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British board members are probably familiar with the complaints about audio in BBC TV productions.

Like this:
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/a ... ppy-valley

It really can be incomprehensible. Often there is excessive background noise, and there doesn't seem to be any attempt to apply basic processing like compression or EQ to improve audibility. I've run a couple of passages though a basic channel strip and it was easy to fix.

Does anyone here have the inside scoop? Is incomprehensibility a form of artistic expression?

We tried to watch "Happy Valley" here in the States on a streaming service, and gave up. It was unintelligible. I just assumed I couldn't read their accents. Very interesting article.

Yes, the accents were a problem, but i could follow them when the audio was clear. It's as if the producers think that if a character is whispering or is unintelligible to other characters, the audience should not be able to make out what is being said. In some more recent shows, background and street noise masks the dialog. I have to think it's intentional -- we know there are people in England that have figured out how to record sound.

I too believe it is intentional. It does seem to be getting worse, though. Wife and I have always used CC on BBC dramas as a default. We have some Doctor Who episodes going back to the first season, and despite some of the most abysmal production values ever, audio was never a problem.

Have you seen the movie "Under the Skin"? Thick Scottish brogues with heavy ambient sounds. Talk about unintelligible.

BTW, thanks for using the word "kerfuffle" in a topic header. That's got to be a first! I hope it doesn't cause a brouhaha or donnybrook.

Haven't see Under the Skin. I'm fine with accents. I grew up with them all around. It's the S/N ratio and it's variations that's is most annoying.

Abysmal production -- yes. There's a series on now where even the briefest of scenes is made up of several takes. As the camera switches from one actor to another, you can hear the background noise levels and content change abruptly.

And no regard for music. Scenes cut with music in mid note, and another scene starts with the next cue part way in and half way through a note. Did they just paste something in and then chop it up?

cuttime wrote:I too believe it is intentional. It does seem to be getting worse, though. Wife and I have always used CC on BBC dramas as a default. We have some Doctor Who episodes going back to the first season, and despite some of the most abysmal production values ever, audio was never a problem.

Have you seen the movie "Under the Skin"? Thick Scottish brogues with heavy ambient sounds. Talk about unintelligible.

BTW, thanks for using the word "kerfuffle" in a topic header. That's got to be a first! I hope it doesn't cause a brouhaha or donnybrook.

And here I thought it was just age-related hearing loss. There is an inconsistency in dialog levels in the Capaldi episodes of the Doctor that drives me mad. Actually I seem to be finding dialog getting buried in a lot of movies anymore when I watch at home. I don't have a 5.1 system (just two channels) but still I shouldn't have to crank the volume to hear the dialog and get blasted out of my chair when explosions or other sound fx and music comes on.

I don't have a 5.1 system (just two channels) but still I shouldn't have to crank the volume to hear the dialog and get blasted out of my chair when explosions or other sound fx and music comes on.

I don't do 5.1 either—I wasn't up to the wiring job that was needed to make that happen.

I found that I had to go 3.1 to hear dialog better. A lot of the dialog gets placed in the center channel and is buried in 2-channel stereo. The .1 sub is optional, of course. Any 5.1 receiver/amp can be set for three channel operation.

mikehalloran wrote:

I don't have a 5.1 system (just two channels) but still I shouldn't have to crank the volume to hear the dialog and get blasted out of my chair when explosions or other sound fx and music comes on.

I don't do 5.1 either—I wasn't up to the wiring job that was needed to make that happen.

I found that I had to go 3.1 to hear dialog better. A lot of the dialog gets placed in the center channel and is buried in 2-channel stereo. The .1 sub is optional, of course. Any 5.1 receiver/amp can be set for three channel operation.

But what about the encoding on the dvd? I've never seen 3.1; usually some form of 5.1 or even 7.1 or stereo. How would that come across?

If I did 5.1 I'd want to have full range speakers all around as I'm not a fan of limited response satellites. I'd need to find another pair of Klipsch Chorus speakers in black to match the pair I've had for ages then I'd be in the game big time. And yes I do have the room for another pair of Chorus's.