I sound like an old man, but it’s pretty much impossible to understand what people are saying. The current trend of mumbled dialogue is probably great for atmosphere - but I can’t hear what they are saying.
i am an audiologist.. it is great that you routinely use subtitles (if you do) i hear your complaint a lot, along with foreign accents on screens, the pace of dialogue and the 'background track' drowning out dialogue.. while all these may well be the case, if you're pushing middle age, and particularly if you need to watch media much louder than a friend or partner, do consider a hearing assessment. there is really no point putting it off, truly
This. This is particularly an issue with English-language media. Making out what the actors are saying is effortful and often impossible when they're just mumbling with some bizzare accent.
I also really don't want to miss dialogue every time I'm eating a potato chip or a car drives down the road.
I'm 45 (i.e not a Millennial) and I've turned subtitles on when possible for many ywars because I dislike having to go back and rewatch repeatedly when dialogue is ambiguous.
It's not hard to pay attention to both aspects of a film. Does the author of the article insist on watching dubbed versions of foreign-language films instead of subtitles?
I've noticed that it's much easier for me to understand what's happening on a small TV. As television sets have grown I've found it more difficult to understand dialogue. Perhaps it's because as the TVs grew the output became "boomier", and I just don't like that and it bothers me to turn the volume up too much. Contrast this with older, smaller TVs, the sound had less bass, and was easier for me to turn up without becoming uncomfortable.
I've also noticed a problem understanding speech when watching a big flat-screen TV that is using its built-in speakers. I don't have any problem when watching the same content on my old CRT sets with their better audio range.
The Soundstage of TV and cinema 20+years ago was better. Today's Soundstage doesn't favour voice, instead we are aurally assaulted by staged, sfx, background noises to lend some semblance of reality. It's god awful.
I've stopped torturing my aural processor and reparsing mumbled phrases to make sense of the dialog. I've unplugged the bass, I don't want to be shaken off the sofa.
AND best of all it's subtitles all the way. Easy ro read, comprehend and no more " WTF did she just say?"
Because dialogue volume is low. Also, the topics of the dialogue and accents are varied, which means that stumble upon words/phrases that I need to backtrack to really hear.
I don't care much if other people use captions or not, but I like to use them. They are useful whether or not you can hear it (I usually can hear it, but there are reasons why it might be difficult for anyone to hear, e.g. other people in the room are arguing loudly). They are not a substitute for having audio settings; I use both audio and captions.
I watch TV with captions on for several reasons:
- Sometimes it is difficult to understand what they are saying, e.g. someone else not on the TV is talking (or other noises outside), or they speak with a strong accent, or I simply missed something, or the audio is unclear or the volume is low (or muted).
- To know the spelling of something which is unknown (e.g. a character's name).
- To know the name of some music. Not all shows have this, but sometimes they do describe this.
- To pay attention better.
- There are others, too.
Sometimes the descriptions are rather worthless, e.g. "male announcer reads text on screen". (This might sometimes be relevant to a plot in a TV show, but I have only seen it in the notices between shows, where such a thing is completely worthless, whether or not you can hear it.) And, sometimes the captions are just badly written (with misspellings, missing words, wrong words, etc), even if it is not worthless; if something is unknown they should try to figure out what they said before writing it. Sometimes the caption writer might have to review the scripts, talk to the people on the show, and/or watch the entire show, before writing any captions, in order to do so correctly, but they rarely do all of that stuff.
On the TV I set up to use opaque outlined fixpitch text but with a translucent background. (I find this easier to read than an opaque or transparent background.) However, on DVD subtitles you cannot change the font, and no DVD player I have is able to change the colour or opacity of DVD subtitles even though their working should make this possible. Fortunately, some DVDs have captions and so this is not a problem.
Some shows have open captions. I dislike this, because then I cannot change the font. I think closed captions are better, even if it is a strong accent or if the speech is in a different language from the text.
A feature I would like on the TV (but which I have not seen) is a "caption scrollback" feature, so that you can view a menu of captions which have previously been played (including hidden captions, which they ought to sometimes do e.g. for clues on Jeopardy!).
Turning the subtitles on is useful when you have to turn the volume down at night. Believe it or not it helps you hear what's being said.
I also use it with the foreign language I am trying to learn. Both audio and subtitles set to the target language is useful. Though as someone has already mentioned, the two don't always match which is both frustrating and educational. You get to hear a synonym or a different way of saying the same thing. It helps fill in the blanks sometimes.
I haven’t seen anybody else mention this but I turn on subtitles, and watch foreign shows because it forces me to turn off my break and focus. If I look at my phone or start reading the internet, I lose where I am in the story. So it’s an escape and the subtitles keep me there without thinking about it.
The audio quality of what we watch is all over the place. YouTube shot on a phone, and a 4 million dollar per-installment miniseries go back-to-back.
We use subtitles because adjusting the audio all the time is crazy. We’ve even disconnected the sub and sound bar because the low audio quality on YouTube causes all kinds of booms and stuff that’s kinda shocking.
Nobody ever talks about the insanely bad quality of audio in amateur productions, but that’s why we always have the subtitles on.
Also, we have a much more multigenerational presence than ever before and the older folks really like being able to see what they can’t always hear.
Sometimes the audio tracks of videos aren't so great (ones that are old or not well-equalized, or in critical quiet passages). But subtitles are an aggravating distraction. Instead I juice up what's missing (YMMV) with this (mobile or desktop) toolbar pop-up browser extension:
I don't have a Samsung OS (other than a phone) but it is possible to specify where on a screen a subtitle appears. I've noticed it happening with some shows where they have them high up so they don't block the credits but then go back down later.
Subtitles are a great way to keep me engaged with TV content. When there’s none, my eyes are usually on TV station logos and other annoying distractions which make it hard to concentrate on what I’m actually watching (so I usually get bored and give up) - at the same time they allow me to keep the volume at an acceptable level. The only problem with subtitles is that some TV stations don’t do them properly. They should take some clues from the BBC or Danish TV, who have perfected subtitling, in regarding to font choice, size of black bars and timing the subs to the dialogue.
Btw, streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ suck at subtitling in languages other than English, because they don’t match the audio but are a different translation. If you want to learn Spanish by watching Spanish dubs with subs on those services, you’re screwed. (If you need correct Spanish subs, you need to watch the ad-infested Spanish Disney channel instead)
Is this an ADHD thing? When subtitles are present, they're all I can focus on. I visit folks regularly who need them (they probably just need hearing aids) and whatever we watch is a shitty book because my eyes focus on the words changing rather than the content. We'll get done and I'll be able to tell them what the people said but not anything that happened that wasn't spoken. They (ADHD) can tell me everything.
[+] [-] iamflimflam1|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mdekkers|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] eezynow|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Llamamoe|2 years ago|reply
I also really don't want to miss dialogue every time I'm eating a potato chip or a car drives down the road.
[+] [-] spywaregorilla|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] blincoln|2 years ago|reply
It's not hard to pay attention to both aspects of a film. Does the author of the article insist on watching dubbed versions of foreign-language films instead of subtitles?
[+] [-] dumpsterdiver|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wrp|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ajolly|2 years ago|reply
But if something isn't clear, I can then glance at the subtitles.
[+] [-] tdubhro1|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mydogmuppet|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nine_zeros|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] zzo38computer|2 years ago|reply
I watch TV with captions on for several reasons:
- Sometimes it is difficult to understand what they are saying, e.g. someone else not on the TV is talking (or other noises outside), or they speak with a strong accent, or I simply missed something, or the audio is unclear or the volume is low (or muted).
- To know the spelling of something which is unknown (e.g. a character's name).
- To know the name of some music. Not all shows have this, but sometimes they do describe this.
- To pay attention better.
- There are others, too.
Sometimes the descriptions are rather worthless, e.g. "male announcer reads text on screen". (This might sometimes be relevant to a plot in a TV show, but I have only seen it in the notices between shows, where such a thing is completely worthless, whether or not you can hear it.) And, sometimes the captions are just badly written (with misspellings, missing words, wrong words, etc), even if it is not worthless; if something is unknown they should try to figure out what they said before writing it. Sometimes the caption writer might have to review the scripts, talk to the people on the show, and/or watch the entire show, before writing any captions, in order to do so correctly, but they rarely do all of that stuff.
On the TV I set up to use opaque outlined fixpitch text but with a translucent background. (I find this easier to read than an opaque or transparent background.) However, on DVD subtitles you cannot change the font, and no DVD player I have is able to change the colour or opacity of DVD subtitles even though their working should make this possible. Fortunately, some DVDs have captions and so this is not a problem.
Some shows have open captions. I dislike this, because then I cannot change the font. I think closed captions are better, even if it is a strong accent or if the speech is in a different language from the text.
A feature I would like on the TV (but which I have not seen) is a "caption scrollback" feature, so that you can view a menu of captions which have previously been played (including hidden captions, which they ought to sometimes do e.g. for clues on Jeopardy!).
[+] [-] cf100clunk|2 years ago|reply
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36213136
The Algolia search tool here at HN is quite helpful for checking earlier submissions.
[+] [-] ars|2 years ago|reply
It's not just slow paced or talky YouTube videos that get sped up.
[+] [-] dizhn|2 years ago|reply
I also use it with the foreign language I am trying to learn. Both audio and subtitles set to the target language is useful. Though as someone has already mentioned, the two don't always match which is both frustrating and educational. You get to hear a synonym or a different way of saying the same thing. It helps fill in the blanks sometimes.
[+] [-] soultrees|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] happytiger|2 years ago|reply
We use subtitles because adjusting the audio all the time is crazy. We’ve even disconnected the sub and sound bar because the low audio quality on YouTube causes all kinds of booms and stuff that’s kinda shocking.
Nobody ever talks about the insanely bad quality of audio in amateur productions, but that’s why we always have the subtitles on.
Also, we have a much more multigenerational presence than ever before and the older folks really like being able to see what they can’t always hear.
[+] [-] 8bitsrule|2 years ago|reply
https://mybrowseraddon.com/audio-equalizer.html
which can be quickly turned on-off, quickly adjusted, and saves named presets. For me it's been the audio equivalent of uBlock.
[+] [-] expertentipp|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sacnoradhq|2 years ago|reply
EDIT: Might it be because TV speakers are worse than ever? I have a pair of Elac Debut 2.0 F6.2 and an SVS SB16-Ultra so I might be a bit biased. ;>
[+] [-] Claude_Shannon|2 years ago|reply
For my native Polish movies, the sound mixing might as well not exist, it's that bad.
[+] [-] zlwaterfield|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Sunspark|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Seanambers|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Pent|2 years ago|reply
I just assumed I didn’t pay enough, so subtitles always
[+] [-] tempaccount1234|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tempaccount1234|2 years ago|reply
[+] [-] deprecative|2 years ago|reply