TV Q&A: Why does background noise obscure Steelers announcers?

Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review.

Q: I am not a guy that watches a lot of football. However, I seldom miss a Steelers game. I think my hearing is pretty good for my age, 77, but I have to turn the volume up to about 40 on my set to hear the game announcers (the sound was usually set around 15, or so, last year). All I can hear is the background noise. I know that noise is being piped in because there are so few people there, compared to normal.

Tell me that background noise is the problem. Also, is there anything I can do about it?

— Charlie, Ebensburg

Rob: Questions about background noise and viewers being unable to understand a TV show’s dialogue due to background music are the top questions I have gotten for almost two decades.

When the question first arose, a UPMC audiologist explained that the part of hearing that enables us to distinguish dialogue from background noise is the first to go.

But in the intervening years, it’s also become clear that while the picture on TV sets has improved dramatically, especially in the digital era, the sound quality on new TVs often suffers. It’s one of the reasons attaching a sound bar to a TV has become so popular.

I asked Charlie a few more questions and discovered this problem largely started with his purchase of a new TV, which suggests his issue may be related to that specific TV set. In this case the best bet is to test out different audio settings while watching TV – consult the TV’s owner’s manual on how to do this – and if that doesn’t work, consider adding a sound bar.

Q: I watched a two-hour special on Oxygen on Jan. 3 called “The Jane Doe Murders.” It was wonderful! Are there any plans to make this a regular series?

— Sherry, Murrysville

Rob: An Oxygen rep says this was a one-off special with no plans to make it a regular series.

Q: I have DirectTV and already get the stations that are on discovery+ except for “American Detective.” What is the difference between discovery+ and the stations I already receive?

— Donna via email

Rob: “American Detective” is a show, not a channel, available only on discovery+, which is a subscription streaming service ($4.99 per month) that offers both new content not found elsewhere (like “American Detective”) and library content (aka reruns) of shows from Discovery-owned networks, including Discovery Channel, TLC, HGTV, Food Network, etc.

Q: Since television shows and series have resumed production during the pandemic, do they have access to testing for covid-19 before they shoot? I’ve always assumed they did, but I’m not sure.

— Jeff via email

Rob: Yes, TV series and movies quickly lined up labs to work with to get the casts and crews of their series tested regularly. And while this has enabled Hollywood to get back to work, positive test results have forced many shows to shut down production (sometimes for days, sometimes for weeks) due to a cast or crew member testing positive and that was before rising covid-19 rates led most major, Los Angeles-based productions to delay returning to work this month.

Q: I have a new TV with Roku. Forgive me because I am not overly tech savvy. I get plenty of free channels like Tubi.tv. They carry tons old TV and movies. I’m looking for a free channel that airs the 1960s-1970s “The FBI.”

— Lyn via Facebook

Rob: In my searching, that 1965-74 show does not appear to currently be available for streaming or on linear TV. “The F.B.I.” has been released on DVD.