With increased audience complaints following the transition of TV sound from the analogue era to the cinematic-style wide dynamic range digital multichannel broadcast, the AES Technical Committee for Broadcast and Online Delivery has published Technical Document (TD1009), Improving Dialogue Intelligibility in Media, which diagnoses the intelligibility problem and presents solutions.
‘Dialogue intelligibility affects today’s audiences,’ says Jim Starzynski, NBC Universal Director and Principal Audio Engineer and Chair of the working group. ‘Increased reliance on captions has become apparent and indicates a problem. This study reveals why audiences can struggle to understand their favorite shows and offers in-depth solutions.’
Sound for picture delivered through broadcast and streaming is the primary focus of TD1009. Solutions also apply to audio-only media. Important findings include detailing the Dialogue Intelligibility Ecosystem – dialogue’s journey from acquisition to the ear of the consumer and the application of how humans understand and interpret dialogue. Solutions presented include fostering a culture of dialogue intelligibility in the post-production process; addressing the limitations of TV sets, set-top boxes and audio/video receivers; and identifying what can go wrong in distribution.
Production insiders and subject matter experts have collaborated for more than two years in the development of TD1009 to guide creative professionals, content distributors, device manufacturers and consumer enthusiasts. The guide was created under the leadership of the AES Technical Committee for Broadcast and Online Delivery (TC-BOD), an international group that addresses audio quality chaired by David Bialik, Kimio Hamasaki, Matthieu Parmentier and Jim Starzynski.
The publication of TD1009 follows its initial public presentation at the AES Show 2025 – Long Beach Convention, during the Improving Dialogue Intelligibility in Media: A Report from the AES Broadcast and Online Delivery Technical Committee session. ‘With AES TD1009 now publicly released, we encourage broadcasters, streaming platforms, content creators and audio engineers worldwide to explore and apply its recommendations to enhance speech clarity and overall listener experience,’ says Rafael Kassier, who co-chairs the AES Technical Council with Lesley Fogle.