Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!ingr!henges
From: henges@ingr.com (John Hengesbach)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: commercials...(long)
Keywords: commercials, compressors, VCRs, film editting
Message-ID: <6428@ingr.com>
Date: 18 Sep 89 15:04:35 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Intergraph Corp. Huntsville, Al
Lines: 54


There has been a whole flurry of activity on this subject of commercial
"killing".  I just thought I'd add my two cents worth.

On the subject of "louder" commercials:  The audio level for programs is
set so that the peaks do not exceed 0 VU .  This means that the average
program level is much lower.  The same is tru for the commercials.  That
is, the peaks do not exceed 0 VU.  However, almost all the audio for
commercials is run through a compressor or reduce the dynamic range, but
increase the average level.  Therefore it sounds louder.  If any station
is broadcasting sound which is "clipped" or distorted, it is because the
engineer has the levels set too high.

From a dollars and cents (sense as well) point of view, the stations would
never put in a system to automatically identify commercials.  THIS IS
THEIR LIFEBLOOD!!  Without commercials, they don't exist!!!!

The discussions about determining when changes in (or appearances of) 
chroma level occur are not guaranteed to produce repeatable results.
While it is true that disturances in the various sync signals MAY BE
detectable between programs changes (and that's what happens between
the program and a commercial, or between two commercials), it will
vary from programs to program, network to network.

I thought the best reply was "what will you do with the time while
the commercial is playing?".  If you are watching the program on tape,
the FF button will solve your problem.  If you are watching live, you
have to go to that bathroom sooner or later...

I would vote for VCR manufactures putting a button on their machines 
which automatically fast forwarded in 30 second increments.  All
commercial time slots are in these multiples, even if they have 10 or
15 second commercials in them.

BUT MY LARGEST VOTE WOULD GO to small stations who would employ people
with common sense when "editting" movies for commercials.  This is
not typically a problem on ABC,NBC CBS etc, but the game goes something
like this:

	Business Manager:  "We need 15 commercials in this 3 hour film"
	Film Cutter:	   "No problem, that's 5 commercials per hour,
			    one every 12 minutes"

And that's EXACTLY what they do.  Imagine if you will watching "Gone with
the Wind" cut by someone of this ilk:  "Frankly Scarlet, I don't....And
you clothes can be as smell as clean as a spring day, if only you use...."
If you don't believe this can and does happen, watch a late night television 
movie on any station, or your local independent station.

-- 
John Hengesbach
   ..!uunet!ingr!henges				Intergraph
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   (205)772-2000 				Huntsville, Alabama 35807