BBC and the hard of hearing

Thanks EEJit and Rosina have just read it! am so excited to try it now!!!!

Whether or not I'm becoming hard of hearing, I do think there are a lot of mumbling actors around these days. I find Americans particularly hard to understand, at times, they might as well be speaking another language, that wasn't always the case for me.

And like Calendargirl I find the shrinking of the picture size during the listing at the end really irritating.

I'm not deaf at all but still find that I need the subtitles on. I agree with Gaunt47 and have particular problems with many America programmes but wonder if their accents, huskiness and nasal whining are more intelligible to other Americans?
I'm assuming that we'd need to buy new TV's to use this service so it really seems a bit pointless for most of us. As others have said they should simply speak more clearly and turn the music down - it is supposed to be background music after all.

It's the actors not the technology - there was never this problem with the likes of Richard Burton, Laurence Olivier, Alan Bates etc, (plus my all-time fave Donald Sinden.)

I believe it's quite a bunfight to get into R.A.D.A......and then they come out mumbling and grumbling like a tenth rate Marlon Brando.

Things have improved for me since I had my hearing checked and discovered I have a low frequency hearing loss for which I wear aids while watching tv. But they don’t help with mumbly actors. Or mumbly anybody.

Another one here who often finds it difficult to distinguish the speech on television programmes. I think mumbling is a big problem with many actors these days. I have to have the volume on loud most of the time in order to hear.

cookiemonster I read it yesterday morning on the front page of the Times.

Totally agree, sick of trying to watch programmes with mumbling actors, filmed in the dark, peering to see whose talking to who! Background music blaring. Many times I've turned TV off.
Maybe ALL TV companies should refuse to to purchase these programmes. Maybe then producers will do something about it..

Cookiemonster

I don't know if it's the same article, but here is one

www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7289139/BBC-trials-technology-make-dialogue-easier-follow.html

It’s not just mumbling actors and loud music that needs to be addressed, but also dim ‘atmospheric ‘ lighting, and the showing of text messages on mobile phones. I thought it was because my TV screen is too small, but a much younger friend of mine says she had problems reading these texts on her large screen. Sub-titles do not put these texts on the screen.

We watch BBC breakfast news and whilst most of the presentation is clear and audible it irritates me when they chat amongst themselves, talk over each other and giggle when I have absolutely no idea what is being said, anyone else notice this lately?

where did you read that Rosina? I have been searching more about it and cannot find anything? I am quite deaf, two hearing aids, TV always on subtitles as no point with sound as I cannot hear them talk due to background music and mumbles! This would be fab!

gosh y`all make me feel so much better.. I thought I was losing my hearing. yes subtitles can be funny

I put subtitles up on the screen for quite a lot of modern drama. As far as I can see, this option is always available and doesn’t seem to detract from viewing quality.

On a different note, I find it annoying after a programme finishes, if I’m trying to read the names of cast members etc., the screen reduces in size, a disembodied voice waffles on about a future programme, then at the end the screen goes back to original size but too late to see what I want.
Grr!
?

I don't think you have to be hard of hearing to find that the actors mumble and the background noise drowns them out.

DH and I hate the music that always seems to be played behind the traffic news on the radio. It's always frenetic and makes you anxious just when you need to keep calm to deal with the traffic jams!

On the subject of the radio...my local radio station can't even have the news without a constant boom boom boom in the background. Are there really so many people who can't live without constant noise?

I just wish ANY radio station would not do dub overs with some one is speaking in their native tongue.
Its bad enough trying to listen to one voice let alone two at the same time.

This has nothing to do with having hearing problems. The problem lies with the programme makers who still insist on drowning out dialogue with intrusive music, even though the public is constantly complaining about it. Many times I have looked forward to a documentary but have had to stop watching because I couldn't hear what was being said. Such a waste of resources!

Subtitles can be quite funny though. When Rory Stuart said machismo on one of the debates the subtitles read 'machie smoke'

I'm not hard of hearing but I find I'm using sub titles more often nowadays. I have a problem with programmes from America: the men all mutter huskily and the women have nasal whines. And don't get me started on background music!

I have also become annoyed at background sound levels on some programmes, totally drowns out the dialogue. As well as actors being able to speak clearly it would help if they did not go over the top with accents, too strong and it becomes incomprehensible. This is probably done with the aim of being totally PC especially by the BBC but does not achieve its aim if you have to use sub titles.

I suppose that the BBC can't do much about the actors, so the option to reduce the volume of the background music is something.

Totally agree Rosina. We need actors who can project or speak clearly at least. Will never forgive Eddie Redmayne for mumbling all through Birdsong.