I love music. Always have done and I always will but at the moment I have a problem. A problem that is driving me mad.
I am sick of TV shows and channels that seem to think my life will be enriched in some way by hearing the same 10 second clip of crap, cheesey music.
I have searched around expecting to be able to buy one but I up to now I haven't found it. Due to this I'm having to ask around here to see if it is possible. I want a black box with a volume control for the background music so I can turn it off. Other people may like the music and want to turn it up. Not me, off with the cheesy crappy music and let me hear the words of the actors or presenters.
The way I imagine it working is for a digital decoder to pick up the differences between the music soundtrack and the audio (speaking) track and letting you change the volume on either. I have looked at Tivo and I was expecting this feature to be availible but the people at Currys said no.
-- sufc, Nov 09 2003

(?) Personal Playlist Radio http://www.halfbake...Play_20List_20Radio
I tried with this one [Letsbuildafort, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Facing Future http://www.amazon.c...104-8280393-4477512
Good music. [bungston, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 06 2004]

Song Exploitation Obliviator http://www.halfbake...tation_20Obliviator
I tried with this one [-alx, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

There exists audio software that can take out the voices. Perhaps the music could be taken out using the same technology?
-- spiraliii, Nov 10 2003


You can enhance the vocals in the same way that you can cut them (a la karaoke hardware/software). This would work best with stereo sources (moreover, with the music being well-spread stereo-wise).

Another option: turn off the sound, turn on the subtitles. Possibly add a computer with video capture card (with teletext support) and screen-reader software to convert the subtitles back to voice :)
-- benjamin, Nov 10 2003


I rather like the music for some commercials (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What A Wonderful World" always makes me smile).

The advertisers know that music can sometimes touch a person more deeply than some monotone announcer and it builds a recognition into the product.
-- Klaatu, Nov 10 2003


You could signifigantly reduce the background music very easily using an array of filters, but I suspect, to get rid of it completly, without disturbing other sound on the broadcast, would be another thing altogether.
-- silverstormer, Nov 10 2003


This idea isn't so much about adverts, they dont bother me that much and to be fair they are sometimes better than the program I'm trying to watch. This is more pointed towards crap incidental music that seems to be used in any TV show I watch at the moment.
-- sufc, Nov 10 2003


Yah, yah, yah, black box, annoying things. I am weighing in here on the merits of Brother Iz. The CD with "rainbow" is one of those rare ones that steadily improves with listening, until you find yourself singing along, in Hawaiian.
-- bungston, Nov 10 2003


//I am sick of TV shows and channels that seem to think my life will be enriched in some way by hearing the same 10 second clip of crap, cheesey music.//

There are tunes played at every single wedding I've been to in the past 20 years that I never want to hear again (you know the ones). A device that could eliminate or substitute tunes for my own listening pleasure would be welcome. Like a babelfish, but for tunes.
-- lintkeeper2, Nov 10 2003


[lintkeeper2] - Sony created such a device in 1979.
-- benjamin, Nov 11 2003



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