My mother received a digital receiver and two black boxes for the other televisions in the house the other day from Comcast. We had no choice but to convert to the new system or we would not receive a signal.
I followed the instructions provided for wiring the devices and programming the new remote controls, then called the activation phone number which was totally automated.
We waited the required 45 minutes following the call for a sign that the digital box was programmed, but nothing happened.
Still waiting.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
How subtle absurditiy works in advertising
I just saw a Menards commercial featuring a woman painting a wall near a staircase. Painters tape was applied to the baseboards and the edge of the staircase. The woman was painting the wall beneath the stairs.
Against the wall she was painting was a bookcase, which was also taped off. No, it was clearly a small bookcase that could easily be moved out of the way and professionals would move out of the way, but it was taped off.
Another commercial for Green Giant vegetables featured a scene with men hand-picking ears of corn. A few years ago it wouldn't seen absurd, but everyone I know, knows corn is picked by machine.
Other ads feature the bizarre anthropomorphism of mops and feather dusters into strange animated stalkers, desperate to retain their position in the hands of the women who replaced them with Swiffer brand tools.
One that stands out most is the woman who gets a phone call from a mop. She had the mop's number and photo on her phone, how bizarre was that? The key ingredients are the inferences that arise from the circumstances of the mop's phone call.
• How did the photo of the mop and a phone number for the mop manage to get into the list of phone numbers the woman has on her cell phone? Why?
Inferences are established in the mind of the audience as a first impression. Sight at a distance is the first stage of determining a situation. This is a key ingredient in survival. Inferences are made before inquiries are made.
A billboard for Miller Genuine Draft I remember, showed only the logo and brand name on a white background, and a woman dressed for going to the beach carrying a clear tote bag over her shoulder. Within the bag was a long rectangular package, gift-wrapped.
The key to remembering this advertisement was the scale of the gift-wrapped package.
The package appeared to measure two inches by two inches by twelve inches.
Using the power of deduction, try to imagine what would fit into that package.
Not a beer bottle.
Not wine bottle.
What? Do you see my point?
The confusion that arises from the first impression of such a simple juxtaposition of your logo with something slightly out of place can embed the impression for years.
Against the wall she was painting was a bookcase, which was also taped off. No, it was clearly a small bookcase that could easily be moved out of the way and professionals would move out of the way, but it was taped off.
Another commercial for Green Giant vegetables featured a scene with men hand-picking ears of corn. A few years ago it wouldn't seen absurd, but everyone I know, knows corn is picked by machine.
Other ads feature the bizarre anthropomorphism of mops and feather dusters into strange animated stalkers, desperate to retain their position in the hands of the women who replaced them with Swiffer brand tools.
One that stands out most is the woman who gets a phone call from a mop. She had the mop's number and photo on her phone, how bizarre was that? The key ingredients are the inferences that arise from the circumstances of the mop's phone call.
• How did the photo of the mop and a phone number for the mop manage to get into the list of phone numbers the woman has on her cell phone? Why?
Inferences are established in the mind of the audience as a first impression. Sight at a distance is the first stage of determining a situation. This is a key ingredient in survival. Inferences are made before inquiries are made.
A billboard for Miller Genuine Draft I remember, showed only the logo and brand name on a white background, and a woman dressed for going to the beach carrying a clear tote bag over her shoulder. Within the bag was a long rectangular package, gift-wrapped.
The key to remembering this advertisement was the scale of the gift-wrapped package.
The package appeared to measure two inches by two inches by twelve inches.
Using the power of deduction, try to imagine what would fit into that package.
Not a beer bottle.
Not wine bottle.
What? Do you see my point?
The confusion that arises from the first impression of such a simple juxtaposition of your logo with something slightly out of place can embed the impression for years.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The FCC and audio level consistency standards.
Once upon a time, before going to bed I turned on the television and lowered the volume just enough to understand it and still be able to fall asleep.
When I graduated from Ivy Tech with a degree in commercial television technology, there were strict standards concerning audio output levels. If you produced television commercials, you were required to stay within the limits specified so the audio signal was consistent with the programming signal. When I was working for TCI Cable Advertising, and even when our TCI office became AT&T Media Services, we still adhered to strict audio standards.
Comcast has mostly overrun the cable industry and audio level consistency standards, at least from my personal viewing experience, are out the window with the baby and the bath water.
I don’t know how the standards are on ABC, NBC and CBS, because I only watch “60 Minutes” and occasionally local news, and that’s it. No kidding. Every night I watch BBC News, Nightly Business Report, and News Hour on PBS, then switch over to MSNBC if there are no movies on FX, AMC, TNT, Spike, SyFy, or other channels that usually have movies or a whole series that I missed watching, like CSI and Burn Notice.
The problem now is really, really loud commercials. I get really annoyed when I have to pick up my remote control and mute commercials because they are so damn loud! Comcast’s own commercials are twice as loud as the programming, especially on the FX network when they are featuring a film that has Dolby surround sound.
Fantastic Four, Rise of the Silver Surfer is a perfect example where the dialogue is very soft, and the background sound effects are extra loud. I would pick up the remote without thinking and turn up the sound so I could hear the dialogue, then get blasted by the sound of explosions. Unfortunately, the commercials are at the same volume as the explosions.
There are no explosions on MSNBC or during the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central, but the commercials are startling and annoying, creating a negative emotional impression for Comcast and other products.
I finally went to the website of the Federal Communication Commission (www.FCC.gov) and tried to find information on audio level standards so I could write a letter of complaint with some legal weight. NOPE.
I emailed the FCC requesting information about audio level standards and within minutes I received from them a document that stated the following:
The document goes on to suggest measures that consumers can take to control the volume on their own. You can see it at: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/backgroundnoise.html
Or, since I don’t care to spend money on such equipment as an automatic gain control circuit, I can turn off my television and select programming on the Internet where audio levels are more stable, and spend the rest of my time reading or listening to the radio.
www.spfld.tv
When I graduated from Ivy Tech with a degree in commercial television technology, there were strict standards concerning audio output levels. If you produced television commercials, you were required to stay within the limits specified so the audio signal was consistent with the programming signal. When I was working for TCI Cable Advertising, and even when our TCI office became AT&T Media Services, we still adhered to strict audio standards.
Comcast has mostly overrun the cable industry and audio level consistency standards, at least from my personal viewing experience, are out the window with the baby and the bath water.
I don’t know how the standards are on ABC, NBC and CBS, because I only watch “60 Minutes” and occasionally local news, and that’s it. No kidding. Every night I watch BBC News, Nightly Business Report, and News Hour on PBS, then switch over to MSNBC if there are no movies on FX, AMC, TNT, Spike, SyFy, or other channels that usually have movies or a whole series that I missed watching, like CSI and Burn Notice.
The problem now is really, really loud commercials. I get really annoyed when I have to pick up my remote control and mute commercials because they are so damn loud! Comcast’s own commercials are twice as loud as the programming, especially on the FX network when they are featuring a film that has Dolby surround sound.
Fantastic Four, Rise of the Silver Surfer is a perfect example where the dialogue is very soft, and the background sound effects are extra loud. I would pick up the remote without thinking and turn up the sound so I could hear the dialogue, then get blasted by the sound of explosions. Unfortunately, the commercials are at the same volume as the explosions.
There are no explosions on MSNBC or during the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central, but the commercials are startling and annoying, creating a negative emotional impression for Comcast and other products.
I finally went to the website of the Federal Communication Commission (www.FCC.gov) and tried to find information on audio level standards so I could write a letter of complaint with some legal weight. NOPE.
I emailed the FCC requesting information about audio level standards and within minutes I received from them a document that stated the following:
Whether or not something is “too loud” is a judgment that varies with each listener. The decision is influenced by many factors like content and style, the speaker’s voice and tone, background sounds, and music.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) does not currently regulate the volume of programs or commercials. Broadcasters and program producers, however, have considerable latitude to vary the “loudness” of the program material.
The document goes on to suggest measures that consumers can take to control the volume on their own. You can see it at: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/backgroundnoise.html
Or, since I don’t care to spend money on such equipment as an automatic gain control circuit, I can turn off my television and select programming on the Internet where audio levels are more stable, and spend the rest of my time reading or listening to the radio.
www.spfld.tv
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