-
Join the MyBroadband community
South Africa’s biggest forum. Discuss, discover, and connect with thousands of members.
-
Question of the Day: Will you be subscribing to the new Disney+ R49 streaming package?
DSTV ads sound volume
- Thread starter swordfish1
- Start date
killadoob
Honorary Master
so you guys are saying that 400 is alot for a whole season of f1, rugby,soccer,cricket and for those who like golf athletics etc
then you have movie channels and yes we have seen most of them but i often watch a movie ive never seen.
channel 41 as someone said is interesting sometimes
history channel
all the animal channels
cooking
what about mtv mtv base vh1
i think the guys who complain there is nothing to watch are talkin kuk no1 or they dont have dstv
yes the sound problem is a problem but not to the point that you guys are taking it, i mean geez starvation is a problem, war is problem i dont think a little sound difference is gonna end the world.
and yes dstv is well worth the 389 i pay every month
to watch so much sport is well worth it.
and for those who have dstv here and think there is nothing good about dstv begs the question why on earth do you have it? go back to sabc 1 2 3 and E.
you think dstv has nothing you aint seen sabc then
then you have movie channels and yes we have seen most of them but i often watch a movie ive never seen.
channel 41 as someone said is interesting sometimes
history channel
all the animal channels
cooking
what about mtv mtv base vh1
i think the guys who complain there is nothing to watch are talkin kuk no1 or they dont have dstv
yes the sound problem is a problem but not to the point that you guys are taking it, i mean geez starvation is a problem, war is problem i dont think a little sound difference is gonna end the world.
and yes dstv is well worth the 389 i pay every month
to watch so much sport is well worth it.
and for those who have dstv here and think there is nothing good about dstv begs the question why on earth do you have it? go back to sabc 1 2 3 and E.
you think dstv has nothing you aint seen sabc then
Kei said:
I posted earlier that some Amps/Recievers and some TV's have a "late night" mode that turns down the volume. Does the same thing you describe but doesn't mute it just turns the volume down.
BTW I know you have experience with this sort of thing, how long would it take to create such an ad-muter? I see a potential market for it.
just got another email from the ASA:
Thanks so much for sending the links to those articles - I think that we will follow up with the UK and see how that fitted in with their jurisdiction. Very interesting!
I have also in the meantime found out that ICASA are investigating this issue with a view to regulating it - so perhaps that would ideally be the next stop in your investigation.
To clarify the difference between your example and this: pornography in an ad has to do with the CONTENT of the ad, which we can adjudicate on. The volume of the ad has to with the technology behind the ad and the volume that your TV is on at the time which we are not allowed to adjudicate on. Unfortunately inflicting physical pain on a person's ears simply through the volume does not fall under our jurisdiction, no matter how much we may wish it did. ICASA, however, has wider powers than we do, and hopefully their investigation will address your concerns.
If I find out anything more I will let you know.
Regards
Gail
Thanks so much for sending the links to those articles - I think that we will follow up with the UK and see how that fitted in with their jurisdiction. Very interesting!
I have also in the meantime found out that ICASA are investigating this issue with a view to regulating it - so perhaps that would ideally be the next stop in your investigation.
To clarify the difference between your example and this: pornography in an ad has to do with the CONTENT of the ad, which we can adjudicate on. The volume of the ad has to with the technology behind the ad and the volume that your TV is on at the time which we are not allowed to adjudicate on. Unfortunately inflicting physical pain on a person's ears simply through the volume does not fall under our jurisdiction, no matter how much we may wish it did. ICASA, however, has wider powers than we do, and hopefully their investigation will address your concerns.
If I find out anything more I will let you know.
Regards
Gail
martin
Expert Member
killadoob said:
You make a valid point. I just want the ability to choose the channels I want instead of having to pay for the whole lot. FTV would be the first to go.
swordfish1
Expert Member
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2005
- Messages
- 3,304
- Reaction score
- 6
wow!
I was away from the PC a bit and I am very glad this topic is taken seriously, as I am seriously pissed off with that!
I was away from the PC a bit and I am very glad this topic is taken seriously, as I am seriously pissed off with that!
An ad-muter is simply a comparator with a preset level setting. When the volume of the sound reaches a certain level in dB it simply triggers and cuts off the speakers. Then when the level drops again it reconnects the speakers.
It is not difficult to build such a device, probably take me a week or so if I sit for a few minutes each evening.
Back on topic though: I am surprised that Multichoice claim they cannot control the volume. That is a lie because I am almost certain that their ads are streamed/played back from a machine on a different input to the mixer i.e. an alternate input other than the programme source. All it takes is simply cutting back on that volume but it seems they don't want to do it. They are either intentionally making the ad's loud or they're simply got incompetents working behind the desks
It is not difficult to build such a device, probably take me a week or so if I sit for a few minutes each evening.
Back on topic though: I am surprised that Multichoice claim they cannot control the volume. That is a lie because I am almost certain that their ads are streamed/played back from a machine on a different input to the mixer i.e. an alternate input other than the programme source. All it takes is simply cutting back on that volume but it seems they don't want to do it. They are either intentionally making the ad's loud or they're simply got incompetents working behind the desks
What they do is normalize the ads to peak RMS levels to get your attention dutint the ad break.
the thing is it pisses a person off more than anything else and they end up muting anyway and miss the ad. I would much rather watch an ad with normal volume than one that is overly loud.
Same principle applies in real life - how would people like it if say for example a person selling something comes up to them and a) talks in a normal voice, or b) if he/she shouts? In which instance would one want to listen to what he or she has to say? Definitely when they speak in the normal voice, unless there is something awry with your hearing.
All the channels who allow normalised max RMS ads are probably doing more damage to the effectiveness of the ad than anything else.
My 1 Zim dollar's worth.
the thing is it pisses a person off more than anything else and they end up muting anyway and miss the ad. I would much rather watch an ad with normal volume than one that is overly loud.
Same principle applies in real life - how would people like it if say for example a person selling something comes up to them and a) talks in a normal voice, or b) if he/she shouts? In which instance would one want to listen to what he or she has to say? Definitely when they speak in the normal voice, unless there is something awry with your hearing.
All the channels who allow normalised max RMS ads are probably doing more damage to the effectiveness of the ad than anything else.
My 1 Zim dollar's worth.
Last edited:
rasputyn
Senior Member
thisgeek said:
besides it being very soft, has anyone else noticed that the soundtrack on that channel sounds like it's being played from a stretched tape? I know it's not just my decoder, i've heard it on bout 5 other decoders aswell.
Angellus said:
I learnt the same thing in consumer behaviour. It's a tactic, a k4k one at that, that is supposed to gain your attention. The theory behind it is that humans generally don't have such a long attention span, and sorta start daydreaming after watching the same show for a while. So, in order to wake you up a bit when the ad's come on, they jack up the volume to around 190db
Edit: just realised I basically repeated what old MaD said...o well, imitation is the best form of flattery i s'pose
Last edited:
Debbie
Banned
Ra ra rasputynnn.... 
I never saw this thread when it was originally posted, so here's my take on it:
Pisses me off like you cannot believe! I watch TV with the remote next to me because of this. The sound on Discovery goes particularly loud. I have gotten into the habit of falling asleep while watching Forensic Detectives on Discovery at 11pm every night....and without fail I always get woken up by the last set of adverts.
It's actually so bad that sometimes I chose not to watch TV at all because if I am in the kitchen I cant have the TV blaring every few minutes while I run to turn it onto mute. I feel bad enough for my neighbours already.
I never saw this thread when it was originally posted, so here's my take on it:
Pisses me off like you cannot believe! I watch TV with the remote next to me because of this. The sound on Discovery goes particularly loud. I have gotten into the habit of falling asleep while watching Forensic Detectives on Discovery at 11pm every night....and without fail I always get woken up by the last set of adverts.
It's actually so bad that sometimes I chose not to watch TV at all because if I am in the kitchen I cant have the TV blaring every few minutes while I run to turn it onto mute. I feel bad enough for my neighbours already.
RichardP
Banned
I complained once about it... but the person on the HelpLess-Desk said it was "My" problem and they are not experiencing it. I am going to do a graph of decibels for a 2hr period and then send it to them .I bet they will say my stats are faulty and I need to adjust my TV to compensate for the super-duper audio subsystem that the AC3 dolby digital DTS.... or some crap story like that
Update: Speaking to a friend in the industry in europe, he gives me the tale that the 'Volume Up' tactic is known as during the adverts you leave the room to put the kettle on or something.... so they want you to hear the advert even from another room.
R
Update: Speaking to a friend in the industry in europe, he gives me the tale that the 'Volume Up' tactic is known as during the adverts you leave the room to put the kettle on or something.... so they want you to hear the advert even from another room.
R
Last edited:
hmmm...we basically get the same channels in the uk, and although the volume is also louder on ads it is only by a smidgen. i.e. very little. Not enough to have to turn it down, but just a wee bit louder.
Which means, dstv are taking the stream that int. are broadcasting, and inserting the ads themselves at the specified times, with their OWN volume settings.
well, thats how I see it. they can do something about it, but choose not to.
Which means, dstv are taking the stream that int. are broadcasting, and inserting the ads themselves at the specified times, with their OWN volume settings.
well, thats how I see it. they can do something about it, but choose not to.
I'm willing to pay bux for a device that will stop this **** - anything to bring my stress levels down. Anybody got any ideas where to get something that would do the job, similar to that recommended by Kei (who has since left this forum, if I remember correctly)?
nocilah
Banned
has anyone spoken to the media placement people at Dstv... those are the guys where you buy slots for the adverts...
swordfish1
Expert Member
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2005
- Messages
- 3,304
- Reaction score
- 6
thanks guys for brining my old thread to live
What about if I make a web site about DSTV fu*kups! And then screw the bloody idiots.
I am SOOOOOO sick of it! I have DSTV for the last 20 months or so, and the overal quality is getting from bad to worst. The sound volume is absolute utter crap! I think the people that are responsible for that must be fired at best!
Besides that the sound issues are not the only ones! This days it is very frequent that adverts are overlapped over the normal broadcast, in other words they are not timed properly into the ad window but are offset, so you lose few secons/minutes from the actual thing that you are watching.
The other day I was watching something for the WTC bombing on one of the docu channels. Suddenly (around 22.35h) I was watching Aicrash investigations on the very same channel! It was still saying in the menu that I am watching for the WTC though! So it just switched from the one to the other in a blink of an eye, even wasn't around adverts! How crap that is!
Even more ... on BBC, I constantly see the red logo rotating with no sound whatsoever, few minutes later some adverts start, when the adverts finish, BBC is in the middle of a news report or something. Well that is consistently happening example of the problem I described earlier!
Since some few months back, my decoder decided to start performing slowly from time to time. You press the I buttin, and you count to 3 until it shows up, then you press P+ or P- few times and it takes ages to move. This never happened last year. I bet it is a tactic to make people upgrade to the new utter crap PVR sh*t!!! I am sure most people will think well the decoder got older so needs upgrade!!! DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are a fool if you do it! It is electronics, it doesn't perform slower with age! It either works or it doesn't! It is the bloody idiots from multichoice with their flippin automatic software upgrades that have done this! They want your money! In return they will give you even crappier products and services! What a bullsh*t!!!!!
What about if I make a web site about DSTV fu*kups! And then screw the bloody idiots.
I am SOOOOOO sick of it! I have DSTV for the last 20 months or so, and the overal quality is getting from bad to worst. The sound volume is absolute utter crap! I think the people that are responsible for that must be fired at best!
Besides that the sound issues are not the only ones! This days it is very frequent that adverts are overlapped over the normal broadcast, in other words they are not timed properly into the ad window but are offset, so you lose few secons/minutes from the actual thing that you are watching.
The other day I was watching something for the WTC bombing on one of the docu channels. Suddenly (around 22.35h) I was watching Aicrash investigations on the very same channel! It was still saying in the menu that I am watching for the WTC though! So it just switched from the one to the other in a blink of an eye, even wasn't around adverts! How crap that is!
Even more ... on BBC, I constantly see the red logo rotating with no sound whatsoever, few minutes later some adverts start, when the adverts finish, BBC is in the middle of a news report or something. Well that is consistently happening example of the problem I described earlier!
Since some few months back, my decoder decided to start performing slowly from time to time. You press the I buttin, and you count to 3 until it shows up, then you press P+ or P- few times and it takes ages to move. This never happened last year. I bet it is a tactic to make people upgrade to the new utter crap PVR sh*t!!! I am sure most people will think well the decoder got older so needs upgrade!!! DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are a fool if you do it! It is electronics, it doesn't perform slower with age! It either works or it doesn't! It is the bloody idiots from multichoice with their flippin automatic software upgrades that have done this! They want your money! In return they will give you even crappier products and services! What a bullsh*t!!!!!
swordfish1
Expert Member
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2005
- Messages
- 3,304
- Reaction score
- 6
Don't pay, lets better make sure some people get fired!!!!!!mbs said:
swordfish1
Expert Member
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2005
- Messages
- 3,304
- Reaction score
- 6
Can I post a picture here by the way, I recorded some DSTV audio to visualy show what the difference is ...
Debbie
Banned
swordfish1 said:
Damn, I was watching that at the same time as well. I seriously thought that I must have pressed something funny, or I was too stoned and imagining things. And on top of that that was also the night they started having all adverts on NatGeo in Dutch....then I was convinced that I was seriously stoned!!!!
swordfish1 said:
Same problem here. I thought it was prob because the batteries were getting old!
I have emailed The Citizen and requested a poll on this issue. The Citizen is the one paper I respect for taking consumer issues seriously. Hopefully they will run my suggested poll to get this issue into the public mind.
In the meantime..... PLEASE http://www.dstv.com/main.aspx?ID=218&s=4&submit=true
Submit your statements to DSTV, and point out that you mute when the ads are turned up so loud, thus defeating the entire point. Post here your comments!
Last edited:
Debbie
Banned
swordfish1 said:
Please do!!! I was hoping to get someone with one of those Nokia phones with a volume gauge to see in decimals how loud the sound goes on certian DSTV channels....
can anyone with one of those phones tell us??
RichardP
Banned
DSTV are renowned for hitting the market late with New (old) ideas. Look at the Momentus cockup of the DSTV modem and Keyboard for interactive...... you could not GIVE me one!.
Some TV networks in europe allow you to order a movie on the internet and 20 minutes later you watch it directly off your PVR hard disk.
R
Some TV networks in europe allow you to order a movie on the internet and 20 minutes later you watch it directly off your PVR hard disk.
R