3.7 / 5

Video Describe

Generates audio descriptions for videos that lack them

Serious

The Problem

98% of web videos lack audio descriptions; blind users miss visual content

Current Solutions (Not Great)

Limited professional audio descriptions, YouDescribe crowdsourcing (limited coverage), missing out entirely

Who Needs This

Blind and low-vision users, their families, content accessibility teams

Most online videos lack audio descriptions—narration explaining visual elements for blind viewers. Video Describe watches any video and generates descriptions of what's happening visually: actions, scene changes, text on screen, character expressions. It inserts these descriptions during natural pauses in dialogue, making video content accessible without requiring the creator to have added descriptions. Works on YouTube, Netflix (where supported), and any web video.

Honest Take

Audio description is genuinely lacking—98% of videos don't have it—but the technical execution is brutal. You need to analyze video, generate meaningful descriptions, detect natural pauses in dialogue, and time everything perfectly without ruining the viewing experience. Netflix and others have professional describers for a reason. That said, even a rough version that works for YouTube tutorials and educational content would be valuable. The timing problem alone will eat a lot of dev time.

Monetization Ideas

Ways to turn this into revenue

Freemium

Free basic, $5-15/mo for pro

Subscription

$5-29/month or $49-199/year

Features

Key features that make this app valuable

Automatic scene analysis
Description generation during dialogue pauses
Character and action recognition
On-screen text reading
Scene change detection
Adjustable description verbosity
Works on YouTube, Netflix, web videos
User control of description timing

Build Prompt

Use this prompt with an AI assistant to start building

Build a Chrome extension called 'Video Describe' using WebInfer vision model. Target sites: YouTube, Netflix, Vimeo, general HTML5 video. Content script: find video element, attach analysis. Frame capture: periodically capture frames via Canvas drawImage() from video element. Audio analysis: Web Audio API analyzes video audio track to detect dialogue vs. silence. Scene change detection: compare frame similarity, flag major changes. During detected pauses, generate description. Use generateObject with recent frames to return { sceneDescription: string, actions: string[], characters: [{ description: string, action: string }], textOnScreen: string[], sceneChange: boolean, emotionalTone: string, importanceLevel: 'background'|'notable'|'critical' }. Queue descriptions, deliver via speechSynthesis during audio gaps. Verbosity control: 'critical only' (just essential plot info) to 'detailed' (comprehensive description). Video controls: pause if description running, rewind to hear description again. Pre-buffer: analyze slightly ahead of playback position. 'Describe now' button for manual description request. Sync with existing subtitles to avoid overlap.

Score Breakdown

Pain