Tektronix expanded its Sentry digital monitoring line with a new product – Sentry Assure – that multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) can use to evaluate compliance with legal requirements to prevent ads from getting louder than surrounding programs.

MVPDs will have about a year to implement technology to comply with the Commercial Advertising Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, which requires that ads be no louder than the programs they accompany.

Sentry Assure simultaneously monitors hundreds of channels in real time with loudness detection capabilities and post-splice ad insertion monitoring.

Additionally, Sentry Assure’s post-splice monitoring capability identifies when local ads are not inserted correctly, enabling operators to diagnose and repair the issue, eliminating revenue loss from ads failing to air properly, Tektronix said.

Sentry Assure also helps operators comply with government regulations for closed captioning thanks to its support for the SCTE 608, SCTE 708 and SCTE 20 specifications.

On or before Dec. 15, the Federal Communications Commission will adopt rules for the CALM Act’s enforcement, and cable operators will have one year from this date to come into compliance with these rules. Failure to comply could result in a fine for each instance of an overly loud commercial, which could be a major issue for cable operators offering hundreds of channels.

“Variations in content loudness have been a challenge for decades, but because of the CALM Act, they could have a costly impact to the bottom line of cable operators,” said Eben Jenkins, general manager of the video product line at Tektronix. “We’ve developed Sentry Assure to give operators what they need to tackle loud ads and to enable them to come into full compliance with the CALM Act.”