The 15750 Hz “Noise” from my TV is driving me NUTS!
January 27, 2007 by Jason · 8 Comments
Can anyone else hear the 15750 Hz tone generated by most TVs? My girlfriend was telling me I was crazy and that the sound didn't exist until my Uncle Chuck explained that the sound does exist while we were back in Illinois for my Grandmother's birthday & Christmas.
I've got two TVs in my apartment (a 15-ish-year-old 20" GE and a 3-year-old 36" Toshiba) and I can hear both if they are on no matter where I am in the apartment (2 BR/2 BA, separate kitchen & dining room; it's not a small place), even if the doors are closed.
I'm almost ready to go out and spend $3000 on a nice 1080p LCD screen so that I can sit in the living room in peace because even turning the volume way up (with 500W of Klipsch power behind it) doesn't drown it out... Heh, the only good news is that all of the big-box retail stores are getting rid of their CRT screens (or at least tossing them in the back corner of the store) so if I do break down and decide to go shopping, at least I won't get a headache at the same time.
You are definate not crazy! I've heard that dang noise for a long time. I never looked up what frequency it was, though.
My older 27" JVC produces a vary loud whine, or at least it is loud for me. I can always tell when someone has left it on. Surprisingly however, my 53" sony HDTV with 6" CRT guns doesn't make a noise that I can hear. Or at least, it has never bothered me. I wonder if the 6" gun doesn't make such a loud noise because it is so small when compared to the CRT in the 27" TV, which I imagine goes from the rear all the way to the glass.
Heh, your HDTV is making noise, you just can't hear it because it's a higher pitch. The 15750Hz is generated because standard NTSC signals are 30fps with 525 lines of resolution. You multiply that out and you get 15750Hz. An HDTV has a higher resolution so the frequency is pushed higher, outside the range of human hearing.
In any case, it's not a problem for me anymore. This past week I bought a 52" Sharp AQUOS LCD. 1080p goodness...
I've got a quick picture I took yesterday morning (while the "low battery" light on my camera was blinking away). I'll post it up a bit later.
Is that that really high pitched squeak like noise? the tv in my dining room makes that noise and i can hear it and it seems like no one else can! i thoguh i was crazy too but now im i know that its not just me!
I know exactly what you mean. The speaking noise drives me insane too! I find unplugging the tv when i'm not watching it works the best haha. When i'm trying to read or concentrate i certainly can't do with that noise.
I have been watching the news about this so I have been looking around for the best site to visit. Yours is great. Thank you.
I read your posts for quite a long time and should tell you that your posts are always valuable to readers.
I had a Sony Trinitron TV that made no noise whatsoever, and I'm usually fairly sensitive to the whine. So you needn't run out and spend a fortune on an HDTV. Of course, if you're looking for an excuse, this might be a decent one!
I used to hear it all the time until I hit my 20s when I started going to loud rock concerts and playing in a rock band. Now, the sound doesn't bother me!