What does Audio description mean?
Audio description provides narration of important visual information, such as actions, scene changes and meaningful on-screen text. It supports understanding of content that ordinary dialogue or sound alone may not explain.
Why it matters
It is distinct from a screen reader announcing interface controls and from subtitles translating speech. A programme may offer a descriptive track in one language but not another, and a player preference can select it only when available. Track labels such as AD are useful clues, but actual coverage and selection need to be established for the title and viewing path.
A practical example
If narration begins unexpectedly between lines of dialogue, inspect the selected audio track and accessibility preferences. On a shared screen, explain any change rather than disabling a feature another viewer relies on. Report a missing or silent descriptive option with the title, language and time.
Continue reading
Related terminology: Audio clipping, Audio downmix.
For practical setup and troubleshooting, browse the journal or support guides.