With Dialogue Boost, Prime Video is trying to solve a major problem using AI: make it easier to hear and understand voices on TV.
You probably have resolved to watch TV with closed captioning, because you simply could not clearly understand what was said in your favorite movies and shows. While soundbars, and some newer TVs, have tried to solve the problem with various speech enhancement modes, Amazon Prime Video is now looking to integrate a solution on its platform, with a little help from AI.
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Today, Prime Video is introducing a new Dialogue Boost mode that can be toggled on from any device that offers the streaming service. “Dialogue Boost lets you increase the volume of dialogue relative to background music and effects, creating a more comfortable and accessible viewing experience that cannot be found on any other global streaming service,” Amazon wrote in a blog post detailing the new feature.
Dialogue Boost is using AI to identify specific moments in content where it may be more challenging to understand what is being said, because of background noise, special effects, or perhaps music. “Then, speech patterns are isolated and audio is enhanced to make the dialogue clearer,” the blog post reads. “This AI-based approach delivers a targeted enhancement to portions of spoken dialogue, instead of a general amplification at the center channel in a home theater system.”
Dialogue Boost offers two options (medium and high) and you can choose the right one for you in the audio/subtitles drop-down menu while watching your shows. Prime Video will also update information pages for movies and shows to indicate whether they support Dialogue Boost.
