More than just volume spikes
Volume spikes are getting a lot of press these days. An Adweek Media/Harris Poll released today finds 93% of people say they are bothered by commercials that are louder than TV shows. The latest stories refer to the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act and move quickly into discussions of technologies, such as Audyssey Dynamic Volume, which already solve the problem. If the Senate passes the legislation, would the post-CALM age mean the end of Dynamic Volume?
If spikes were the only problem then the answer would be, “Yes.” But, volume spikes are just one problem for TV viewers and Dynamic Volume solves many problems.
When Audyssey developed Dynamic Volume, we tracked how people use the volume control. Of course they turned down the volume quickly during loud commercials. But they changed the volume in other ways, too. At times, our test subjects would slowly turn down the volume during parts that would gradually grow loud. We also observed that people crank the volume to hear soft dialogue. Remote controls get quite a workout!
It is no easy task to get all of this right, as anyone with a remote can testify. It seems, just when you turn up the volume to hear two people whispering to each other, a bomb goes off and you need to turn it down again. Before Dynamic Volume, automated systems would go crazy turning things up and down. This is called pumping and is almost as annoying as the spikes. In fact, our partners tell us of TVs with pumping problems being returned because the customers thought they were broken—not a problem with Audyssey Dynamic Volume.
On the other hand, if you have a system that only focuses on turning down the spikes so it cannot get itself into a pumping state, it may turn down the overall soundtrack.
It is really about dynamic range
Dynamic range is the difference between the loudest and softest passages of a program. Controlling the dynamic range means that no matter the environment, no matter the material, you will always be able to hear everything at a level you enjoy.
Dynamic Volume allows users to control the dynamic range of any program (television show, movie or music) and that’s much more powerful than merely cutting out spikes.
To get the right dynamic range, Audyssey uses dialogue as the midpoint target. Set your volume at a level where regular speaking is comfortable to hear, and Dynamic Volume will make sure nothing gets too loud or too soft from that target. It anticipates level changes so there is never any pumping. Problem solved, right? Well, things are a little more complicated.
Take classical music. It is often said to cover the widest range of loudness, from silence (0 dB) to the full orchestra playing at its loudest (100 dB). In order to hear this dynamic range, you must listen in a carefully constructed and designed concert hall.
Now, go to a bar where people are ordering drinks, talking to each other and having fun and you will find the noise level is about 70 dB already. There will be no chance for anyone to enjoy anything approaching classical music’s dynamic range, but rock and roll fits the bill just fine. If the quiet parts are just equal to the background noise, they will seem pretty quiet and when the band cranks it, they may go over 100 dB for a dynamic range of 30-40 dB.
So what does this have to do with Dynamic Volume? Think of a romantic movie night with your significant other watching movies; this is your classical music night. You will enjoy it more if the dynamic range is pretty wide (around 80 dB). If, on the other hand, you have friends over to watch the Super Bowl, it will be similar to your night at a bar. In this case, you will enjoy the game more if you can limit the dynamic range to 40 dB and keep the volume above the noise of everyone talking.
Get the most out of Audyssey Dynamic Volume
Dynamic Volume has a number of settings you can control. Although our partners use different names, there are three settings: Heavy (Midnight), Medium (Evening) and Light (Day). These control the dynamic range.
Heavy (Midnight): This is the narrowest range. If you want to watch an action movie late at night and not wake anyone, use this setting. Use it, too, for Super Bowl Sunday.
Medium (Evening): This is the most common setting and is the default we recommend. This is perfect for daily television use, especially in a living room setting.
Light (Day): This setting offers the widest dynamic range. Use this when you pop in your latest movie from Netflix after dinner. You won’t miss a thing.
There are many other situations for using wide and narrow dynamic ranges for your listening enjoyment, but you get the idea. If you have any questions, submit a request on Ask Audyssey. If you want to make sure your next TV, AVR or HTiB has Dynamic Volume, just check our product catalog. Also, be sure to check the manual that came with your equipment, so you can exercise full mastery over your volume.