Just in time for today’s 9 a.m. U.S. vs. Slovenia World Cup soccer match in South Africa, Consumer Reports tells viewers how to adjust the sound on their televisions to minimize the racket caused by fans blowing the vuvuzela horn.
The 3-foot-long plastic horn is similar to the noisemakers sold by street vendors at the St. Patrick’s Day parade in St. Paul. If you’re watching the games on television, the incessant buzz of thousands of horns can make it difficult to understand the commentators.
Here’s how to minimize it:
For basic televisions: Turn down the treble setting as far as it will go. That tones down the highest, most annoying frequencies the horn hits.
For TVs with equalizer sound controls: Play around with the settings that adjust soundwave frequencies to see if you can minimize the horns and maximize the voices. The Watchdog has noticed that numerous websites, including lifehacker.com, have specific advice on this approach. At isophonics.net, the Centre for Digital Music at Queen Mary University of London has come up with a “devuvuzelator” for those watching the games on their computers, along with an explanation of how it works.
For a surround-sound system: Turn down the volume on any speakers that carry the crowd noise and turn up the volume of any speakers that carry voices.
For anybody: Turn the sound off completely.
Consumer Reports also tested the “Anti-Vuvuzela Filter” that’s being sold for $3.50 but concluded it only makes the problem worse.
If, on the other hand, you want to get into the South African spirit here at home for the upcoming game, get a free vuvuzela sound for your iPhone, iTouch or iPad at itunes.apple.com.
As one user’s review put it: “Annoying, loud, useless, perfect.”
Or to listen to a stadium full of vuvuzelas, go to http://www.boogieblast.co.za/.
Editor’s note: Feel like an underdog because of a problem with a business, government agency or school? To ask the Watchdog for help, go to TwinCities.com/watchdog, call 651-228-5419 or e-mail watchdog@pioneerpress.com.
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To watch a video on how to adjust your television settings to tune out the horn, go to TwinCities.com or blogs.consumerreports.org.
