Is there a product available that I can connect my satellite, dvd player, freeview etc to that outputs a level volume. Some channels broadcast much louder than others (not to mention the adverts!) and it would be nice if everything could be set to the same level instead of scrambling to find the volume button on the remote! I have seen compressors used in recording studios - could these be used for my situation?

Cheers

Yes but it would do nothing for the quality of sound you receive.

Compressing sound is a nasty process and is at its worst on commercial radio.

Some TVs have this facility, usually called "delta volume" or similar, but I can't say it has been very impressive for me.

Is it such a problem that you can't cope with turning down the commercials?

The kind of professional audio compression gear you allude to is very expensive...

A Behringer Composer would do the job, and at about £70 - is hardly "expensive". A Behringer DSP9024 at £125 would be a bit better, as it's a multiband unit.

They both have built in Limiters, so just drive them with the TV output, and ensure that the limiters are just cutting in on your quietest TV programme, then when the Ads come on, they should be OK. Of course, it may just be "perceived loudness" that your experiencing.

Indeed!

It's one of the ironies that by heavily compressing the sound on the ads, they can sound even louder.

Thanks for the replies. The adverts can be annoying but the main problem for me are the satellite channels. The volume of some of the channels (especially the Arab stations) are much lower compared to the French and German stations, this may be more a case of weaker signals though.

If you're looking to boost the level of quieter programs as well as lower the ads, you'll need a compressor / expander.

You can get these for studio / broadcast use, but they're expensive and a bugger to set up correctly.

The main problem however is that the level of the commercials isn't actually that much higher than the program content around it....it's just that ads are heavily compressed so they seem 'louder'.