“Clear speech”: AI makes sound on ARD channels more understandable in real time

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clear speech ai makes sound on ard channels more understandable.jpg
clear speech ai makes sound on ard channels more understandable.jpg

The ARD TV stations will receive a new audio track in which the language should be emphasized and made more understandable. Most have now.

With the exception of MDR, all third-party ARD television programs are now broadcast with an optimized soundtrack called “Clear Language”. The joint channels Tagesschau24, One and Alpha can also be viewed with the technically processed audio signal, the ARD announced. It was introduced in June, and MDR and other broadcasters such as Kinderkanal and Phoenix are to receive it later in the year.

In the optimized audio track, background noise and background noise as well as music are automatically reduced in real time by “a kind of artificial intelligence”. It was first introduced for Das Erste, NDR, WDR and RBB, and now the broadcast has been largely completed.

The additional offer is intended, among other things, to offer people with age-related or fundamental hearing loss “an optimized listening experience when watching television”, the ARD explained on the presentation. For this, the language is brought to the fore, everything else is lowered. There is also an alternative for those who find background noise in television programs or added music too dominant.

The soundtrack can be tested online with the RBB live stream, where you can switch between the original broadcast sound and “Clear Language” (bottom right via the symbol for subtitles). The softer music in particular becomes immediately clear.

According to ARD, the new audio track can be selected directly using the TV’s remote control in the audio menu. The signal is broadcast in the HD programs via satellite and “in part via DVB-T2 HD”. Apart from the RBB, the soundtrack is also available in several streams from other television stations, but not all. Cable and IP platform providers could also make “Clear Speech” available, and some cable operators are already doing so. Detailed instructions for access are available from ARD.

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(mho)