The MoPR Blog

As the CALM Act makes its way through Congress, more and more industry leaders are chiming in on the Act and what exactly it means for cable, satellite, telecom and other providers of multi-channel video. This is a timely discussion should the CALM Act eventually become law, which is likely as it has passed the House and it’s one bill that Democrats and Republicans in the Senate can get behind without much rancor.

One industry executive in particular is tackling the issue of how video service providers can actually identify overly loud commercials embedded in their programming, which is the first step in combating them.

Mixed Signals’ Steve Liu tackles the topic in his article “Monitoring Multi-Channel Audio Loudness Issues” in the latest edition of Broadband Gear Report.

In the article he outlines the specific requirements of the CALM Act and how effective and comprehensive content monitoring can not only enable service provider to meet the conditions of the Act, but also increase the quality of the viewing experience for customers.

Because as we’ve discussed in the past, no one likes the crazy hike in the loudness of commercials. What do we want instead? An optimal viewing experience that is void of ear-blasting audio. Surely that can’t be too much to ask for, especially in a time when we have the tools we need to effectively monitor the issues and catch the offending errors.

As always, we’ll keep you updated on the current state of the CALM Act along with other industry commentary.

Stay tuned!

You may recall a couple of months back a blog post regarding the Cable-Tec Expo show. In particular, I discussed Mixed Signals’ demonstrations and announcements surrounding Sentry’s ability to measure the loudness of TV commercials and programs.

“As overly loud commercials have become increasingly problematic, proposed legislation is now before Congress that would require video service providers to address this pressing issue. The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act would require video service providers to ensure that commercials not be any louder than the average volume of the programs they accompany.”

Yesterday good news arrived: The CALM Act has passed the House and will now go on to the Senate. Making it past the House is a huge and important step for the bill- a step that many bills never see.

Rep. Anna Eshoo, the California Democrat driving this measure, said “loud commercials are a common complaint with the Federal Communication Commission” and that “the new legislation would force the industry to comply with its own standards.” And it looks like the House agrees.

Will the bill pass the Senate? Well, if you’re not a fan of loud commercials, you had better hope so! And if it does pass? Mixed Signals’ is ready to help:

“We understand the irritation from both cable operators as well as subscribers when it comes to loud commercials interrupting an otherwise enjoyable television experience – which is why we have upgraded Sentry to help solve this frustration, especially as new legislation regarding this issue is progressing quickly, ” said Eric Conley, CEO of Mixed Signals. “Our number one priority is to make sure cable operators have the tools they need to catch these service affecting issues, which is why Sentry’s upgrade enables operators to cost-effectively monitor their entire programming line-up in a scalable way that identifies loudness issues immediately when they occur.”

As always, we’ll keep you updated as the bill works its way through the Senate.

Despite the record 18” of snow that covered Denver during Cable-Tec Expo, this year’s show proved successful and productive for both exhibitors as well as attendees. And yes, even the coat check was a popular stand at the show.

In keeping with the theme- “Touch the Technology”- exhibitors put their best technology on display for eager attendees. This year, Mobility PR represented two clients at the show: RGB Networks and Mixed Signals.

At this year’s RGB booth there were multiple product demonstrations, including the new Video Multiprocessing Gateway (VMG), which is the multi-function, ultra-dense chassis behind RGB’s content repurposing solution. Dubbed the “any video to any device” solution, and even referred to as a “Video God Box,” the VMG uniquely combines a number of key functions, including content repurposing, digital ad insertion, transrating, grooming ingest and aggregation, all in a single platform. The VMG demonstration this year included transcoding MPEG-4/H.264 streams into MPEG-2, as well as MPEG-4/H.264 ad insertion and statistical multiplexing of MPEG-2 and MPEG-4/H.264 streams.

Also on display was the five rack unit VMG-6, which is ideally suited for operators that require a smaller form factor chassis for deployment in hubs, whereas the 13 rack unit VMG-14 is better suited to headends.

In the Mixed Signals booth, the CALM Act took center stage. On display was Mixed Signals’ award-winning Sentry which now supports the ITU-R BS.1770 audio specification for measuring the loudness of video programs. As overly loud commercials have become increasingly problematic, proposed legislation is now before Congress that would require video service providers to address this pressing issue. The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act would require video service providers to ensure that commercials not be any louder than the average volume of the programs they accompany.

Quite possibly the most irritating topic, loud commercials and their annoying effects hit close to home for many. The promise of quieter commercials drew in attendees and exhibitors alike, all united with the same desire for a television experience void of ear-ringing car commercials and miracle blenders. With Sentry, operators can for the first time cost-effectively identify and track loud commercials and other volume issues that affect subscribers’ viewing experiences. And the survey says? THANK YOU.

Though attendance fell slightly, the show still seemed to thrive despite a haggard economy and difficult travel conditions. Demonstrations at both booths were in full swing and though it was often difficult to maneuver the crowds that invaded both booths, we still managed to snag some pictures in the down time that capture what the show floor looked like.

Next year’s Cable-Tec will take place in New Orleans in October. We’re thinking snow won’t be an issue this time around…but did someone forget that it’s also hurricane season? As always, stay tuned!