The majority of streaming services offer closed captioning and subtitles to help anyone hard of hearing. But increasingly, even those with no hearing impairment can struggle to make out what actors are saying on TV shows and movies. Amazon is well aware of the problem and is now offering an alternative solution for Prime Video subscribers.
Dialogue Boost enhances the volume of speech compared to other background music and effects. It is, of course, designed for people with hearing loss but it’s also a useful tool for anyone who enables subtitles because of the seeming rise of indistinct speech in modern shows.
The feature uses AI to analyse dialogue and identifies where speech is hard to hear over other sound effects. It then amplifies it to make it clearer.
The new feature is available on all devices that support Prime Video, including PC, mobile, TV, streaming sticks and more. However, it is currently available for only a selection of Amazon Prime originals. These include The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Harlem, The Big Sick, Being the Ricardos, and Beautiful Boy.
It will be rolled out to a wider selection of content in the future. Right now, Dialogue Boost is not available on anything that you rent or buy on Amazon, so you’ll need to be a Prime subscriber to take advantage of it – and watch the shows listed above. New members can get a 30-day free trial of Prime.
How to enable Dialogue Boost on Amazon Prime Video
- Time to complete: 2 minutes
- Tools required: Amazon Prime Video account, device for watching Prime Video
Choose a title that includes Dialogue Boost
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Click ‘Watch now’ – the settings are available when playback starts
Click on the speech bubble on the right hand side
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The icon includes text that says ‘Subtitles and Audio’ when you hover over it
Select your level of Dialogue Boost in the Audio section
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Amazon offers three levels of Dialogue Boost: low, medium and high. Once you select your option, the video automatically adjusts
Is Dialogue Boost available on other services like Netflix, Disney+ or HBO Max?
At the time of writing, Amazon is the first streaming platform to offer this feature. The way to know what is being said on other services is still to switch on closed captioning and subtitles.
Other ways to boost dialogue on your TV
There are other things you can do to boost dialogue, providing you have the right hardware.
If you have a Roku TV, a Roku Streambar or a Roku audio device, then you can use the speech clarity feature – this isn’t available on Roku streaming sticks. Here is how to access it:
- Press the Star button on your Roku remote
- Select ‘Sound Settings’
- Select either ‘low’ or ‘high’ under the Speech Clarity section
Certain hardware also offers dialogue enhancing for audio. Soundbars are the most common example, but some TVs from the likes of LG and Samsung also offer this feature on the built-in speakers, so check in your settings.
If you’re in the market for some new home entertainment equipment, check out our lists of the best TVs and soundbars.
Author: Hannah Cowton, Senior Staff Writer
Hannah Cowton is a Senior Staff Writer at Tech Advisor and Macworld, working across entertainment, consumer technology and lifestyle. Her interests and specialities lie in streaming services, film and television reviews and rumours, gaming, wearables and smart home products. She's also the creator of The London Geek, a geek culture and lifestyle blog.