ARTE is expanding its accessibility offering on its streaming platform arte.tv with the rollout of an enhanced version of MPEG-H Dialog+, a Fraunhofer IIS technology designed to improve speech intelligibility in films, dramas and live concerts.
The feature will be available to viewers in the coming days.
MPEG-H Dialog+ separates dialogue from a programme’s background audio, allowing users to switch between the original soundtrack and a dialogue-optimised version. The solution has already been in use at ARTE under the labels “Klare Sprache” in German and “Confort Audio” in French. With the latest update, Fraunhofer IIS has addressed one of the biggest challenges in dialogue enhancement: distinguishing spoken dialogue from singing.
“Music, particularly when it includes vocals, has been a stumbling block for audio technologies,” said Marc Gayer, Head of the Audio and Media Technologies’ Business Department at Fraunhofer IIS. “The new feature prevents the automatic enhancement of singing, ensuring that music quality is preserved while dialogue remains clear.”
ARTE has long worked with the German research institute on implementing MPEG-H Dialog+ across its video-on-demand service. According to the European cultural channel, the update represents a further step towards making streaming more accessible to audiences, including those with hearing impairments.
“With MPEG-H Dialog+ we can now deliver the best possible audio and video content to our viewers,” said ARTE CTO Kemal Görgülütz. “The option to select ‘Confort Audio’ allows users to choose their preferred version, improving accessibility and personalising the streaming experience.”
Other German public broadcasters, including ARD, are also deploying MPEG-H Dialog+ in their own platforms. The technology uses artificial intelligence and deep neural networks to separate dialogue from background sounds, remixing the final audio mix without requiring access to original production stems.
By adding the latest version of MPEG-H Dialog+, ARTE becomes one of the first European broadcasters to apply the refined solution in regular streaming operations.
