Movies on TV

[Gawdzillers]

The Comcast commercials thread awoke this peeve of mine.

I hate how movies on TV are always super-can't-hear-a-goddamn-thing quiet, but then the commercials are HOLY-CHRISTWAGONS-LOUD. So you turn your volume way up for the movie, and then get the crap scared out of you when a commercial for herpes treatment comes on.

Why can't I enjoy Charles Bronson kicking ass without the dialogue being at a whisper?

[Pedersen]

You have asked, so I will give the answer I've heard:

It's because no one watches the commercials. When people see the commercial break start, they go to the bathroom, get a snack, get a drink, etc. They're not watching the commercials. Hell, they're not even in the same room.

This is how the tv companies try to make you hear them, at least.

One more reason to use something like Tivo.

[CancelMyService]

You have asked, so I will give the answer I've heard:

It's because no one watches the commercials. When people see the commercial break start, they go to the bathroom, get a snack, get a drink, etc. They're not watching the commercials. Hell, they're not even in the same room.

This is how the tv companies try to make you hear them, at least.

One more reason to use something like Tivo.

That, and different shows/movies have different sound mixes. If you watch an older movie with a 5.1 speaker layout, everything will come thru the center channel. You adjust the sound for that, the commercials come on in a different audio mix (HD commercials are in 5.1 for example) and you get blown off the couch.

[protege]

One more reason to use something like Tivo.

...or get one of those TVs that keeps the volume at a consistent level. IIRC, Magnavox made several sets that did that. Loud commercials, plus the editing...are the main reasons I don't watch many movies on TV. Half the time, the dialog is edited just enough that the scenes aren't funny. The exception had to be the 3rd Die Hard flick. Yes, I'm talking about the "racist melon-farmer" comment

[Dreamstalker]

I hate the "newscast" Comcast commercials. Even my mom wants to reach into the set and strangle that guy.

Half the time, the dialog is edited just enough that the scenes aren't funny.

Spike TV did that with a recent airing of Ghostbusters. In the scene with Venkman and the two students, the male student says after being told the reason for the test: "I'll tell you what the effect is! It's pissing me off!".

That punchline was cut out (I'm still not sure why), thus the entire exchange made no sense.

(mildly disappointing, as I wouldn't have expected Spike to edit for content given both the network and the late hour it was airing...not that there's much to edit)

Visual editing also pisses me off if it's 1. unnecessary and 2. poorly done. In the same movie, there's a part near the end of the montage (usually referred to as the "dream ghost" sequence; if you watch closely it was intended to be part of a separate scene). Approximately 28 seconds of random.

In one version I remember watching, it was cut out and the resulting edit/splice was spectacularly bad (resulting in much WTF-ness). The reasoning for the edit has not been figured out, nor has it happened in any other broadcasts I've seen.

As for the dialogue editing...pffft. I was 7 when I saw that movie in its original form and I wasn't corrupted (much).