'Calm Act' regulating TV commercial volume levels now in effect

I'm trying to wrap my head around, how someone could shape a sound wave differently and yet make sure it still sounds the same. You see one of the properties of using a higher bit rate for digital recording, is to capture as many points along the analog sound wave as possible. This allows for recreating the analog sound wave as closely as possible. Changing the shape of the sound wave any at all, would therefor change the sound output.

You're of course, joking....?

If not, then, (notice the computer logic statement (?), the individual "sounds" are not "shaped", but the sonic spectrum is. In other words, levels are increased or decreased at individual frequency ranges. This causes certain bands of sounds to proceed toward you, or recede from you, in the overall "sound stage", or "sound front", or "stereo image". Whichever term enables the best access to the concept for you. Another term might be, "sound perspective". Which "objects" (sounds), are in the foreground, and which "objects" (sounds), are in the background.

The object of DSP, is A/D to D/A conversion. So, unless you have a USB port in your head, (or other places), you're an analog link in the signal chain, as were the musicians and instruments which created the music in the first place. (Although granted, "instruments" could involve pure digital methods only).

The piano has a range of 8 octaves, but the notes in the center of the keyboard and toward the right for an octave or so, are the ones to which the human ear is the most sensitive. You know, "middle C".

Human vocal range is basically limited to , (roughly) from C2 to C6 and that's with the very best, trained singers, and across several classifications.

Music is a fairly complex "science" also. Not anywhere as deep as computers, but deep nonetheless.
Wiki page on "middle C": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_(musical_note)

And Wiki page on full piano keyboard notes, octaves, and frequencies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_key_frequencies

If you would check out the terms I outlined in post 20, I'm sure they would clarify the issue a bit further.

Well the term was sound shaping and spectrum equalization never came to mind, until after both of our comments were made. If the original article did in fact label the effect as "sound shaping", I think it was a bad choice of words.

"Sound shaping" is granted, idiomatic expression. And also a term that would likely be more familiar to someone involved in sound reproduction at the production or mixing level.

Which is likely why it was confusing to me as I'm not that person.

And getting back on topic which is the fact that this (sound shaping) technique is likely used to elevate the sound output of commercials. So therefor sound shaping(aka: adjusting the amplitude of a range of sound frequencies) should be regulated against, to prevent such output elevations. If you ask me, its speech that should be the deciding factor on how loud any broadcast should be.

I cut cable TV off about a year ago and am saving myself $80 monthly. Of course, I spent $100 for a Roku box, $75 for a Mohu Leaf antenna and some minor monthly charges like $8 for Netflix (this is the best deal in the US for any entertainment, period). I do love Netflix.
Commercials in the local live air broadcasts coming from my Mohu antenna were indeed peaking much louder than the hosted programs but have suddenly come way down to the same levels as their sponsored programs thanks to the CALM act. However, I have noticed that many commercials will spike the volume really high for one second right at the beginning.
They better stop this one second volume spiking game real soon or I will be like an old grandma on my cell phone calling this FCC snitch number every day.
1-888-TELL-FCC, 1-888-225-5322.

And here's the FCC online form to complain about loud commercials:
https://esupport.fcc.gov/ccmsforms/form2000.action?form_type=2000G

If they purposely made them loud it cannot be that hard to purposely make them quiet again. Anyways good news . Now they need to ban commercials within shows advertising other shows.

So they made the shows quieter for the crash sounds n such to be higher, well just make the commercials quieter, set them to the uncrash scene decibel level.

In windows 7 go to control panel, hardware and sound, change system sounds, playback tab, right click your sound device like speakers, click properties, click enhancements tab and then check the loudness equalization box! There is also a option in vlc player and likely other media players like this. I noticed a HUGE difference when playing audio on vlc player after changing that feature and the vlc feature. I bet it works great for browsing as well.

You know, listening to loud TV commercials isn't half as annoying as listening to people rail about how they should regulate this, that, and the other thing.

The level at which righteous indignation, paranoid delusions of self entitlement, and requests for yet more legislation present on something as inane as the sound levels of TV commercials, which after all, can be eliminated by simply pushing a mute button, is unnerving.

I'm sure at some point you could get enough hysterically indignant malcontents to ram some new pointless crap law through Congress prohibiting companies hawking their wares.

With that said, I really take sadistic pleasure, in either changing the channel, or muting my TV, to suppress the annoyance that horse faced hag Flo from Progressive generates. It's fun to hit the mute button, and watch her lips move....silently. And guess what else Flo baby, I murmur to myself, "all my policies are with Geico, and their stupid lizard is way more appealing than you".

None of this nonsense is new business. My grand parents used to b**** about the volume of TV commercials. And that was in the year 1 BCTV (before color TV). And guess what, you actually had to get up, and walk across the room, to turn the TV down. Imagine the tales of woe and hardship we'd have to endure, if that was the case today.

Really, just think of actually having to get up off your a**, walk across the room, and then have to turn an analog knob, just to reduce the volume of your TV. You'd likely expect to have your own reality show as documentation of your travails if that were the case.

I also think that at some point in your quest to muzzle advertisers, they'll smarten up, realize they're pissing their money up a wall solely supporting broadcast TV, and pull the funding.

Since I'm absolutely certain you won't be picking up the tab on my cable bill should that occur, please consider hitting your mute button, and the one on your TV also.