Hardware: 3 cheers for the home team

Q. We installed a new large smart television in our meeting room primarily for training purposes, but our company’s employees recently took an afternoon break and tuned in to watch a sporting event. However, I was disappointed that the television’s sound quality was so bad that we had a hard time hearing the announcers. Should we purchase a surround sound speaker system to address this issue, or perhaps you can recommend another option for improving our television’s sound quality?

A. A new surround sound speaker system would probably help produce better sound quality, but this solution seems like a fairly drastic measure given that the device is intended primarily for training. The problem can most likely be attributed to the sports broadcast rather than the television. In an effort to make games seem more exciting, some networks broadcast the background crowd noise of sporting events louder, so much so that sometimes it may be difficult to hear the announcers. If this is the case, you might resolve the issue simply by disabling the television’s surround sound channels (or function). This tip may work because the announcers’ play call is typically broadcast through the television’s stereo channels while the background noise is typically broadcast through the television’s Dolby Digital surround sound channels.

This temporary maneuver might ensure that the background crowd noise does not drown out the announcers’ play call.

About the author

J. Carlton Collins (carlton@asaresearch.com) is a technology consultant, a CPE instructor, and a JofA contributing editor.

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