Noisy ads. There is nothing worse than being nice and relaxed in front of the TV, only to be jolted into a lunge for the remote control to get the sonic boom of a raucous ad break under control.
Raucous commercials are clearly a bug bear of sorts for UK TV watchers with more than 100 complaints to the advertising regulator last year about sound levels in commercials that can seem to approach the volume of a Muse gig at Wembley.
One member of the public felt the problem was so out of hand that he made a complaint because he was "worried that the noise would disturb his neighbours".
The Advertising Standards Authority even moved to smack both ITV and Channel Five on the wrist over loud ad breaks.
Now a new rule is being brought into the TV advertising code to rein in loud commercials.
However, technically, most ads aren't really too loud at all. We just think they are.
The reason, say the boffins, is that when audio files are compressed the volume level of certain parts of the audible frequency range is raised to make the overall ad sound more "punchy".
Yet most TV ads' overall peak sound level is not greater than that of the programmes they are broadcast around, according to the ASA.
The answer, it seems, is that from July 7 broadcasters - and ad agencies - will have to fulfil the slightly tricky task of making sure the "maximum subjective loudness" of ads is consistent and in line with TV show levels.
At the end of the day "advertisements must not be excessively noisy or strident".
It just wouldn't be right for a cracking action sequence in, say, Battlestar Galactica or Band of Brothers to be drowned out by Jamie Oliver whipping up a quiche for Sainsbury's, right?
