Can’t hear a movie without subtitles? Your ears might not be at fault

Having subtitles on when watching TV is more crucial than one might think.

If you ever find yourself missing what a certain character said during a movie or TV show, or can relate to many memes about not being able to follow on-screen conversations without subtitles, you’re not alone.

Subtitles are not only for the hearing-impaired

A survey by Preply, an online language learning marketplace, revealed that more people, especially younger generations, are keen on using subtitles.

The company questioned 1,200 Americans to find out their subtitle use habits.

The survey revealed that half of the respondents watch shows and movies with subtitles most of the time, and more than half also stated that it’s harder to follow dialogues in movies than it used to be.

The questionnaire’s findings also show that Gen Z (people born between 1997 and 2012) use subtitles more often than Millennials or Gen X.

Considering that subtitles were first introduced to help more people understand movies in foreign languages and aid those with hearing problems, what could be other reasons why people are increasingly using them?

One of the reasons for having subtitles on is “muddled audio”. 78% of participants revealed that it's hard to hear dialogues because of the background noise in the movies and TV shows. Among other factors that make it harder to understand characters are darker visuals and characters talking faster than they used to, or because they have an accent.

Nevertheless, not all reasons are related to technical difficulties.

Some respondents also shared that they have subtitles on so as not to disturb those around them, or use it to keep them focused on what’s going on on the screen.

Some participants also use subtitles as a learning tool that helps them better understand the content they’re watching.

Companies are trying to resolve the issue

Companies like Netflix and Sonos are actively trying to address the problem that persists in many households.

Netflix, for instance, has created a speech intelligibility measurement system that helps the company understand how hard it is for its users to understand the dialogues during a movie or a TV show, reports Lowpass.

The Netflix system works in a way that distinguishes background sounds from speech to understand how disruptive this background noise is.

Later, the company collaborated with the Fraunhofer Institute and Nugen Audio to find a solution, also known as the Dialogue Intelligibility Meter, that would help to measure dialogue intelligibility.

The companies also worked on another tool, DialogCheck, which aids audio engineers in understanding how a mix would sound to someone hearing it for the first time, shared Nugen Audio.

While Netflix found a way to ensure better audio quality throughout the creation process, there are loads of movies and TV shows already out on other streaming platforms, as well as a number of videos on YouTube, with which people are facing the same problem.

Sonos, the audio technology company that received attention last year for its botched app, found a way to tackle the issue by creating a machine-learning-based speech enhancement solution.

Powered by this speech enhancement feature, the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar is able to identify a dialogue in an audio mix and know how to adjust itself, allowing users to hear it better.

While the system is still a work in progress, users have already approved it, stating that it helps them hear content better.