The former. I saw a youtube video that it’s really difficult to master something that’s made for the cinema down to a normal stereo sound. Also film makers care more for authenticity than before. Times when actors turned towards the camera and laid on their poshest accent are over.
That’s why subtitles became so popular in the recent times
Yeah it’s bad… It’s gotten to the point that I have unironically said “Wait! Where are my subtitles? I can’t hear without my subtitles!”
You said that watching a video or in a real life conversation?
yes
As a HoH person I secretly love this trend and hope it never dies
Haha, I’m glad somebody can benefit
Does sound mastering just suck or are people trying to pipe 5.1 surround through a stereo setup?
The former. I saw a youtube video that it’s really difficult to master something that’s made for the cinema down to a normal stereo sound. Also film makers care more for authenticity than before. Times when actors turned towards the camera and laid on their poshest accent are over.
Likely a combination of both. Even on my 5.1 with the center channel set to max, the voices can still be hard to make out on some movies.