Tried to watch Silent Witness, War and Peace...........yes it's me again. Muffled sound.
In SilentWitness I can hear when they are listening to a TV on screen or one of their mobiles, so why not direct recordings?
Sent another complaint to the Beeb today. Got an answer back last time totally non committal but what's the point? I can watch sports, news, documentaries, and all other stuff even the Marigold Hotel series, not the slightest problem.
The Tristrams don't take any notice.
It's not my hearing.

Hi Derek, I can watch all that through my Samsung tab S, I think you have an ipad? On mine I have to enter "music" and up the volume to full, then when I'm watching and listening through bluetooth speakers / headphones etc, I can adjust the volume for the given programme on the screen, I hope I've explained properly

Ain't got no iPad, blue tooth or headhones and don't see why I should go all through that techy stuff.
Can you hear them clearly just on the telly?
Thanks Gray

Hi Derek, sorry for the slow reply I was washing and waxing the car. Your right you should'nt need to watch it with "techy stuff". If you cast your mind back a while ago there was a much hyped long awaited costume drama (the name escapes me!) and it was torn to shreds for it's sound recording and hand held (wobbly) images, the broadcaster (I think BBC) apologised and it lost audience because of it, I have noticed since we came off SKY (we came off several years ago but continued to get the "allowed" programmes through the dish and deecoder) we had a complete new aeriel fitted last week and since then I have turned the ound right down! Why that should be I don't have the edumacation to even begin explaining. How do you get what your watching? Aeriel? Dish? Cable?

Unlike Derek, I am hard of hearing, but my hearing aids do a pretty good job of compensating.

I don't think this is a volume problem (sorry Gra), so much as an acting problem. Since nobody goes to the theatre very much these days, actors no longer need to make the effort to "project" – they have microphones to do it for them. And since most dramas are shot in relative close-up, the dialogue is more like pillow-talk than declamation, with the result that much of what you get consists of mumbling and muttering. Films at the cinema are just the same, so it's not just the BBC.

For what it's worth, I sometimes watch catch-up TV on my iPad, and regardless of whether I watch a TV drama on the tablet or connect it to view through the telly (a B and O, with brilliant speakers) it's no different.

Thanks chaps. This a reply I have had from a pal who is ex Beeb sound engineer, well retired now but still does some conferences and seminars:-

I agree that the sound quality of various dramas is poor as I too have difficulty in following the dialogue especially when the actors tend to whisper. I also find the levels variable and that the programme junctions and trails are also variable in audiability and sound level . Sadly most of my contacts have retired so I don't have any immediate contacts within the organisation that I can approach. I do have some engineering friends at the BBC in Newcastle and I will find out if they can help or know someone who can.
I did recently visit the Post Production unit at BBC in Salford and raised this with them. They go to great lengths to monitor the sound of the dramas produced in the North even using a domestic TV to see how it sounds. They produce Happy Valley there and it will be interesting to hear how the sound quality is on the new series that starts soon, let me know. Many dramas are produced by Independents but the quality issue is the BBC's.

Gray I get it all via Aeriel

Here's a true story for you,

When I was at the Corps of Royal Engineers training establishment in Cove, Farnborough, I was an SQMS and held the rank of Staff Sergeant my boss was a Colonel, he used to wear 2 hearing aids We used to pretend to clean the offices with the hoover but we did'nt turn it on to begin with so he just saw us going through the motions and assumed he needed to adjust his hearing aids when we had seen him twiddle with the adjuster we used to fire up the hoover and shout "Good Morning Sir!" So funny.

We also used to mime so he would adjust his aids and again shout when he had done so!

True, I swear to you

Brian is correct it was Jamaica Inn, very dark very muffled and very poor!

Perhaps, as the old advert goes, Hampshireman can't tell talk from mutter

As said beforeI am convinced it's not my hearing and cheers to you all

Sound box? Is that another expensive sadget designed for the manufaturere to get over a production problem. Eff it!

I don't YET have any hearing problems but I watch most TV these days with the subtitles on otherwise I can't understand/hear half of what is going on.

I spotted this before I joined and thought it would be a good place for a first contribution.

We have found that headphones are a huge improvement. The beeb went through a period when impenetrable regional accents were all the rage but then received a shed load of negative feedback.

We feed our audio through a sound system and use headphones with individual volume controls.

Gus

Thanks Gus but....... why on earth in this day and age of technology moving so fast do we need a not cheap telly and then a sound system and headphones. Sorry mate I don't and won't buy it.
I will just have to miss those programmes and get on with my painting if there is no improvement. I have sent another complaint to the Beeb.

I suspect part of the problem with modern televisions is that they are now so slim that the speakers are very small and often facing downwards. Hence the popularity of sound bars. I suspect the problem is at your end not the programme maker. BTW we started using headphones because we like to have the big windows open when watching TV in the summer. Living in a terraced house it seemed unfair to inflict our noise on the neighbours. We were surprised at the difference that headphones make and now use them quite regularly.


Gus

Zitat

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I suspect part of the problem with modern televisions is that they are now so slim that the speakers are very small and often facing downwards. Hence the popularity of sound bars.

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That's correct and some sound bars come with a separate bass speaker for that reason.

I watch a lot of tv from sky digital and am forever raising or lowering the volume depending what channel or program I am watching.

Its what the tv remote is most used for.