On Sat, 22 Dec 2007 09:40:39 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Ross Herbert wrote:
I've been a sound engineer for over 30 years. I know what loud
is, and
I know what compression sounds like.

I have both free-to-air channels and cable TV. When watching cable
and
the ads come on my wife looks up from her crocheting and says "you
don't have to turn the volume up"......

Not to dismiss your extensive experience in sound engineering, it
seems that it doesn't matter how the broadcast gets to you, the ads
still appear to be "louder". Maybe your cable TV company does try
to
reduce the apparent level of ads.

It's quite enlightening that near everyone talks about ads being 'too
loud' rather than the progs being too quiet. Shows really where
they're coming from.

???

You appear to be inferring that the problem lies with the viewer. If
your logic is correct then the viewer should determine the volume
setting by the loudest material being broadcast, ie. the
advertisements. That way they would have difficulty in hearing the
real program material and then be forced to complain to the
broadcaster that they wanted the program sound level cranked up....
Yeah, I'll go along with that....

Have a good Christmas.