Amazon’s Prime Video has announced the launch of Dialogue Boost, an AI-powered software that can increase the volume of human voices on TV shows and movies relative to background music or sound effects.
In a Tuesday blog post, Amazon said the new feature creates a more comfortable and accessible viewing experience by increasing the volume of human conversations and clearing out background noise.
The tool, primarily aimed at hearing-impaired viewers, detects points within movies and series where dialogue may be hard to understand and subsequently enhances it to make it clearer.
“At Prime Video, we are committed to building an inclusive, equitable, and enjoyable streaming experience for all our customers,” said Raf Soltanovich, VP 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.”
The feature includes two different levels, Medium and High, which are available within the Audio and Subtitle drop-down menu of the playback interface.
Dialogue Boost is compatible with all devices that support the Prime Video app.
Dialogue Boost is Available on Select Titles
Dialogue Boost is currently available on select Amazon Originals, including The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Harlem, and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, as well as films such as The Big Sick and Beautiful Boy.
To access the tool, subscribers of Amazon Prime can go to the drop-down menu on the top right corner of their screen and click on the “English Dialogue Boost: Medium” or “English Dialogue Boost: High” options.
Additionally, for those with an Amazon Fire TV remote, the menu button is located to the right of the Home button.
Amazon’s new AI dialogue moderator is an industry-first innovation, taking the streaming experience to the next level while catering to more viewers than ever before.
The new functionality by Amazon comes as streaming services have burst in popularity following the pandemic-led lockdowns.
A staggering 85% of U.S. households have at least one video streaming subscription, and 60% have at least one paid music streaming subscription, a recent study shows.
Streaming Services Hit Against AI-generated Content
A number of major streaming platforms have taken down a new song believed to feature AI-generated fake vocals from Drake and The Weeknd that went viral over the weekend.
Released by an anonymous TikTok user called Ghostwriter977 and credited as Ghostwriter on steaming platforms where it racked up hundreds of thousands of streams, the track “Heart On My Sleeve” features uncannily similar voices to the two superstars.
As reported, Universal Music Group has requested major streaming services to ban AI tools from scraping melodies and lyrics from their copyrighted songs.
While many have voiced concern over the impact of AI on the creative industry, the idea that a chatbot can generate creative content that is tailored to different brand identities and styles is yet to be proven right.
As reported, media giant BuzzFeed, which has started publishing SEO-driven AI-generated articles, saw massive criticism online after readers noted that the articles had very low standards.
More specifically, almost all articles have a similar writing style and use some common phrases. They often include “now, I know what you’re thinking” ahead of a rhetorical question about that specific place. The articles also frequently use the phrase “hidden gem.”