Dolby Eases TV Commercial Volume

I can almost remember the day when advertising executives figured out the trick that finally sent me running for a TiVo. People had figured out how to "tune out" TV commercials, so advertisers forced you to pay attention by simply doubling the volume of the ad. Invariably this sent you scrambling for the volume or mute button on the remote to restore your sanity in a flash, but then forced you to turn it back up when your program came back on.

I spent some time at Dolby's booth at CES last week, but somehow I missed this innovation: a technology called Dolby Volume, designed to level volume across channels and programs so you aren't taken off guard by over-loud commercials or certain networks which air programming too loud or too soft. Ars Technica has more of the technical details, though it's really a pretty simple technology.

Right now it appears Dolby Volume is destined for TV sets, but I'm hoping it appears in A/V receivers as well. I haven't used my TV's speakers in years, and I'm not sure they actually even work. According to the story, pricing for the technology hasn't been announced, but it is expected to be negligible in the grand scheme of things.