Latest Loudness Stories

ATLANTA, Aug. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --SpotGenie Partners, LLC (seespotgenie.com), the Atlanta-based digital advertising delivery network, has updated their proprietary quality control software, SpotCheck, which automatically checks a TV commercial to ensure it is compliant with the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act. The Commission-adopted "loudness law," which requires commercials to have the same average volume as the...

MGH team uses functional imaging to find neurons sensitive to distance but not loudness Researchers at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital have identified a portion of the brain responsible for determining how far away a sound originates, a process that does not rely solely on how loud the sound is. The investigators' report, which will appear in the early edition of Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences, is receiving early online release...

New Actus loudness monitoring solution, QualiTV, helps broadcasters comply with regulations; on display at Broadcast Asia 2012 Tel Aviv, Israel (PRWEB) June 11, 2012 Actus Digital, a developer of web-based media monitoring, content repurposing and verification solutions for broadcasters, is showcasing new loudness monitoring technology at the Broadcast Asia 2012 exhibition, held in Singapore from June 19–22 (stand 4M2-01). Actus QualiTV is the only tool on the market today that brings...

There have been many theories behind the creation of Stonehenge, including some believing the ancient structure was originally intended to be a monument, a calendar, an observatory, or a place for healing or worship. Now, an American researcher has proposed yet another theory -- that the legendary 5,000-year-old stone circle in southern England may have been an attempt to mimic or recreate an auditory illusion. According to LiveScience Senior Writer Stephanie Pappas, the theory was put...

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Tuesday passed regulations that require broadcasters and cable and satellite TV operators to put an end to one of the most annoying issues in the television age -- loud commercials. The FCC adopted a Report and Order that implements the 2010 Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (CALM act), in which it was given, for the first time, permission from Congress to address vociferous commercials. The order, which goes into effect...

New Wheatstone sponsored study shows a shift in how stations perceive value of their on air sound New Bern, NC (PRWEB) July 11, 2011 An independent study, sponsored by Wheatstone Corporation, has documented a shift in how stations now perceive the value of different acoustic qualities to help attract and hold their audiences. In the 1980s, loudness was a highly desirable acoustic quality, and processors were designed to make one station sound louder on the radio dial than another. But...

The vuvuzela horns -- also called stadium horns -- being blown by fans at World Cup matches are so loud that anyone within close range could suffer hearing damage, according to experts on Monday. The sound emitted by the vuvuzela puts out a deafening 127 decibels, according to a South African study. That makes it louder than a whistle (121 decibels) and almost as loud as a jet taking off at about 1000 feet, which is around 130 decibels. Bursts of sound at such high levels can be disastrous to...

An in vivo study shows for the first time that there is a stress-response system within the cochlea that mirrors the signaling pathways of the body's fight or flight response. Researchers have identified a hormone-like signaling system of the inner ear that sets baseline hearing sensitivity and helps protect against noise-induced hearing loss."Our research shows, for the first time, that the cochlea's protective mechanism is likely to be largely a locally-produced phenomenon. The current...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A vast majority of U.S. television viewers are so annoyed by loud TV commercials that they reduce or mute the volume, or change the channel altogether, according to a just-released national survey. But help is on the way -- the U.S. Congress is considering legislation requiring broadcasters to keep commercials' audio levels more in line with their related programming. The telephone survey of 1,000 TV viewers, conducted for Harris Corporation...

The European Union (EU) proposed new rules on Monday aimed at preventing people from cranking up the volume on their digital music players.Warning of the risk of deafness to millions of teenagers, the EU said it wants makers of MP3 players and mobile phones to recommend users turn the volume down to preserve their hearing.Meglena Kuneva, who heads the European Commission's consumer protection unit, said experts and industry will collaborate in drafting stricter standards to limit hearing...