# TV volume variance **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 21, 2003, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-volume-variance/189843 "2003-07-21T03:14:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-volume-variance/189843/1 "2003-07-21T03:14:54Z")
The BBC has confirmed that TheAND, STEVEROUNDSTHECORNER, JASONCLOSEBEHIND!!!ted and wife angie lead a quiet life in… Is there no standard between channels for broadcast volume setting? ---
**Author:** ![Ferris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ferris/32/11573_2.png) [@Ferris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferris)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-volume-variance/189843/2 "2003-07-21T04:05:27Z")
Well, it certainly bugs me when the adverts are approximately thirty percent louder than the programmes. From ‘Life of Python’, I read about an evil idea conceived for a sketch by the Monty Python team where the sound level was very gradually reduced during the sketch, then suddenly whacked up to maximum right at the end, which would have resulted in thousands of viewers up and down the country having to adjust the TV controls up to maximum, then right back down again (few remotes in the 70’s). The idea was quickly deemed unsuitable by ‘the powers that be’ so it was never done. ---
**Author:** ![skyzoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@skyzoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skyzoo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-volume-variance/189843/3 "2003-07-21T04:11:56Z")
Yes. The “standard” is: make commercials Louder, and irritate your listeners. C’est la vié… ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-volume-variance/189843/4 "2003-07-21T04:22:43Z")
God, I hate this. I have to turn the regular channel way up, then get blasted backwards when the commercials come on. Didn’t some TVs have something where you set the volume, and then the TV adjusted everything to fit that volume? What ever happened to that? ---
**Author:** ![skyzoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@skyzoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skyzoo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-volume-variance/189843/5 "2003-07-21T04:39:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GMRyujin \* > \*\*God, I hate this. I have to turn the regular channel way up, then get blasted backwards when the commercials come on. Didn’t some TVs have something where you set the volume, and then the TV adjusted everything to fit that volume? What ever happened to that? \*\* I feel your pain, **GMRyujin**! I can only figure out that they are not mystified by commas! _PS: I have loved your sig from the first time I met it!!!_ ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-volume-variance/189843/6 "2003-07-21T05:45:35Z")
I’ve always wanted a TV that would let you set two preset volume levels, so you could flip between them with one push of a button. Commercials come on, volume goes down (not OFF, like “mute” does, because I need to hear when the show comes back on when I’m looking at my computer). Commercials go away, volume goes back up. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-volume-variance/189843/7 "2003-07-21T07:52:14Z")
Why is it that the channels without commercials have the volume set a lot lower than the regular channels? ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-volume-variance/189843/8 "2003-07-21T08:10:32Z")
Mudshark, I agree. I was watching my local PBS station the other day and it was particularly bad. One show was quiet and then the next show was even quieter! I normally like my volume set at normal speaking level. On my tv the level is usually set around 18 or 19. I had to turn it way up to 34 and even then I could barely hear it. I got frustrated and changed channels. Arrgh! ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-volume-variance/189843/9 "2003-07-21T08:12:35Z")
My TV has a “soft” feature, which brings the volume down to level 1 (just above completely silent). Pressing ther Mute button on the remote goes in a cycle: Soft, Muted, Normal. It’s useful for talking on the phone. On the other hand, I’m sick of my other TV with digital volume settings. It goes Silent \> whisper \> what did he say? \> TOO DAMN LOUD \> 17 more levels of ear-splitting. Ah, for the days of an analog dial… ---
**Author:** ![Xerxes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/d2c977/32.png) [@Xerxes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xerxes)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-volume-variance/189843/10 "2003-07-21T10:38:49Z")
I think the soundtracks to most tv ads are compressed, often with a multiband compressor (one which splits the audio spectrum up into 3/4 bands and compresses them individually). The practical effect of such compression (which brings up the soft passages and stops the loud ones from getting much-or-any louder) is that you get more sound energy transferred. Hence it sounds louder. ---
**Author:** ![Xerxes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/d2c977/32.png) [@Xerxes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xerxes)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-volume-variance/189843/11 "2003-07-21T10:41:49Z")
Oh yes, from [this site](http://www.bandt.com.au/articles/70/0c011c70.asp) there is mention of compression and eq being used fairly extensively… > [@](#): > > In its submission to the ABA, FACTS said that unlike most TV program tracks, most ad soundtracks were processed—passed through devices like equalisers and compressors by the sound production house, which were designed to bring the sound “up close”, or make it brighter. > > “Material that is has been compressed will sound louder, though there is no increasein volume. > > “This is because compression of a soundtrack raises the energy content of the sound by reducing the dynamic range—the difference between the peaks and the average level of the sound—thereby making it more dense.” ---
**Author:** ![BigNik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/73ab20/32.png) [@BigNik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigNik)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-volume-variance/189843/12 "2003-07-22T04:10:58Z")
What Xerxes said. As I recall it, the same study found that there was no difference between the ‘peak’ volumes of different programmes or ads, it’s just that shows with large differences between loud and quiet (such as movies) would have a ‘standard’ volume that is lower than those that have the same volume all the time (such as ads or news shows). As a result, although the loud bit of the ad is no louder than the loud bit of the movie, most of the movie is spent below maximum volume while the entire ad is spent there.