Dolby partners with Motorola to fight loud TV commercials
Who says that companies can’t do something for the good of society? Dolby Laboratories is partnering with Motorola to bring an end to a scourge of TV viewing: the loud sound volume of commercials.
A lot of folks are annoyed that commercials crank up the volume on the TV, creating a jarring feeling for viewers when the TV transitions from a softer show to an obnoxious commercial. Motorola will use Dolby Volume technology in its cable set-top boxes for the North American and Latin American markets.
The Intelligent Loudness Control will be part of Motorola’s DCX set-top box family, so the sound will be consistent as the TV switches from shows to commercials and visa versa. This is a pain point that touches everybody, says Craig Eggers, a marketing director at Dolby, in an interview. This technology can’t make it into the entire TV industry soon enough.
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About the Author, Dean Takahashi
Dean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.
