Along the same lines, anybody know of a way to get rid of those ANNOYING logos and the banners across the bottom of the screen that seem to be more and more intrusive every time I watch TV?

9

Ravenous Lady: That’s awesome! Exactly what I was looking for. Here’s the same thing cheaper on Amazon. Based on the reviews, it sounds like it works, but you need a surge protector. I think I might pick it up - if I do I’ll try and post some commentary.

I am kind of curious how it’s different than $275 version

10

Other than taping a piece of paper over it, no. They’re pretty much put in there right at the source.

11

As far as I know, there is no cheap, consumer-grade device for removing logos from a TV image. I believe the capacity exists on some “prosumer” [high end consumer] video processors, but those are quite pricey.

I often remove logos from favorite shows that I record on my computer (to archive to CD) using the free editing program VirtualDub. The standard download contains at least one delogo filter, and there are several other free plug-in delogo filters (some from the same people who do the primary work on virtualDub). VirtualDub is written more for editing than realtime processing, but it can record or do real-time processing for direct output to your TV or monitor, if your computer is fast enough. You’ll also need a good video capture card, but those can be fairly cheap (<$30) and a good video output card for your monitor or TV (most people already have a good enough card, especially if they play the fancier computer games)

There are several other freeware programs that are designed from the ground up for real-time viewing [D*lace, TMPGenc, etc, – more are listed on VirtualDub’s site, AVSforum.com, and many computer video hobby sites) They may do a better job, of real-time filtering than Virtual Dub but though they are easy to use, there’s a steep learning curve when you’re first starting – it’s really not worth it unless you make it a hobby. There are too many settings to play with, too many terms or labels that seem to have been named by Eskimos – and of course the endless quest for the 1% improvement (I find fiddling with hardware/software more interesting than 99% of the TV shows, but YMMV)

The software is out there, and available free, should you be interested. It’s just not a ~$100 plug and play box like a VCR, DVD player, or amp.

12

Here’s what I do, and it’s stupid-easy:

I watch TV with the audio coming through my stereo, set to a comfortable level. I leave the TV itself on a much quieter level. When the commericals come on, I mute the stereo amp and the sound (much quieter) comes through the TV only.

13

Okay, here’s the scoop:

I bought the Terk TV Volume Regulator from B&H Photo & Video. With shipping and Canadian customs surcharge, it came to almost $100 CDN. Here’s the manufacturer’s website.

I almost didn’t buy this product after reading the reviews I found online. Several of them indicated that the device may be sensitive to power surges, because it didn’t work after power failures. I contacted Terk technical support to get more information. They responded by saying that what was probably occuring was that when the power goes out, the volume level gets set at zero. All you have to do to fix this is unplug the device and restart it with the TV on - the base level will be re-detected and you’ll be good to go.

So I bought it. It arrived in a few weeks, and turned out to be much smaller than I expected, only a few inches on each side, and 1 inch high. The interface is very simple, 2 RCA inputs, 2 RCA outputs, and an ON/OFF/BYPASS switch. Bypass doesn’t really work.

As for whether the device itself works, I’d have to say “sort of”. It does eliminate many of the annoying highs, but commercials are still too loud. Instead of turning the volume down 4-5 notches, I’m now turning it down 2. Because the main purpose of this purchase was to eliminate the need to search for the remote every 8 minutes, I have to say this product hasn’t helped much. It’s nice to have, but probably not worth $100.

Bottom line: If you’re a real audiophile, the kind of person who spares no expense on your home entertainment system (Monster cables, etc.), then you may want to check out the Terk TV Volume Regulator. Otherwise, stick with the manual method.

14

Radio Shack used to have them. Less than $50 at that time, but don’t know how much the cost is now.

15

There’s just one small problem with that explanation. The standard in the US is System NTSC, which uses AM as the vision carrier and color carrier, and FM as the sound carrier. When monitoring FM you’re not interested in the percentage of modulation, you’re interested in the frequency deviation, which for NTSC is +/- 25 kHz. By definition you’re not changing the percentage of modulation, because it’s always 100%.

Did you ever notice that when it’s really loud it sounds distorted? That’s because the frequency deviation is incorrect.

16

Thank you for the update BaldTaco . Not what I wanted to hear, but I sorta expected a lame result. Figured if it was what we all wanted, more people would have them and talk about it.

If I ever happen to meet ya, I’ll buy lunch since you saved me $50.00 + to find out for myself.