Amazon Prime Video introduces Dialogue Boost to help users hear spoken lines easily

[Karlston]

 

Have you ever found it difficult to understand what was said in a movie scene? If so, you may appreciate a new feature that has been added to Amazon Prime Video, it's called Dialogue Boost.

 

The streaming service already offers subtitles in different languages to help viewers watch shows even if the original version was not available in their language. It also offers audio tracks in other languages.

 

As the name of the new feature so obviously suggests, Dialogue Boost will assist users to hear the speech in movies and TV shows. The feature is available for some Amazon Originals. So, how does it work? It does not amplify the overall volume. Amazon's announcement says that Dialogue Boost reduces the background music and effects, and raises the volume of dialogues to make the speech clearer to listen. The company says that the feature is powered by AI.

 

Dialogue Boost analyzes the audio in a movie or show to detect which parts may contain dialogues that is not audible because of excessive noise in the background. The AI then isolates the speech part from the rest of the audio, and enhances the spoken dialogue. Amazon has not earmarked Dialogue Boost as an accessibility feature, it's not just for people who are hard of hearing, it can be helpful for anyone.

 

Dialogue Boost is not available in all shows and movies. Amazon says that it is currently supported on some of its Originals such as Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Harlem, The Big Sick, Beautiful Boy, and Being the Ricardos. The company says it will bring the feature to more titles this year.

How to check whether an Amazon Prime Video supports Dialogue Boost

1. Click on a TV show or Movie's card on Amazon Prime.

 

2. Switch to the Details tab on the media's description page.

 

3. The "Audio Languages" selection will list Dialogue Boost among the options.

 

How to enable Dialogue Boost on an Amazon Prime Video

1. Load a video that supports the feature.

 

2. Click on the subtitles button, and select Dialogue Boost under Audio.

 

3. There are two levels for Dialogue Boost: Medium, and High. Select the audio track that you prefer.

 

 

Play the video normally, and you may notice a difference in scenes that were inaudible.

 

So, can we use subtitles with it? Yes, the new option only changes the audio track, the subtitle settings are unaffected by it. This is a good thing, because some people may want to view captions on the screen, even with the enhanced audio track.

 

Dialogue Boost is supported on all devices where Prime Video is available, i.e. TVs, Mobile phones, laptops, PCs. It is not a US exclusive feature, as I was able to access it in India. However, the option was not available in the shows that Amazon had mentioned. I checked a dozen shows and movies, but only found the Dialogue Boost option for Carnival Row and Reacher. It could be because the company may not have processed the videos with its AI yet, so we may have to wait a while for it to roll out to other movies and series.

 

Dialogue Boost only seems to be available in English for now, that's understandable as the feature isn't even available for most videos.

 

Have you tried the feature?

 

 

 

Amazon Prime Video introduces Dialogue Boost to help users hear spoken lines easily