I use to be aware and noticeable of the TV commercial volume issue, but this past year I have not really noticed it so much. Last year they implemented the 'CALM Act' here in the U.S. (effective December 13, 2012, the FCC's rules require television commercial advertisements to have the same average volume as the programs that they accompany.). Now whether this is accurately implemented, I do not know. But I haven't been as aware of this issue in my TV viewing experience for awhile now. As stated, I use to be very aware and upset about it, so maybe it did do some good.
 
Rental or purchased movies on the other are a different breed. I have a good surround setup, and movie audio is an important aspect of movie viewing for me. But with some of the action movies, the audio volume imbalance is ridiculous. I can find a comfortable dialogue volume and be enjoying the movie. Then the scene changes or direction of the movie, and BLAM! The house is rattling and shaking. Granted some volume difference is expected and desired, but the differences are not right. They are just wrongly mixed. Maybe for the theater experience this is tolerable (not necessarily correct, but tolerable for the viewing environment), but at home it is much more jolting. My wife starts yelling to "turn it down" and I have to tell her I am. It just takes a few seconds though to grab the remote and adjust the volume down. Then we get back to dialogue and have the reverse action ("I can't hear what they are saying"). I think a lot of the audio mixers in the movie industry are hard of hearing. 

Most TVs and recievers can be set so the dynamics are tamed a little bit.
As to the late-night watching of action movies, I bought a cheap (GE, $50 at Walmart*) set of wireless headphones.

KenB123
 
 Maybe for the theater experience this is tolerable (not necessarily correct, but tolerable for the viewing environment)
 

It's actually one reason why I rarely venture into a cinema any more, it's just too much now and actually detracts from the film rather than enhancing it. As has been said, I think this is mostly because of the relative differences between quiet and loud passages, so they have to have the overall volume way up so that the ordinary dialogue is loud enough.

Paulo-  haha sorry I didn't mean to ignore you!  I agree with you and all of the other statements above.  Maybe if people voiced their displeasure more then someone might listen?  yeah... probably not but still.   As for the Calm act...  It hasn't seemed to make much difference to me here in Florida.

jamesg1213
Since I got a surround sound system I've noticed that certain TV channels are much louder than others, adverts or not; 'Channel 4' and 'More4' for example are booming compared to BBC.
 

ChuckC
 
 
Moshkiae-   After the 1st couple lines ya got all philosophical on me and I lost wherever you were trying to go.  Yes we want to understand things.... but I am not pondering the meaning of life here, just why are the sound effects and commercials comparatively so F*$king loud?!  haha it's not that deep man.

You're not alone there Chuck..

2nd funniest post by Jaymes EVAH!!!

paulo
The SF hasn't been what it was for some time now. Shame really.

Ever since that wanker Bapu joined up.
 
2014 will be different.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I'll flood the SF front page all day every day.

Holy balls there bud!  I was scrolling down for so long my stomach started to drop as though I was on a roller coaster!   ... Maybe that's just my gut telling me this thread has gone south.

I wish I could figure out a way to make all this fancy musicamological software I own limit the shows I watch on my laptop. Maybe I could install Pyro and Boost11 or the fancy CA2A upgrade I just dl'd with my holiday 20 bucks and route my onboard audio through when I watching stuff.
 
I require some sort of show playing whilst I pass out or else my mind starts doing gymnastics. Music makes it worse. Mindless Hollywood drivel or excessively tedious public broadcasting documentaries seems to work rather well. However the yelling and explosions of the former tend to jostle me awake and because my mind gravitates toward knowledge if the documentary announcer begins discussing something particularly interesting I wake up to pay attention. In fact boring docs tend to be more enthralling for my semi slumbering mind than the action packed adventures of whatever sci fi hero I happen to be into at the time.
 
Lately I've been watching a lot of frogs and salamanders doing the nasty.
 
Hawt!

Ever since I found we qualified for a free upgrade to the "Genie" DVR system (that can record up to five shows at once and can hold a TON of stuff), I've set it to record just about anything I'm interested in watching.  Then I simply forward through all the commercials.  An added benefit is that I can now watch an hour-long show in 40 minutes.