http:\/\/blogs.ajc.com\/radio-tv-talk\/2011\/12\/13\/fcc-to-minimize-loud-tv-commercials\/<\/p>\n
Government regulation is the consequence of lack of self-regulation.<\/p>\n
Outlawing “loud” commercials compared to what? This idea has bounced around for decades. It doesn’t have an obvious way to enforce.<\/p>\n
Human hearing is not uniform – by emphasizing the frequencies we hear better, digital processing can make something sound louder than it is.<\/p>\n
If you make a limit on loudness in absolute terms, the broadcaster could lower the volume during the show, forcing you to turn up the volume control on the TV.<\/p>\n
The closest the FCC came was to try to create a rule that prohibits a difference in the average sound level of the commercial compared to the programming around it. That would then push people to make the content more noisy (turn up the volume of the laugh track, add more loud music, etc)<\/p>\n
The most important thing about this is it is signalling the FCC is going to become more activist.<\/p>\n
Since the FCC has no regulatory power over Internet content (yet), this ban would not apply to things you watch on the Internet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
http:\/\/blogs.ajc.com\/radio-tv-talk\/2011\/12\/13\/fcc-to-minimize-loud-tv-commercials\/ Government regulation is the consequence of lack of self-regulation. Outlawing “loud” commercials compared to what? This idea has bounced around for decades. It doesn’t have an obvious way to enforce. Human hearing is not uniform – by emphasizing the … Continue reading