Because of the current situation, many of us are spending all of our time at home. And with that comes an increase of television watching. Whether you or someone you live with has hearing loss, you are familiar with the volume battle. Below is a breakdown of a number of solutions that can make television watching more comfortable for those with hearing loss.
Why Sticking to a Television Volume Is Hard
When watching your favorite show on TV, you are exposed to dialogue, background noise and a soundtrack. While people with normal hearing have less trouble following their favorite characters, this is not the case for the hearing impaired.
High-frequency sounds are usually the first to go when you have hearing loss. Voices, especially those of women and children, fall in this category. Because of this, you may hear the background noise (which is usually low frequency) better, and it will drown out the on-screen conversations.
In order to follow what is happening, those with hearing loss will have to turn up the volume, often times to an unsafe level. Then when a particularly loud scene comes on, such as an epic battle, the sound can be deafening.
Sound Bars
These speakers sit nicely above or below your screen and help to amplify the audio from your television. Sound bars usually contain multiple speakers, and some are even able to simulate a movie theater experience with surround sound.
Most sound bars can wirelessly connect to a subwoofer, which is placed somewhere else in the room. This delivers low-end bass, like the rumble of a truck.
Wireless Headphones
If you are watching a television show alone, your best sound experience will be through over-ear, wireless headphones. Depending on the style of television you have, you can either connect your headphones directly to your set, or you will require a base that plugs into the TV and transmits sound to your headphones.
You can control the volume and do not have deal with distracting background noises from your home getting in the way.
Hearing Loop Systems
Newer Bluetooth enabled hearing aids are able to act as wireless headphones and connect directly to your television. You will need a streaming box to connect to your TV in order to transmit the sounds to your hearing aids.
This provides you with louder sounds that are clear and free of any echoes or delays.
Closed Captioning
Sometimes the best solution is the simplest. If you are having trouble making out everything the characters are saying, something that can be especially difficult with a lot of background noise or if they are speaking with a heavy accent, consider reading the dialogue instead.
Since 2006, all television programs are required to display audio content as text. The text is required to be accurate, synchronous, complete and properly placed. Basically, what you read must be an accurate description of what is currently happening on the screen.
To learn more about listening devices that can improve your quality of life or to schedule an appointment with one of our experts, contact Indiana Hearing Specialists today.