Visually impaired viewers can hear audio descriptions of programmes on the Prima Cool channel, which is created thanks to voice synthesis. The auxiliary audio track can have children's, female and male voices.
Prima TV is cooperating on the technical solution with the Czech technology company MAMA AI. The software used generates very realistic voices in Czech and other languages. The selected dubber uploads several recordings to the database according to the script created. The AI learns from them and the result is a voice model.
The programme for which the audio description is to be created is uploaded to mVoice Studio. An expert will study the content and prepare the texts of the accompanying descriptions for the visually impaired. These may be descriptions of people, environments or expressions and gesticulations.
Synthetic voice demonstration:
"It is a basic commentary that does not require any specific emotions and diction, which could, on the contrary, disturb the soundtrack of the film or series, which is very important for a visually impaired viewer," explains Jaroslav Richtr, Head of Dubbing at Prima Group.
Only viewers who activate the auxiliary audio description function on their device can hear the generated commentary. This is usually marked with the words "audio description" or the abbreviation AD.
"We are pleased to be the first on the market to come up with this innovative voice model for audio description. With the experts at MAMA AI, we have devised a specific process that allows us to effectively bring the storyline and environment of shows to visually impaired viewers. We have been developing and refining the new solution for years, taking into account the needs and preferences of our viewers to ensure that a highly personalised and high-quality audio experience is still maintained," added Jaroslav Richtr.
Source: lupa.cz
