Amazon Dialogue Boost: AI Tool for Insanely Better TV Audio

Hi guys. Rachael Cook, doctor of audiology at Applied Hearing Solutions in Phoenix, Arizona. And in today's video, I'm gonna be telling you how AI is about to revolutionize the way we watch TV, coming up. Are you sick of struggling to hear dialogue on tv? You're not alone. A 2022 survey found that nearly 50% of Americans have their subtitles turned on, and not necessarily because they want to, but because they feel like they have to in order to fill in missing gaps from unclear dialogue. You may spend hundreds or even thousands on high end sound bars or smart TVs that still don't fix the problem. To be honest, there are many reasons why understanding dialogue in TV shows and movies frankly sucks, but a new feature from Amazon's Prime Video may just be the answer we've all been looking for. But before we dive in, if you could please take a second to give this video a thumbs up.

It really helps bring videos like these to a wider audience. And of course, if you haven't yet already, please take a moment to hit the subscribe button with notification bell so that you never miss any one of our newly released videos. We really appreciate it. Now let's begin by reviewing why TV dialogue is so hard to hear in the first place. First, TV shows and movies often involve a combination of dialogue, background sounds, and musical tracks. Audio mixers truly have their work cut out for them, trying to layer the sound scene together, and even if they knock it outta the park for one TV or sound system, the wide variety of settings and processing strategies in the TV and audio world means it's not gonna be a home run for every viewer. This explains why you may get lucky hearing some TV programs perfectly and wonder if your TV is even working for others.

To make matters worse, once the sound is delivered to you through your TV or soundbar, all of the sound layers from the program that you are watching are likely coming from the same source. This can make it incredibly difficult to separate out the speech from background noises and music even with normal hearing. But in the event that you have even a mild form of hearing loss or auditory processing difficulties, background noises can make enjoying your favorite shows nearly impossible. But one company has finally taken the hint that it's time to do something and make dialogue easier to understand on TV. Beginning in April of 2023, Amazon Prime Video took the step to improve accessibility and enjoyment of your favorite shows with Dialogue Boost. In just another example of the way that artificial intelligence or AI can make our lives better and easier, Amazon's Dialogue Boost uses AI to identify points where dialogue may be hard to hear over background noise and music. Once identified, it then targets portions of spoken dialogue and enhances the clarity of speech while reducing background noise. I tried Dialogue Boost out for myself and found there to be a huge difference in the speech clarity and the level of the background sounds. But if you don't believe me, take a listen for yourself.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's the Gordon Ford Show. Tonight's guests: Pat Boone. From Dobie Gillis, Bob Denver. And comedian Lester Simss. Ladies and gentlemen, it's the Gordon Ford Show. Tonight's guests: Pat Boone. From Dogie Gillis, Bob Denver. And comedian Lester Simss.

Even though I have normal hearing, I use subtitles religiously because I too struggle to hear dialogue on TV shows and movies. But this feature is about to change the game for so many viewers with and without hearing loss. The really cool thing about this feature is that it's not even just an on and off toggle, but is actually available in three different levels: low, medium, and high. This allows you to decide whether you just need a little bit of a speech boost or if you really want some separation between the dialogue and the background noise. At the moment, this feature is only available in English for select Amazon Prime Originals. This includes shows like The Marvelous Miss Maisel and Jack Ryan, as well as movies like The Big Sick and Beautiful Boy. To see if this feature is available for a program you wanna watch head to the program page and look under details to see what audio languages are available.

If it's an option, it will be listed under these languages as Dialogue Boost: low, medium, or high. Although not yet widely available, Amazon Prime Video does plan to expand Dialogue Boost to many more titles in the coming months, and will likely expand this feature to other languages as well. Now, if you try this feature out, but you still find yourself cranking up the volume on the TV, you may have hearing loss. High frequency hearing loss that's commonly seen with aging and loud noise exposure degrades the clarity of speech in quiet settings, let alone in combination with background noise. Hearing treatment in the form of properly programmed hearing aids can help restore the missing clarity components of speech making dialogue on TV much easier to understand. Hearing aids even have the capability to connect to accessory devices that will wirelessly transmit the sound from your TV straight into your hearing aids, but it doesn't stop there.

So if you're interested in learning all of the ways that you can improve your TV watching experience, make sure you check out my video on TV listening tips here. Now that Amazon Prime Video has led the charge, I really hope that this inspires other streaming services to follow their lead, giving users control over their own TV watching experience. Turning on Dialogue Boost is much easier than trying to manipulate the settings of your own devices or buying all new stereo equipment that leaves you with the same results. So if you struggle hearing dialogue on TV shows or movies and just can't seem to find a solution, don't throw your TV or soundbar into the pool just yet. Help is coming, and if you try this feature out, make sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below. That's it for this video. If you liked it, make sure you give it a thumbs up and share it with someone that you feel could use it. And if you haven't yet already, make sure you hit that subscribe button with Notification Bell so that you never miss any one of our newly released videos.