Prime Video launches new dialogue accessibility feature

While Dialogue Boost was built with the needs of customers who are hard of hearing in mind, anyone can use the feature to suit their personal listening preferences, the company said.

“At Prime Video, we are committed to building an inclusive, equitable, and enjoyable streaming experience for all our customers,” Raf Soltanovich, vice-president of technology at Prime Video and Amazon Studios said in a statement. “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,” Soltanovich added.

Dialogue Boost analyzes the original audio in a movie or series and identifies points where dialogue may be hard to hear above background music and effects. Then, speech patterns are isolated and audio is enhanced to make the dialogue clearer. 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 can be enjoyed anywhere the Prime Video experience is available, the company said.

Dialogue Boost is available across all devices that support the Prime Video experience and offers a capability that was previously only available to customers with high-end theater systems, specialized audio equipment, or select smart TVs.

Customers can now access Dialogue Boost on select Amazon Originals including Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Harlem, as well as movies including The Big Sick, Beautiful Boy, and Being the Ricardos. The feature will become available on additional titles this year.