The EBU has been actively developing solutions to what some call the 'living room couch problem' of our time. This is the apparent jumps is sound level which occur all too often between channels, or when you switch different items of A/V equipment in the home. The problem looks set to be solved by the work of the ITU-R in general, and the work of the EBU P/LOUD group, led by Florian Camerer (ORF), in particular. A range of tools will be available from the EBU so that technicians can set up broadcasts or other signals to have the same 'loudness'.
Hollywood Post Alliance
| All set? Not quite. This week sees the meeting of high level broadcasters in the United States, the Hollywood Post Alliance (HPA) Tech Retreat. They are having a lot to say about loudness. There are two sessions on loudness, one for engineers, and one for producers. The EBU will introduce the work of P/LOUD there at the organizers request. One issue which is discussed in the background of the event, is how much 'hands-on' adjustment of a 'normal' loudness level will be needed. How far, indeed, will all programmes need to be 'equally loud'? |
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Who should be how loud?
Just a few weeks ago, for example, the 'Superbowl' was televised to the world. The old rock group 'The Who' played a set in the middle of the match. The Who's loudness was set up to be the same as the loudness of the commercial break. Sounds reasonable? Alas not. Some report that this simply did not work at all for viewers - the sound was dull. It seems that the ONLY way to appreciate a rock group is at ear splitting volume levels. So maybe when you show rock musicians' of 'sixty plus', some of the rules about normal loudness don't work that well. Or was something else going on here? This example will surely be considered by those producing guidelines for loudness.