Do you listen to broadcast TV in surround?

[dopplah]

I've been mixing a show in Dolby Pro Logic for about a year, and hate what it does to my mixes. I also just completed a surround setup in my home (slightly more pro than the average consumer, but still consumer nonetheless). So I start scrolling through the surround modes, and PLI isn't even offered! Okay, PLII it is. Listening, listening... I think I hate this. Smeary front end, lack of clarity. Back to regular stereo. Much better.

Now, I'll thoroughly enjoy this setup for movie watching, but I don't think I can tolerate these matrixed surround formats. Do you use them, or just opt for "good old stereo"?

dopplah

[airon]

Folks here in Germany generally go with stereo.

There's a certain amount of push towards 5.1 Dolby Digital, which is available to the viewing public via digital channels (DVB_T, DVB-S, DVB-C) and I presume some digital HD channels.

I don't see people relying on this for series a lot. I did watch a couple of CSI:Miami episodes by popping the analog stereo out in to my consumer grade 5.1 system (Logitech Z5500). It only does Prologic II as well and that came out realy well. We're not mixing for it on our show, and I don't hear anything about this analog surround from other mixing folks so far here in Germany.

Only american shows seem to use it.

[philper]

My-brother-the-lawyer watches everything in surround--his family never changes the settings on their mid-fi Bose 5.1 system in their family room. A lot of people in the US watch TV this way now--hence the networks requirement of 5.1 mixes (and stereo) in their spec. They are also still listening on mono and stereo plastic small TVs in kitchens and bedrooms, off laptops and even in very compressed mono on cel phones. We have to make it all work.

Philip Perkins CAS

[Phil Jeffers]

What exactly is the format of Dolby Surround for most countries (for Televsion Broadcast). Is it really 5.1? Or, mono surround - or other?

[EarHole]

I really only listen to surround on Broadcast TV if it's something broadcast in HD on a digital station.
CSI, Lost and what not. Otherewise I just keep it simple and stereo.

[soundguydave]

Alot of shows I watch, 24, prison break etc, I can't understand the dialouge if I don't use my surround system. I listen in prologic so the dialouge uses my center channel and then I can understand the dialouge. If I try plain stereo, even on my audio system, the music and effects are just too loud. Besides, when I am watching a show like that, Thats all I care about.

[Phil Jeffers]

Alot of shows I watch, 24... (snip)

How about all those torture scenes!!! Jeez, TV is a bit different these days to say ten years ago. European telly is even more liberal (or extreme - depending on your standpoint).

[airon]

Concerning dialog, I'm almost certain it's the stations fault for compressing the audio in the broadcast.

In Germany the M&E of american shows does not get compressed, just limited, since we've got the -9dBFS @ 1kHz Sine = 0VU, which were supposed to respect. A lot of stations don't do anything extra to it, so the 'clean' dubs of the shows come out rather well both on stereo TV speakers and surround (2ch->3.0 Prologic or 5.0 Prologic II).

Shows that seem to be mixed mainly for stereo TV speakers are Doctor Who and Life On Mars, both british productions. I find their sound rather troublesome on good speakers(like my Bluesky System One), but never bad, just a bit stressy.

[dopplah]

It stands to reason that a show could be mixed in stereo only, and the PLII decoder could have its way with it, effectively turning it into a surround mix. That's what happens with commercials, right? Can I avoid even encoding in stereo?

[Stizz]

This is why I only listen in mono. And ever since I cut off the extra ear, it's even better.