If you want the sights and sounds of the event or game without the annoying chatter, push the button.
-- thumbwax, Sep 16 2000

Laugh Track Off Button http://www.halfbake...-Track_20Off-Button
Same principle, different sound. [bookworm, Jun 09 2002, last modified Oct 05 2004]

This would put Frank Gifford out of a job!

And the problem is.....?
-- BigThor, Sep 16 2000


My dad watches football with the TV on mute and the radio on, since he (probably rightly) thinks the radio guys are much less annoying.
-- Uncle Nutsy, Sep 26 2000


I don't know about your dad, UNCLE NUTSY... but it's just that situation that I'm trying to avoid.

See, I live in Utah, where the Jazz games are _simulcast_ in radio and TV. Result: enough description to make a bland man see the action, and a seeing man insane.

This idea is a definate thumbs-up from me.
-- Vis10n, Sep 26 2000


Radio commentators are always preferrable to TV commentators. They have to spend so much time describing the action to their radio audience they don't have time to blather on as much as the TV guys.
-- dgeiser13, Apr 17 2001


Can we have a selective mute which will take out either an annoying commentator or the even more irritating and annoying background music which is present in *every* documentary and wild life programme.
-- redpony, May 01 2001


No more of "Big" Ron Atkinson`s complete drivel during football games?
Wow, I think I need a lie down.
-- Little_Crow, May 01 2001


Sorry, this idea has been baked. If you watch football on the BBC in the UK via digital satellite then you get a choice of three commentaries - normal (TV commentator plus effects), crowd/sound effects only, or the radio commentary (more descriptive than the TV commentary).
-- hvermin, Jan 21 2002


would a bland man be someone with no imagination? (Vis10n)
-- kaz, Jan 21 2002


They should replace *all* commentary with crowd noise. Much more exciting.

Two stories:

I saw a Celtic game on Eurosport in Prague. Eurosport have no Czech comentators, so they ran it with no commentary, and it was much more watchable. I discovered (amazingly) I could reach decisions about the play all on my own.

I saw England vs Argentine (the one with the infamous David Beckham kick at Diego Simione) in France with French commentary and it was much improved. Because there were no English commentors to remind us every two minutes about 1966, the Falklands War etc. I even found myself almost supporting England. But don't tell anybody.
-- mcscotland, Jan 22 2002


Most TV's have a feature called "SAP" which can provide an alternate soundtrack. One version for people who like chattiness; one for those who don't.
-- supercat, Jan 23 2002


hvermin, that is wonderful news. Please, I beg of you - kick someone from BBC hard enough to sail across the big pond.
-- thumbwax, Jan 23 2002


I have had the same Eurosport experience in watching soccer/football matches when in Europe. For the first 30 seconds I kept waiting for someone to talk, it was a little unsettling. However after realizing that they weren't just having technical difficulties it was much prefered!

Only having the crowd and the play to react to was quite wonderful. It seems doable through SAP, or through the multiple languages on Satellite. Considering several of my friends generally talk through the entire game with their own commentary I surely don't need someone else.
-- nhyatt, Jan 23 2002


And if you watch the Sky TV coverage of the football on digital you get "fanzone" which consists of two ill-informed fans (one of each stripe) whooping like monkeys for 90 minutes. Thank you, Sky TV.
-- calum, Jan 23 2002



random, halfbakery