The Village Voice Dec 18 Jan 19

TURN UP THE VOLUME?
Do you find difficulty in hearing dialogue in
TV dramas? Can you remember when you
had no problems whatsoever in hearing
actors on the TV?
Well you’re far from alone, it’s not an
uncommon discussion for me to be
involved with when I am installing a new TV
system. But why is this and more
importantly, what can be done about it?
One problem is the naturalistic speech
actors currently use. It’s supposed to sound
more like someone speaking rather than
the old style enunciation school of acting
which, though very clear, wasn’t the way
people actually spoke.
Another issue is that dramas tend to have
dramatic music and often it is at similar
frequencies to the human voice, making
the dialogue harder to hear. The sound
technician can make allowances for this,
but it depends on the director as to how it
eventually turns out.
Further, our TV’s are getting increasingly
thinner which leaves much less room for
speakers able to reproduce the sound
without colouring it, boosting particular
frequencies as a result of how they are
manufactured.
It seems that TV manufacturers are now
starting to make sure that how the TV
sounds is more of a priority, but what
about those of us who have already make
significant investments in a new TV, what
can we do? If you just turn up the volume,
it may not make much difference other
than annoying everyone else!
Most more modern TV’s have an onscreen
menu which allows you to fiddle with all
sorts of things most people don’t look at
once the channels have been tuned. In
amongst all sorts of other settings, you will
normally find a number of different sound
settings. Commonly they will be referred to
as ‘sports’ or ‘film’ or something like that
and will change the sound that comes out
of your TV speakers when selected. It’s
worth trying them to see what difference it
makes, you can always return to the
normal or default settings.
If changing your TV settings doesn’t have
the effect you are hoping, then it may be
worth considering a soundbar. They are
available from below £100 to £ridiculous
depending on extra facilities and will
deliver the sort of sound your TV will never
be able to. It is best to ask for expert advice
before purchase as they are definitely not
all created equal!
Please mention The Village Voice when responding to adverts
21