Mumbling

I don't watch Emmerdale but get annoyed by the poor sound quality on some TV dramas- I have to turn the volume up when people are speaking but then some music or even adverts come on and its wow! turn that down. I've heard you can get these bar things you put in front of the tv that make the sound better. Maybe I've just got a rubbish tv!

Or could it be your hearing? I admit I watch very little tv, but when I do I find I keep needing to turn the volume down quite low, otherwise it sounds as if people are shouting.

I find it's a bit of both, my hearing is impaired but some programmes and actors are quite clear whilst I struggle with others. I'm trying to resist sub titles but think I may need to use them soon. Channel 4 always seems louder than other channels for some reason.

The world is full of mumblers.
That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

youtu.be/qbGNXSyXdPU?si=iJ4aszIw29Cz2V9-

I do watch Emmerdale and don’t have any trouble with Nate in particular
I often use subtitles especially in dramas but never do for news programmes

I think a lot of actors have very poor diction, and that is why we, the viewers have difficulty understanding them. I would have thought it was up to the directors/producers when viewing the rushes (?) to determine whether something needs to be done regarding the clarity of the speakers before films and other programmes are aired. I definitely do not think it’s because we, the viewers, are hard of hearing.

MissAdventure

youtu.be/qbGNXSyXdPU?si=iJ4aszIw29Cz2V9-

Brilliant 😂

I have subtitles on all the time.

I remember that elderly lady MissA

We have a sound bar which helps my dh but we still have subtitles on most if not all the time and yes, why is there so much mumbling? Why can’t they ENUNCIATE ?
Then the sudden bursts of really loud music in the adverts etc which need to be turned down fast which takes longer with the soundbar; then the mumbling starts again so turn up the tv; relaxin’ it ain’t.

I’m trying to resist sub titles

Why?

Do you feel it’s an unwanted concession to getting older?

I have them on all the time, (not for the News or other ‘live’ programmes, as they are always behind hand for them).

I don’t think my hearing is impaired, but accents, mumbling, loud music make it hard to hear certain stuff.

I find sub titles a real boon, and am disappointed if certain old films or programmes don’t have them.

We have everything! New TV a soundbar subtitles (not for news) hearing aids - we still struggle. Legally channels only have to provide subtitles for a certain percentage of programmes - stations like Alibi and some films on netflix and amazon do not. So so annoying as the subtitles are there!

I never ever have a problem with sound quality on old films, such as It’s a Wonderful life, the Sound of Music, any of those John Mills films and many more.

Some excellent quality BBC dramas of the past 10 years have been ruined for me by poor sound though ….remember the second series of Happy Valley anyone? So it’s subtitles on more often than not.

The Scandi dramas like The Bridge were a dream to watch, as there subtitles were so good and not in the least detracting from the action.

And I have had my hearing tested just out of curiosity recently because I wear a headset at work. No problem detected.

M0nica

Or could it be your hearing? I admit I watch very little tv, but when I do I find I keep needing to turn the volume down quite low, otherwise it sounds as if people are shouting.

No, it's mumbling.
Anyone who has trained in stage acting has clear diction but many TV actors seem to have stumbled into acting and are not properly trained.

They mumble and swallow the ends of their words.

My hearing hasn't deteriorated at all but I do find that people on tv don't always speak clearly. If you can hear perfectly well on one channel but not on another...then the problem doesn't lie with you.
I actually find it better to watch tv on my laptop or tablet than tv. Perhaps the problem lies with a cheap tv?

MissAdventure

“The world is full of mumblers.
That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.”

YES!

Curtaintwitcher

My hearing hasn't deteriorated at all but I do find that people on tv don't always speak clearly. If you can hear perfectly well on one channel but not on another...then the problem doesn't lie with you.
I actually find it better to watch tv on my laptop or tablet than tv. Perhaps the problem lies with a cheap tv?

We have a sound box.
It varies from person to person so it's not the TV

When spoken well the English language is lovely. Unfortunately there is a lot of mumbling, speaking too fast, swallowing parts of words and the irritating dropping of the letter 't'. It took me a long time to understand one of my neighbours who always ends his interaction with me: "Slayer". I have now worked it out.

😀
I knew straight away what it means

Yes, got it.

One of the weather presenters doesn't articulate properly. I'm sure he's a lovely boy but I find myself shouting at him.

I know it’s at least partly down to my hearing not being what it was, but actors just don’t enunciate as they used to - it would seem to be down to the fashion for ‘realistic’ dialogue.

If you watch some old TV drama from e.g. the 70s you can really notice the difference.

The problem is the size of the speakers in the slim line TVs that we all have.
Does anyone remember the size of the speakers in those old box sets, they were huge.
I got that info from a retired BBC sound engineer.

I agree that actors do not enunciate properly any more and often speak either too quickly, too quietly, or both. This affects viewers whether they have hearing problems or not!

In addition, the sound technicians seem to be young men who think loud music adds to the drama. It does not! It is just bloody annoying when loud music or loud noises come crashing into the story at a much higher level than the dialogue.

Older films and TV dramas do seem perfectly fine regarding voices and music. Back then actors were trained to speak properly because they realised that viewers want to hear the words. Sound technicians kept the music at a relatively low level because they realised we can hear it perfectly well in the background.

Standards have definitely dropped!