Hearing is not what it used to be, Brain 100%

Thanks Juney must look up the sound bar thing, sounds a good idea.

I use Subtitles most of the time , I find the loop system in most cinemas pretty useless , if your hearing aids are not helping go back and get them checked mind you, you won't ever get full hearing back

PS Not just the sound technicians but also some of the actors and presenters.

Juney a sound bar is really interesting and I think it would be worth finding out more about them as we bought ourselves a large flat screen TV and have noticed how different the sound is.
I agree with what others have said about mumbling and the lack of sound definition in films and TV programmes, there seems to be a real loss of expertise in this field.
I have very acute hearing but DH has lost the higher end of sounds and with all the intrusive background 'musak' used as part of every programme nowadays we both often have to rewind and rewind in an effort to find out what was actually said and even then we sometimes can't work it out. Clearly it is not related to the ability to hear but is about the ability of sound technicians to present sounds even adequately. We often have to just surmise about what is said which does detract from our enjoyment.

I agree regarding the mumbling and just this morning was talking to my Son on the phone about exactly this and how I often use subtitles even though my hearing is fine.

He said that the sound quality on modern, flat screen TV's isn't very good and recommended a 'sound bar'. It attaches to the TV and he said it doesn't have to be the same length as the TV itself.

I've looked them up and they can cost quite a lot of money but Argos do one for £25 and it has some good reviews.

I now know what my Son's asking Santa to bring me for Christmas

I find myself using subtitles more and often find some programs hard to watch because of darkness especially American programs

Have used the subtitles for ages now, for some programmes - especially some (but not all) of the US programmes we watch. I don't think it's deafness, as we've no problems in everyday life.

Can't understand a word my youngest son says, mumbles, doesn't finish sentences. Horrendous on phone. mumbling in films isn't a new thing. Marlon Brando and James dean started it. Guess they thought it made them more real. But poor scriptwriters. Shouldn't have bothered!

I completely lost interest in the second series of The Fall due to Gillian Anderson's style of gruffly whispering her lines. What on earth was the point in that. I've seen her on chat shows and she doesn't normally talk like that but she did mumble on the X-files.

In my 70s and very, very fortunate to have excellent hearing, however my eyesight is deteriorating rapidly and I have great difficulty reading any lettering on the TV. I used to quite like French films but not now as I can't read the sub titles. Even typing this I have to keep peering closely. My DH is extremely deaf but good eyesight so I joke and say, he can see me across the road and I will listen for the traffic Lol !!!

What a relief to read your posts. I thought it was me going deaf. Now I know I'm not!! I Love Loraine Kelly, but struggle with her accent sometimes, especially when she get's excited about something and many others. And is it my imagination, or do people talk over each other more and more, so that you don't catch any of what they are saying? Seems to be getting worse. I am such an old misery, it makes me switch off, humbug, lol

I'm so pleased you raised this as I thought it was me! Time and time again I have to rewind to try and get the meaning. The sound effects are far louder than the actual talking and people do mumble and their sentences just fade away. I got a hearing because of this and although they said I did need one for deeper sounds the aid is of no help for tv.

The background music in t.v. Programmes drives me potty.
It drowns out most of what the actors are saying. That and the mumbling voices, it's just too much.

I agree about Tim Roth though. It would have been nice to actually hear what he was saying.
An excellent drama.

I've been watching TV with the subtitles on for ages now, but only because my hearing is not what it was. Makes all the difference, but it's obviously done by some sort of automatic voice recognition, and the way the subtitles get things badly wrong is often more entertaining than the programme itself!

And I totally agree about hating - in fact deeply resenting - the trend for music behind voices on just about EVERYTHING these days. I already have more than enough (white?) noise in my ears making it difficult to make out what people are saying, without gratuitous music making matters even worse. Me and a few hundred thousand others, I suspect?

They're even ruining Radio 4 with it now. Especially on the modern format of programme that's just a series of dislocated soundbites from random people, with no apparent structure or purpose, rather like an audio version of Twitter. Fine, kids, but go play somewhere else and leave us our one remaining bastion of sanity!

But to answer the original question, no, I don't think people really mumble any more than they used to. How often have any of you (like me) sat on the sidelines while an animated conversation goes on among younger people, all of whom know exactly what's going on - it's only you who doesn't? Old age sucks...

Agree with you all, mumbling is the new acting mode.Poor sound quality as well quite frequently.Turning up the sound does nothing to help.Often poor lighting as well, too dark, having to peer at the set to make out the action isn't going to make for a good viewing experience ( remember the recent Jamaica Inn, everything dark and filthy and acres of mud.)Just because in real life Christie was a bit whispery, doesn't mean it translates well to an acted version, when you need to know what is being said.Actually we don't know what real chit chat he actually spoke , so why do we need a faithful voice delivery?

I have a slight hearing loss and most programmes I have no trouble hearing,but when they are very mumbly I use wireless headphones.

I had a problem with this but OH changed a setting on the tv. Much better now. I still have problems with certain actors tho'. One in particular who plays Sherlock & an oriental woman who plays opposite him as Watson.

Nanny knows best and gets to decided what is best for us. Seemingly it is a brilliant new concept if they whisper then we will concentrate and focus engrossed in the programme. In our house we sadly but purposefully turn off. We just cant give them our viewing figures. I can actually hear it fine but my husband struggles so much.

I find that there is too much whispering in drama productions. It drives me potty - granted I'm a little hard of hearing but I turn up the sound to compensate and still can't decipher what's being said. They must whisper for dramatic effect but I so wish they wouldn't. I can remember my dear old Dad complaining about sound quality on TV. Perhaps I'm just getting older..... It doesn't help that I suffer from tinnitus.

Our independent cinema has a day when most of the films have subtitles so that's when we tend to go if there's anything good on. A few years ago we saw the re-make of True Grit (without subtitles) and the mumbling was dreadful. It was quite a revelation to see it on TV recently and find out what we had missed.

I dont understand some of the background noise. Real life doesn't have a soundtrack of music all the time. I can understand it when there is, perhaps, a tense moment but not when someone is having a conversation in a street.
I read somewhere that it has to do with compression levels to suit the very small speakers in modern, thinner, TVs
I wonder if a sound bar would help?

Strange but I can hear the news and documentaries without any problems.I also found the series Victoria very easy too.

However American and any British Crime series are a no go area.Their mouths are moving but that is where it ends.

Strange but I can hear the news and documentaries without any problems.I also found the series Victoria very easy too.

However American and any British Crime series are a no go area.Their mouths are moving but that is where it ends.

Yes and a lot of presenters, on Radio in particular, drop their voices at the end of their sentences so you can't catch the endings. People in general seem to mumble all the time - my youngest son and his wife mutter to each other, even in company. Is it so we can't hear what they are saying I wonder? Ha ha !!

I also had problems with hearingTim Roth, and said on another thread that it didn't help as his head was down most of the time .