What is Audio Description
Audio description is an additional audio track where a voice describes what can be seen on the screen. It runs parallel to the original audio and fills the pauses between dialogues. In German-speaking countries, the term “Hörfilm” (audio-described film) is also commonly used for this.
This audio track is offered for blind and visually impaired viewers. It can be switched on and off on the television. If you unexpectedly hear a descriptive voice over your movie, you have usually activated it by mistake.
What is Audio Description
A movie or series tells its story through both picture and sound. If the picture is missing, information is lost that no dialogue can replace—for example, who enters the room, where the scene takes place, or what facial expressions and gestures are being made. Audio description fills exactly this gap. It translates the visual into spoken language, making the plot understandable without the picture.
An Additional Audio Track Alongside the Original
The description does not replace the film’s audio; it supplements it. On the audio track with audio description, the complete original audio continues to play. A narrator’s voice is added during the pauses between dialogues. Music and sound effects remain because they are part of the narrative itself.
The older German term (which many may still recognize) for this is “Hörfilm.” It dates back to a time when these versions were produced exclusively for feature films, but it has persisted as a collective term to this day. Additionally, device menus may use terms like audio description, visual description, or the abbreviation AD.
What is Described
Everything necessary for understanding the plot is described. This includes settings and changes of location, who is currently on screen, facial expressions and gestures, as well as actions that take place without words. The opening credits, closing credits, and displayed text are also read aloud, as they would otherwise be lost.
How Audio Description is Created
There is more work behind an audio track than just recording text. The film is reviewed scene by scene. The descriptions must fit into the existing gaps and must not overlap the dialogue. Teamwork is common, with blind and sighted authors often working together on the script.
Script and Dialogue Gaps
First, it is determined where there is actually space. The pauses between dialogues are often only seconds long. In dense scenes, they are missing entirely. The text must fit into these gaps without feeling rushed, which is why every phrasing is checked for its length.
The involvement of blind authors is crucial here. They check whether a description is understandable without the picture. This is difficult for a sighted person to judge.
Rules
For the German-speaking region, ARD, ZDF, ORF, and SRF, together with the German Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted and several production houses, have agreed on common principles. A core principle is that audio description does not explain, evaluate, or interpret. It describes what is to be seen. A character is therefore not described as angry; instead, what happens on screen is described, such as clenched fists or an abrupt departure.
Four questions serve as a guide: Who, where, what, and when. They are answered in every situation that is important for the plot. Perspective also remains excluded; phrases like “We see” or “The camera pans” do not occur.
It also applies that the description does not anticipate the plot. Someone who is only recognizable later in the picture (e.g., as the perpetrator) must not be named earlier in the audio track. The descriptions are placed in the dialogue pauses but should be as simultaneous as possible with the action. Linguistically, short sentences are the rule, and the tone depends on the genre.
Another regulation concerns the film audio itself. Sound effects relevant to the plot must not be talked over, and the film music must remain audible as a creative element. The fact that these requirements have become a discipline in their own right is shown by the German Audio Film Prize (Deutscher Hörfilmpreis), which is awarded annually for successful versions.
Recording and Sound Mixing
Once the script is finished, it is recorded in the studio. The style of speaking depends on the genre. A crime thriller, for example, sounds different from a documentary. The description is then merged with the original audio so that both are in a balanced relationship. During this process, the film audio is lowered under the narrator’s voice and then raised again. In technical terms, this value is called the Dip Value, measured in decibels. How much it is lowered depends on the scene. Loud passages with music or action need more reduction than a quiet scene with a soft atmosphere.
How the Audio Track Reaches the TV
For the description to reach the viewer, it must be broadcast parallel to the normal audio. In digital television, this happens via a second audio channel, which, however, not every program has.
A Second Audio Channel in the Broadcast Signal
There are two audio tracks side by side in the broadcast signal. The usual film audio runs on the first, and the mix of film audio and visual description runs on the second. The television plays the first by default; the second can be selected in the menu.
The same logic applies to cable, satellite, and antenna. In the media libraries of the broadcasters and on streaming services, it works a bit differently. There, the version with audio description is usually offered as a separate audio track in the playback window.
The availability is usually recognizable in advance. In the program guide and in the media libraries, corresponding programs carry a note, often the abbreviation AD or the addition “Hörfilm.” If the note is missing, there is no second audio track for that program.
Where Audio Description is Available
In German-speaking television, the service is primarily provided by public broadcasters, including ARD and ZDF as well as ORF and SRF. The volume is growing but by no means covers every program. Feature films, series, and documentaries are more frequently covered than live formats.
Beyond television, audio description is also available in cinemas, theaters, and for individual sports broadcasts. In the theater, it is spoken live because a performance does not repeat to the second. In soccer matches, specially trained reporters describe the action in much more detail than a conventional report, down to choreographies in the stands and displays on the scoreboard.
Turning Audio Description On and Off
The audio track is not a permanent part of the program but a setting on the device. If you want to use it, you must actively turn it on.
Via the Button on the Remote Control
Many remote controls have a button for the audio track. It carries labels such as Audio, Sound, AD, or AD and SUBT in combination, sometimes just a symbol. Pressing it once opens the selection of available audio tracks, where you can switch between the original audio and the version with visual description.
The selection often shows several entries, such as the original language, a second language version, and the version with visual description. Many devices briefly display which one is currently running. If you have made a mistake, press the button again and switch back.
Via the Television Menu
If the button is missing, the way to go is through the TV settings. The relevant section is usually called Accessibility or, on some devices, Audio, Audio Language, or Sound. There you will find a switch for Audio Description or Sound for the Visually Impaired, which can be permanently set to “Off.”
This setting applies to all channels. If the description only runs on individual programs, it is active here and only becomes audible where the broadcaster actually offers the second audio track.
In Media Libraries and on Streaming Services
Apps come with their own settings, which are independent of those of the television. Usually, the selection is located directly in the running video behind the symbol for sound or subtitles. In the app settings, it appears under Accessibility.
Subtitles, Clear Speech, and Audio Description
Broadcasters offer several accessible additional services that can easily be confused. These can often be switched on in the same menu area, although they pursue different purposes and are aimed at different target groups. Two of them work with their own audio track, one with text on the screen.
| Service | Output | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Subtitles | Spoken words and important sounds as text | On-screen display |
| Clear Speech | Dialogues highlighted, background lowered | Separate audio track |
| Audio Description | Description of visual action in dialogue pauses | Separate audio track |
Subtitles work with text, Clear Speech changes the mix of the existing audio. Audio description adds spoken descriptions.
Common Confusion
Many televisions can also read their own menus aloud. This function is often called Voice Guidance or Screen Reader and belongs to the device, not the program. It announces which menu item is currently selected. It does not describe film content.
If you turn off the screen reader function and still hear a voice describing the picture, you have hit the wrong switch. In that case, the audio description is still active and must be turned off separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Audio description is an additional audio track for movies, series, and other programs. On it, a narrator’s voice describes what is happening on screen during the pauses between dialogues. The original audio continues to play in full. Depending on the model, you can find the function in the device menu under Audio Description, Visual Description, or simply AD.
This means the second audio track is selected on the television. This often happens through an accidental button press on the remote control. The setting can also change after a channel scan, a reset, or a software update. It can be turned off via the audio track button or in the menu under Accessibility.
No, these are two separate functions. The screen reader function belongs to the device and reads the menus aloud, such as the currently selected setting. Audio description comes from the broadcaster and describes the content of the program. If you turn off one, you will still hear the other.
The service is predominantly provided by public broadcasters. However, it is not comprehensive; the extent varies from channel to channel and from program to program. Whether a specific program has an audio-described version is usually stated in the program guide or in the media library for the respective entry.
Yes, but it is transmitted differently than on television. In the cinema, the description does not run through the theater speakers, but through headphones on your own smartphone, which synchronizes with the film audio. In the theater, it is usually spoken live and transmitted via radio to receivers in the auditorium.