What The Tech: Technology for those who have trouble hearing
BY JAMEY TUCKER, Consumer Tech Reporter
Have you noticed this while watching TV?
You turn the volume up because you can’t hear what someone is saying. Then suddenly a car crashes, music swells, or an explosion shakes the walls. You’re not imagining it. And it may not mean your hearing is getting worse.
One of the biggest complaints from TV viewers today is difficulty understanding dialogue in movies and streaming shows. Modern audio mixing, ultra thin TVs, and streaming sound formats have changed the way television sounds in our homes.
The good news is there are now several technologies designed specifically to make voices easier to hear.
Why Dialogue Sounds Worse on Modern TVs
Many movies and streaming series are mixed for theaters or expensive surround sound systems. But most people watch them through thin flat screen TVs with tiny speakers. Modern TVs are great at producing sharp pictures. Sound quality is another story. Dialogue often gets buried under:
● background music
● sound effects
● ambient noise
● action scenes
And because TV speakers are usually mounted behind or underneath the screen, voices can sound muffled.
TVs With Built In Dialogue Enhancement
Many newer TVs now include settings designed to boost speech while reducing loud effects.
Samsung TVs
Samsung includes features like:
● Amplify
● Adaptive Sound
● Active Voice Amplifier
These settings can automatically raise dialogue levels and reduce background noise.
LG TVs
LG televisions offer a feature called:
● Clear Voice
It boosts speech frequencies to make conversations easier to understand.
Sony TVs
Sony Bravia models include:
● Voice Zoom
This setting adjusts voices separately from music and sound effects.
Streaming Devices Help Too
Streaming boxes and smart TV platforms are getting smarter about dialogue.
Apple TV 4K includes an “Enhance Dialogue” setting that helps isolate speech.
Roku devices now offer:
● Dialogue Enhancement
● Speech Clarity
Many viewers don’t even realize these settings exist because they’re buried deep inside audio menus.
The ZVOX Soundbar Focuses on Speech
Most soundbars are designed to make everything louder.
But ZVOX Audio took a different approach.
Its soundbars are specifically designed to make dialogue clearer using technology called AccuVoice. Instead of emphasizing booming bass or theater effects, ZVOX boosts the frequencies used in human speech and tones down background sounds.
For many people, that makes TV dramatically easier to understand without constantly adjusting the volume.
OTC Hearing Aids Are Becoming a TV Accessory
Another growing solution is over the counter hearing aids.
Since the FDA approved OTC hearing aids, many wireless models now connect directly to TVs and phones using Bluetooth.
Some people use them specifically for watching television because they can:
● amplify speech
● personalize audio levels
● reduce background noise
● avoid blasting the TV volume for everyone else
And unlike traditional hearing aids, OTC models can cost hundreds instead of thousands of dollars.
Sometimes the Problem Isn’t Your Hearing
This is the important part. A lot of people assume they’re losing their hearing when they struggle with TV dialogue. Sometimes that’s true. But often, the issue is the way modern entertainment audio is mixed and played back.
The technology industry finally seems to recognize the problem.
And whether it’s a TV setting, a soundbar, or wireless hearing aids, there are now more ways than ever to make TV dialogue easier to hear.
