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OT: ATSC to put kabosh on loud commercials
Looks like ATSC is finally going to tackle the growing problem of insanely loud commercials:
https://sportsvideo.org/main/blog/2009/10/28/atsc-ready-to-solve-loudness-woes/
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10 Replies
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The problem I notice is when the local stations switch from Network Dolby Digital encoded programming/spots to local insertion, that’s where it just cranks. I have to grab the remote at all the breaks. Not sure how to fix that.
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Most of the offenders are when it switches from a 5.1 surround sound show to a local, 2 channel only spot which is pushed out almost exclusively through the Center speaker. That’s what we notice here.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
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Huh. Wonder what that will bring and where the clamp will take place.
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Actually part of the problem is the insanely low dialog levels on cinema mixes in 5.1. Compared to tech specs for broadcast these levels may be 15-20 db lower than typical stereo programming.
They do this to allow for a wide dynamic range and tons of head room for big explosions. Apparent loudness is a very tricky thing to technically quantify, so it will not be easy to police.
Devices like the Dolby analysers also are fraught as they try to equate volume over time. A show with short sharp loud bits and then quiet will register as less loud that a show with a lot of regular but not excessive levels.
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[Jeremy Garchow] “Huh. Wonder what that will bring and where the clamp will take place.
“It notes that NBC, for instance, has software that looks at the audio level of an incoming commercial and adjusts the gain before it goes into their distribution network. Seems like the most foolproof way: have every submitted tape analyzed to fit the station’s desired dB output.
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[Aaron Neitz] “Looks like ATSC is finally going to tackle the growing problem of insanely loud commercials:”
Then how on earth do they ever expect us to hear them from the kitchen or bathroom?
Arnie
Post production is not an afterthought!
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I hear that, Aaron. I’m just wondering if it’s something that will be controlled by the broadcaster or if it’s going to fall on our shoulders. We deliver a lot of spots to DG Fastchannel and we don’t usually send tape! I agree, I think this will be a broadcaster responsibility.
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[Jeremy Garchow] “I agree, I think this will be a broadcaster responsibility.”
Almost has to be. We deliver all our shows to their specs. So obviously if all the programming is playing at the same volumes, the content providers are doing their job. If the commercials are playing much louder than the programming, then the network is not doing its job during national spots and the local cable headend is not doing its job during the local spots.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author.
HD Post and Production
Biscardi Creative Media“Foul Water, Fiery Serpent” now in Post.
Creative Cow Forum Host:
Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Motion, Apple Color, AJA Kona, Business & Marketing, Maxx Digital. -
Unless there’s some new deliverable requirement. It will cost all of 20k a year to license the technology. 😉
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It’s this, it’s real, and it’s spectacular…
Seriously, I had a demo of this at AES and if the broadcasters get on board with systems like this, delivery specs for people like us will be much less… stringent. (Discovery people know what I’m talking about…)
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