By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – @tvanswerman
TV Answer Man, will you explain this new thing on Amazon Prime called Dialogue Boost. How does it work and why is it better for hearing movies and stuff? — Dale, Chesapeake, Virginia.
Dale, Amazon announced this week that it’s rolling out a new audio feature called, Dialogue Boost. The enhancement, which is now available on select Amazon’s original programs, allows you to increase the volume of the dialogue compared to the level of the background music and sound effects.
The feature is dedicated to viewers who are hearing-challenged, but I’ve received several e-mails in the last few months from people who say they have difficulty hearing the dialogue because of overwhelming sound effects. (And we’re not just talking about Tenet.)
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“At Prime Video, we are committed to building an inclusive, equitable, and enjoyable streaming experience for all our customers,” said Raf Soltanovich, vice president of technology at Prime Video and Amazon Studios. “Our library of captioned and audio described content continues to grow, and by leveraging our technological capabilities to create industry-first innovations like Dialogue Boost, we are taking another step to create a more accessible streaming experience.”
How Does It Work?
Dialogue Boost analyzes the original audio and identifies points where the dialogue may be difficult to hear. The technology then isolates speech patterns to make the dialogue clearer. Amazon says this enhances the audio on spoken dialogue instead of an amplification of the center channel in a Home Theater surround sound system. This enables anyone to benefit from Dialogue Boost.
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How Do You Use It?
During playback of a movie or show, you can view and choose which level of Dialogue Boost you prefer via the audio and subtitles drop down menu. The audio tracks are labeled “English Dialogue Boost: Medium” and “English Dialogue Boost: High.”
The title’s detail page will say if it includes Dialogue Boost.
Amazon says Dialogue Boost is now available on such titles as Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Harlem, The Big Sick, Beautiful Boy and Being the Ricardos, among others. More titles will be added later this year.
Dale, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman
