Even the article gets it wrong, or perhaps we should say doesn't get it quite right. The problem has to do with mixing, not compression.
Theatrical presentations typically have a wide dynamic range, which is to say both very loud and very soft sounds. Theaters also have elaborate multichannel sound systems. The audio tracks are mixed to sound best in this setup.
TV shows typically have a low dynamic range: just some dialogue, a theme song, and some background music. Most TV shows are played through sets with two $0.50 speakers. Engineers for TV shows mix the audio to optimize for this setup.
The big problem comes when multichannel content is not properly downmixed for low end setups. The same problem has existed since multichannel content was first available for the home two decades ago. It takes time and costs money to downmix for a two-channel setup, so they usually just skip it. No one can tell they skimped and they just blame their own hearing.
The secondary problem is that back in the 90's, when convenient and relatively cheap personal audio devices first started becoming widely available, every idiot was listening to them way, way too loud in their earphones. They all succeeded in wrecking their hearing and this is one of the results. Very few are into hi-fi these days because they literally cannot appreciate hi-fi these days,.
Even the article gets it wrong, or perhaps we should say doesn't get it quite right. The problem has to do with mixing, not compression.
Theatrical presentations typically have a wide dynamic range, which is to say both very loud and very soft sounds. Theaters also have elaborate multichannel sound systems. The audio tracks are mixed to sound best in this setup.
TV shows typically have a low dynamic range: just some dialogue, a theme song, and some background music. Most TV shows are played through sets with two $0.50 speakers. Engineers for TV shows mix the audio to optimize for this setup.
The big problem comes when multichannel content is not properly downmixed for low end setups. The same problem has existed since multichannel content was first available for the home two decades ago. It takes time and costs money to downmix for a two-channel setup, so they usually just skip it. No one can tell they skimped and they just blame their own hearing.
The secondary problem is that back in the 90's, when convenient and relatively cheap personal audio devices first started becoming widely available, every idiot was listening to them way, way too loud in their earphones. They all succeeded in wrecking their hearing and this is one of the results. Very few are into hi-fi these days because they literally cannot appreciate hi-fi these days,.