All that bagpipe playing has probably ruined his vocal chords and on top of this he's probably off his face on whiskey and haggis too much to bother enunciating his lines properly, like a proper English Doctor would do with his oh i say chippiness and received pronunciation
And I bet he takes heroin.
And likes everything fried.
Including the haggis, whiskey and heroin.
Damn scotch trying to ruin our fine English traditions by taking them down from within.
It worked for McCoy who decided to act so terribly he got the series cancelled...mission accomplished.
Now Capaldi's dastardly plan is to be so incomprehensible as to cause the end of the series via people switching off in confusion.
The Rab C Nesbitt effect.
It's SCOTS,- scotch is something you drink on a bus-station when you've run out of cider.
Look, I didn't plaster my post in smilees because this is a ridiculous thread and I thought everyone in it was treating it with a degree of Irony
That said, now they have failed in their bid for independence, they should be called whatever WE, the superior English nation of clear speakers, want to call them.
Scotch it is then!
Look, I didn't plaster my post in smilees because this is a ridiculous thread and I thought everyone in it was treating it with a degree of Irony
That said, now they have failed in their bid for independence, they should be called whatever WE, the superior English nation of clear speakers, want to call them.
Scotch it is then!
P.S.
This post was a hoot from beginning to end!
I actually mean that. Apparently everything needs to be spelled out on here.
Look, I didn't plaster my post in smilees because this is a ridiculous thread and I thought everyone in it was treating it with a degree of Irony
That said, now they have failed in their bid for independence, they should be called whatever WE, the superior
nglish nation of clear speakers, want to call them.
Scotch it is then!
P.S.
wait til we get our vote - Stephanie morefeet and his scittish aganda are last year's haggis - an stuff.
I watched again via iplayer and still had problems.
I then watched bits using the speech setting on my television and it was a little better, but I still had problems.
I am not convinced that his accent is the problem. I think it is the fast speed at which he speaks and that he has a soft voice.
I will try one more and if I am still struggling, then there is no point in watching anymore.
Sad, as I have been a Dr Who viewer since the very first episode.
I watched again via iplayer and still had problems.
I then watched bits using the speech setting on my television and it was a little better, but I still had problems.
I am not convinced that his accent is the problem. I think it is the fast speed at which he speaks and that he has a soft voice.
I will try one more and if I am still struggling, then there is no point in watching anymore.
Sad, as I have been a Dr Who viewer since the very first episode.
Same boat as my dad. Such a shame as on iplayer when I tweak it and use subtitles I can catch everything and have loved the series so far, but he likes to watch telly and is about ready to give up
Maybe you should try pressing the speaker icon on your remote control and try a few of the pre-installed sound settings (all you'll have to do is keep pressing the speaker icon)
Try the one labelled "Voice" or "Speech" or "vocal" or whatever your tv manufacturer might call emphasising the words instead of the bass or the treble or whatnot, see how you go then.
If not, it might be worth sitting a bit closer to the speakers? Or moving that plant that's in the way of the left one and not the right one?
I'm trying not to be as condescending as these types of posts usually are (and I realise I'm failing at that too-sorry!) but if there was genuinely a mass problem with the way the sound was transmitted with the episode it would've been raised and dealt with 10 mins after Rose aired (with a caption saying "sorry we messed up the sound levels, we're doing our best to correct this" within 10 mins. Graham Norton, I'm looking at you to voice the apology for all your unintended interruptions to Who over the years? yes? )
It simply isn't possible that the show is leaving its base with speech inaudible compared to the music.
There are, I grant you, one thousand and one things that can go wrong with the audio after that of course. Bad reception area meaning weaker signal, faulty speakers, incorrectly set up speakers, speakers being blocked, faulty receivers (IE-ears)
Modern flat screen TVs aren't exactly sold with the greatest sound equipment these days either, they kind of assume if you've got 2 grand to spend on a screen the size of your wall, you have the money to buy separate speakers too.
Again, this isn't meant to be condescending but please check your equipment before posting on here because its not possible there's anything wrong with it at transmission, otherwise there'd be a national outcry and not just a few frustrated voices on a forum.
(Ironically there was a problem with Capaldi's first words on the BBC HD channel showing of the Christmas ep but that was raised by a lot more people and fixed for the repeat on BBC3/BBC3HD the next day, so problems can happen and are dealt with )
I watched again via iplayer and still had problems.
I then watched bits using the speech setting on my television and it was a little better, but I still had problems.
I am not convinced that his accent is the problem. I think it is the fast speed at which he speaks and that he has a soft voice.
I will try one more and if I am still struggling, then there is no point in watching anymore.
Sad, as I have been a Dr Who viewer since the very first episode.
I'll miss the odd unimportant word like I do with most of the Doctor's when they're talking fast, but I can't understand how anyone can be struggling so much as to have to stop watching the show because of it. It's really not that difficult.
Also I don't see all the catchphrases. At all. While its still zippy and stylised the dialogue is relatively alot mote naturalistic and has a ring of truth about it that some of the last two seasons certainly haven't. Eleven and River barely had one scene together that wasn't blighted byself aware sitcom banter. Its improved vastly this year.
Modern flat screen TVs aren't exactly sold with the greatest sound equipment these days either, they kind of assume if you've got 2 grand to spend on a screen the size of your wall, you have the money to buy separate speakers too.
You're absolutely right of course but there's definitely something different with DW. I currently have BBC Breakfast on, volume at 7 and I can hear it perfectly. Every week without fail I have to turn DW up to over 20 to just hear it. It's the only show on any channel I need to do that for. They've done something to the sound on it that's different.
You're absolutely right of course but there's definitely something different with DW. I currently have BBC Breakfast on, volume at 7 and I can hear it perfectly. Every week without fail I have to turn DW up to over 20 to just hear it. It's the only show on any channel I need to do that for. They've done something to the sound on it that's different.
BBC Breakfast is in a studio and there is no plot to follow. It's just spoken word by people sat down. I would wager that if they were running around their studio with a sonic screwdriver explaining away a plot and doing big alien related explosions you'd need to turn it up then as well.
I turn Doctor Who up to over 20 too. Not because I can't hear, but because I want to catch every word.
The sound levels on various programmes do vary and sometimes by a large amount. The general audio level on many "cheap" satellite channels varies wildly. Not to mention big apparent increases in volume during advert breaks.
The dialog level on action orientated programmes such as Doctor Who would normally be lower than for a studio bound programme like Breakfast. For an action programme, the loudest sound you hear is usually an explosion or some other loud Sci Fi sound effect. In a studio bound programme, it's the human voice with trained presenters who know how to keep their voice at a certain level.
Programme makers now have to produce surround sound mixes with 5 or 7 (or more) discrete audio channels and these mixes incorporate a stereo down-mix, so viewers with regular TVs can still hear the audio properly (theoretically anyway! ). With surround sound being the main target, I think the stereo down-mix is often not so carefully crafted. "Lost in the mix", you might say. It's usually automatically generated from the surround mix.
Combine those two issues with the generally relatively poor speakers found in TVs (sound quality in TVs has always been the poor relation to picture quality) that can't faithfully reproduce the more complex audio you get these days and you can have sound problems.
If you also add in the frailties of human hearing, and the tendency for many not to admit or realise that their hearing has deteriorated that gives them problems too.
I think it would be worth programme makers producing a "simple" audio mix, with background sound effects and music track levels much reduced for the benefit of those without perfect hearing and expensive surround sound systems.
I had trouble in Deep Breath, slightly so with the first few minutes of ITD, but since then I've understood pretty much 90% of what he says perfectly. (Not counting Robots of Sherwood, as a problem with my ears that week meant I could barely hear any of the episode.)
I watched again via iplayer and still had problems.
I then watched bits using the speech setting on my television and it was a little better, but I still had problems.
I am not convinced that his accent is the problem. I think it is the fast speed at which he speaks and that he has a soft voice.
I will try one more and if I am still struggling, then there is no point in watching anymore.
Sad, as I have been a Dr Who viewer since the very first episode.
If you can watch it with subtitles I'd recommend it. I have someone hard of hearing in my household so we watch everything with subtitles and once you're used to them they don't spoil anything. I know you'd probably rather watch them without, but it seems a shame to stop watching altogether just over this sound issue, whether it's his diction or the sound quality or whatever it is that's giving you problems.
(Sorry if that's a very obvious thing to suggest, but it does solve so many problems for us.)
BBC Breakfast is in a studio and there is no plot to follow. It's just spoken word by people sat down. I would wager that if they were running around their studio with a sonic screwdriver explaining away a plot and doing big alien related explosions you'd need to turn it up then as well.
I turn Doctor Who up to over 20 too. Not because I can't hear, but because I want to catch every word.
I was using that as an example. There's no show I need to turn up the TV that much for. Was watching Spartacus the other night which is a big action show with complex dialogue you really need to listen to and didn't have any issues. There's definitely something about the mix they're using for DW.
Comments
I have no such problem understanding Rab C Nesbitt.
You missed out shortbread. ;-)
...... and does kilt wearing not "harden the testicles" ?
anyway, sounds like the next dr should be ........ BRIAN - GOSH I'M LOUD - BLESSED !
Look, I didn't plaster my post in smilees because this is a ridiculous thread and I thought everyone in it was treating it with a degree of Irony
That said, now they have failed in their bid for independence, they should be called whatever WE, the superior English nation of clear speakers, want to call them.
Scotch it is then!
P.S.
This post was a hoot from beginning to end!
I actually mean that. Apparently everything needs to be spelled out on here.
Or am I just an English Jessie?
wait til we get our vote - Stephanie morefeet and his scittish aganda are last year's haggis - an stuff.
Very likely the result of Moffat's co-writing.
The dialogue in Deep Breath especially was stunning, and both Capaldi and Jenna Coleman were excellent.
Me too - and I often struggle with Scottish accents (Taggart was incomprehensible) - but I have no difficulty at all with Capaldi's.
I then watched bits using the speech setting on my television and it was a little better, but I still had problems.
I am not convinced that his accent is the problem. I think it is the fast speed at which he speaks and that he has a soft voice.
I will try one more and if I am still struggling, then there is no point in watching anymore.
Sad, as I have been a Dr Who viewer since the very first episode.
Yeah, seems a bit much for the BBC to handle those these days...
Think you may be right there, but they also seem to have messed with the 'mix' settings (as they always seem to do).
Same boat as my dad. Such a shame as on iplayer when I tweak it and use subtitles I can catch everything and have loved the series so far, but he likes to watch telly and is about ready to give up
Try the one labelled "Voice" or "Speech" or "vocal" or whatever your tv manufacturer might call emphasising the words instead of the bass or the treble or whatnot, see how you go then.
If not, it might be worth sitting a bit closer to the speakers? Or moving that plant that's in the way of the left one and not the right one?
I'm trying not to be as condescending as these types of posts usually are (and I realise I'm failing at that too-sorry!) but if there was genuinely a mass problem with the way the sound was transmitted with the episode it would've been raised and dealt with 10 mins after Rose aired (with a caption saying "sorry we messed up the sound levels, we're doing our best to correct this" within 10 mins. Graham Norton, I'm looking at you to voice the apology for all your unintended interruptions to Who over the years? yes? )
It simply isn't possible that the show is leaving its base with speech inaudible compared to the music.
There are, I grant you, one thousand and one things that can go wrong with the audio after that of course. Bad reception area meaning weaker signal, faulty speakers, incorrectly set up speakers, speakers being blocked, faulty receivers (IE-ears)
Modern flat screen TVs aren't exactly sold with the greatest sound equipment these days either, they kind of assume if you've got 2 grand to spend on a screen the size of your wall, you have the money to buy separate speakers too.
Again, this isn't meant to be condescending but please check your equipment before posting on here because its not possible there's anything wrong with it at transmission, otherwise there'd be a national outcry and not just a few frustrated voices on a forum.
(Ironically there was a problem with Capaldi's first words on the BBC HD channel showing of the Christmas ep but that was raised by a lot more people and fixed for the repeat on BBC3/BBC3HD the next day, so problems can happen and are dealt with
I'll miss the odd unimportant word like I do with most of the Doctor's when they're talking fast, but I can't understand how anyone can be struggling so much as to have to stop watching the show because of it. It's really not that difficult.
I have tried all sound settings and manually adjusting them.
Yes, another good point.
You're absolutely right of course but there's definitely something different with DW. I currently have BBC Breakfast on, volume at 7 and I can hear it perfectly. Every week without fail I have to turn DW up to over 20 to just hear it. It's the only show on any channel I need to do that for. They've done something to the sound on it that's different.
BBC Breakfast is in a studio and there is no plot to follow. It's just spoken word by people sat down. I would wager that if they were running around their studio with a sonic screwdriver explaining away a plot and doing big alien related explosions you'd need to turn it up then as well.
I turn Doctor Who up to over 20 too. Not because I can't hear, but because I want to catch every word.
The sound levels on various programmes do vary and sometimes by a large amount. The general audio level on many "cheap" satellite channels varies wildly. Not to mention big apparent increases in volume during advert breaks.
The dialog level on action orientated programmes such as Doctor Who would normally be lower than for a studio bound programme like Breakfast. For an action programme, the loudest sound you hear is usually an explosion or some other loud Sci Fi sound effect. In a studio bound programme, it's the human voice with trained presenters who know how to keep their voice at a certain level.
Programme makers now have to produce surround sound mixes with 5 or 7 (or more) discrete audio channels and these mixes incorporate a stereo down-mix, so viewers with regular TVs can still hear the audio properly (theoretically anyway!
Combine those two issues with the generally relatively poor speakers found in TVs (sound quality in TVs has always been the poor relation to picture quality) that can't faithfully reproduce the more complex audio you get these days and you can have sound problems.
If you also add in the frailties of human hearing, and the tendency for many not to admit or realise that their hearing has deteriorated that gives them problems too.
I think it would be worth programme makers producing a "simple" audio mix, with background sound effects and music track levels much reduced for the benefit of those without perfect hearing and expensive surround sound systems.
If you can watch it with subtitles I'd recommend it. I have someone hard of hearing in my household so we watch everything with subtitles and once you're used to them they don't spoil anything. I know you'd probably rather watch them without, but it seems a shame to stop watching altogether just over this sound issue, whether it's his diction or the sound quality or whatever it is that's giving you problems.
(Sorry if that's a very obvious thing to suggest, but it does solve so many problems for us.)
I was using that as an example. There's no show I need to turn up the TV that much for. Was watching Spartacus the other night which is a big action show with complex dialogue you really need to listen to and didn't have any issues. There's definitely something about the mix they're using for DW.