Trouble Hearing On The TV? Here Is Why.

Summary: www.widex.com

"Why is it so hard to hear on the TV? Blame the TV crew!"

"Turns out it was the set-up for the sound recording of the programs that contributed most to a poor listening environment. Background noise, poor microphone placement, substandard dialogue levels, and loud background music also made it hard to hear the main dialogue."

Details: Why is it so hard to hear what people are saying on TV? Blame the TV crew.

That’s the conclusion from a study funded by the BBC, which analyzed the viewing habits of 8,500 TV viewers. The study identified 22 “problem programs” where it was especially hard to hear the show’s dialogue.

The cause:

Turns out it was the set-up for the sound recording of the programs that contributed most to a poor listening environment. Background noise, poor microphone placement, substandard dialogue levels, and loud background music also made it hard to hear the main dialogue.

Key findings:

The study found that:

20 percent of programs were difficult to hear for people with hearing loss
53 percent of people over 64 couldn’t hear speech correctly in the “problem programs”
52 percent of respondents said that background music “reduced their enjoyment” of a program


Will it get better?

Yes, the findings are being used to help improve television sound in the future. In response to the study, the BBC launched an industry-wide training initiative targeting existing and upcoming tv-producers to help create better sound in television programs. A series of training modules based on the findings are being made available to the broadcasting industry as well as universities.

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