Several years ago legislation was considered that would require commercials to remain at the same decibel level as everything else. In fact, I think that passed. It was not enforced. It's as bad now as it was then. I guess that people with typical (as in normal) hearing adjust to that and think it's fine. Those of us with hearing loss find it overwhelming. My husband tends to start a conversation with me during commercial time. He also like to have control of the remote control; typical male. I've worked hard to teach him that if he wants to say something to me he needs to mute the TV. That simple mute button can save a marriage! Captions also help a lot. I don't attend a lot of movies in theaters, but when I do I'm always amazed at the high volume experienced there. We all know that excess noise, over 85 decibels is inclined to cause hearing loss over time. Far too little is done to educate the public on that issue. Music, mechanics, motors, and even TV are factors. And, the more our hearing deteriorates, the more we find excess noise troubling.