Amazon's new Dialogue Boost will finally let you understand movie dialogue

Audio mixing is not an exact science as even major movie studios can (sometimes purposely) get things wrong. To help out, Amazon is currently rolling out a new Prime Video feature called Dialogue Boost to specifically increase “the volume of [spoken] dialogue relative to background [noise]”. 

You may initially think this is mainly for people who are hard of hearing, but not really. It’s also meant for all the people who have watched a movie only to experience weird audio mixing where you can barely understand what the characters are saying. In a recent post, Amazon states it sought to create “a more comfortable and accessible viewing experience [that suits people’s] personal listening preferences” instead of a “general amplification” of sound.

The way it works, according to the announcement, is the feature uses AI to analyze “the original audio in a movie or series” and finds parts where the dialogue “may be hard to hear above background music and effects.” From there, Dialogue Boost isolates that audio to then enhance it so characters sound much more clearer. 

Availability

Amazon states Dialogue Booster will be available on all versions of its streaming service – from mobile apps to smart TVs without needing special equipment. All you need is an Amazon Prime subscription. You can choose the level of volume you’d like to hear by selecting the Audio and Subtitles menu in a movie and then choosing either English Dialogue Boost: Medium or English Dialogue Boost: High. 

Not everything on Prime Video will support the new feature as only a select few Amazon Originals in English in the United States will have it like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. There are, however, plans to expand the availability of Dialogue Booster to other titles later this year. We asked a company representative if there are plans to support other languages. Unfortunately, Amazon is playing its cards close to its chest as the representative didn’t tell us much other than that they’ll keep us updated. 

It’s worth pointing out Amazon has been focusing on improving sound output in recent months. Back in February, the tech giant launched a rather interesting update giving Fire TV devices the ability to stream audio directly into hearing implants, something not available on other smart TV lines. Hopefully, Amazon does continue working on enhancing the sound quality in movies, or, at the very least, undo annoying movie gimmicks. Maybe one day we’ll see an Image Booster to make films less dark.

If you’re looking for something to watch, don’t forget to check out TechRadar’s list of the 33 best Prime Video shows (and movies) for April 2023.  

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