You have questions. I have some answers, including readers’ responses to an ongoing issue.
In a recent column I talked about the problems many viewers have with loud background music which makes it difficult to hear the dialogue. Lots of letters came in, some of which follow:
The solution for loud soundtracks and mumbling, especially foreign actors … closed captions, which normally works OK. I have noticed that for some reason on my Xfinity X1 box, the captions on shows is sometimes behind which I understand with live shows . But for the most part, I leave it on even though my hearing is just fine. I also agree that the audio settings on surround sound need to be tweaked.
Several readers mentioned closed captions. Another thought the problem was not in his set.
You haven’t mentioned hearing loss. I had the same complaints, had my hearing tested, and found that I had serious hearing loss. Hearing aids have helped considerably, but I still find some accents (e.g. British) to be a problem.
And, where I mentioned that a soundbar was helpful, another reader brought up a specially designed one.
The best answer for older people like me is this new speaker from Zvox called the “AccuVoice,” which uses hearing aid type technology to pull dialogue out of the soundtrack. It’s like a freakin’ miracle of audio balance and doesn’t suppress the dynamic range of the music at all. It just clarifies the dialogue without any artificiality or oddness. Five stars, two thumbs up!
I have not tried the device, which costs about $250, so I can’t vouch for it. But you can find out more at the company website, www.zvoxaudio.com, and there are reviews online.
On to other topics.
I was a big fan of the TV series “Heroes.” Then last year they had the series “Heroes Reborn.” I haven’t seen any new shows lately and wanted to know if this show has been canceled or just been on hold.
NBC called “Heroes Reborn” an “event series,” a term often applied to what we used to call a miniseries, with a story confined to the planned episodes. Of course, if the “event” is, well, eventful for viewers, there’s always a chance for more. But not with “Heroes Reborn.” NBC decided not to continue it. That said, five years passed between the end of “Heroes” and the beginning of “Heroes Reborn,” and so many ideas get reworked in TV and movies, maybe they’ll come up with another version down the road. But I know of no plans right now.
We were wondering if “CSI: Cyber” will be returning at any time. We really liked that show, especially the cast.
CBS decided not to continue the show after two seasons.
The last episode of “Designated Survivor” had someone being shot and then it said there would not be another show until March! Why? Reminds me of “Dallas” and who shot JR.
Shows do not make enough episodes to fill an entire September to May TV season. And reruns for the most part do not do as well in the ratings as they used to — in addition to which you can catch a lot of older episodes via on-demand services or network websites. Series are therefore more likely to take breaks, with specials or other new programming filling their time slot. That’s why you have seen many shows proclaim a “winter finale” before going off the air for awhile — and then put a cliffhanger into that “winter finale” so people will be sure to come back. It is indeed reminiscent of what “Dallas” did back in 1980 when it ended a season with the villainous J.R. Ewing shot, and people spend the summer debating who did it. (Spoiler: It was Kristin.) But the tactic is so common now that it rarely has the excitement it did back then.
