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Isn’t it hilarious that the BBC trilogy blockbuster “Jamaica Inn” was screened with inaudible sound levels on the dialogue? Funnier still, the evening news on BBC (23rd April) featured an article about it. Their conclusion? Watch it with subtitles!

Now, for some time I have been forced to watch my TV with subtitles turned on, despite wearing a pair of superb NHS digital hearing aids, featuring a ‘loop system’.

The reason, in my opinion, is that the TV Companies are messing with sound levels in a number of ways: background music being too loud; dialogue being too quiet, or mumbled; advertising sound too loud; strong accents not being understandable.

So, why is this happening? Well it began a few years ago when the commercial TV stations started increasing the volume adverts were broadcast at, and the broadcasting commission’s response was to legislate to prevent them doing so.

What did they do then? They turned the volume down on programmes broadcast, but left the advertising at ‘normal’ levels. This resulted in everyone turning up the TV with the effect that adverts were (once more) louder!

My guess is that this has again been stamped upon, and the response of the programme producers is to fiddle with dialogue sound levels, leaving the music and background sound at the upper limit. So, you have to turn the TV up still.

Why do the BBC do it then? Because they also sell the series to commercial companies in the USA and other countries. That’s why.
And the mumbling? Oh, that’s ART lovey, that’s art.