# TV channels' volume (weak rant) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 18, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-channels-volume-weak-rant/647640 "2013-01-18T19:06:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-channels-volume-weak-rant/647640/1 "2013-01-18T19:06:49Z")
Why the hell are some TV channels remarkably different in volume? Why do I have to crank up the volume to watch anything on the Science Channel, then remember to turn it way down to watch CNN, to avoid damaging my ear drums? Not even counting commercials, why this discrepancy? Isn’t this something my cable provider can adjust? ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-channels-volume-weak-rant/647640/2 "2013-01-18T20:38:38Z")
Agreed. And wasn’t there a law passed about commercial volume, too? When does that go into effect? ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-channels-volume-weak-rant/647640/3 "2013-01-18T20:44:49Z")
> [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > Agreed. And wasn’t there a law passed about commercial volume, too? When does that go into effect? Allegedly Jan 1. I have definitely seen at least two examples of the law being broken if it is, in fact, in effect. Not that I have notes or anything… ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-channels-volume-weak-rant/647640/4 "2013-01-18T21:16:37Z")
I hate that. In some cases it’s really extreme. I tried watching a movie on OnDemand a couple of years ago, and had to turn the volume up to 100. Even then, I could barely hear it. And of course if I paused it for too long… Hmm, 100. Does Nigel Tufnel’s TV go to eleventy-one? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-channels-volume-weak-rant/647640/5 "2013-01-19T03:24:43Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I hate that. In some cases it’s really extreme. > > I tried watching a movie on OnDemand a couple of years ago, and had to turn the volume up to 100. Even then, I could barely hear it. And of course if I paused it for too long… > > Hmm, 100. Does Nigel Tufnel’s TV go to eleventy-one? Yes, I forgot to mention the ear-splitting “pausing too long” phenomenon. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2013, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-channels-volume-weak-rant/647640/6 "2013-01-20T02:05:38Z")
What happens if you pause too long? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2013, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-channels-volume-weak-rant/647640/7 "2013-01-20T03:01:45Z")
2 words. Closed captions ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2013, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-channels-volume-weak-rant/647640/8 "2013-01-20T13:46:44Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > What happens if you pause too long? 😕 Often, my recorded shows are at a much lower volume than live TV, so I have the volume way high, just to hear the dialogue. On modern DVRs (in my experience. of course, YMMV), if you’re watching a recorded show and then pause it, after about 5 minutes of pause, it unpauses and reverts back to live TV, automatically. When it unpauses, the live TV stream is FUCKING DEAFENING. For whatever reason, I can pause live TV seemingly in perpetuity.