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Dolby Atmos is a well-liked spatial audio format that goals to boost your movie-watching, music-listening, and gaming expertise with sound results from all instructions, together with from above your head.
What started as a premium encompass sound format that solely fanatics might afford to undertake has turn into a mainstream characteristic on many soundbars, just like the Sonos Arc, and even a couple of good audio system, together with the Amazon Echo Studio. And, with assist from streaming providers like Disney Plus, Netflix, and Apple Music, the variety of Dolby Atmos motion pictures, TV exhibits, and albums grows day by day.
However, when you’ve seemingly seen the Dolby Atmos emblem present up when searching titles in your good TV or telephone, you is likely to be left questioning precisely what the format does and what gear you must make the most of it.
Here is every little thing you must learn about Dolby Atmos, together with how the format works and what services assist it.
What’s Dolby Atmos?
Dolby Atmos is a spatial encompass sound format for cinemas and residential theaters. Atmos was first launched in film theaters in 2012 with the discharge of Pixar’s “Courageous” earlier than increasing to dwelling theater merchandise and residential video titles in 2014.
The core of what makes Dolby Atmos audio distinctive rests in its use of object-based audio mixing and assist for overhead sound results.
Earlier than Dolby Atmos expertise, most soundtracks for motion pictures and TV exhibits used a course of known as “channel-based mixing.” Below this methodology, audio mixes have been designed with a hard and fast variety of channels for a hard and fast variety of audio system. As an example, in a 5.1 speaker setup, there is a channel for left, proper, heart, left encompass, proper encompass, and low-frequency audio system. Sound designers needed to place all of a film’s audio results inside these particular channels/places to create encompass sound.
Nonetheless, with Dolby Atmos, mixers are not restricted to solely designing sound inside mounted channels. As an alternative, they will now create particular person audio objects that may be freely moved round a digital mixing surroundings.
For instance, if a filmmaker desires to position a hovering helicopter right into a film’s soundtrack, they will now place and reposition that particular person sound impact wherever they’d like in a digital mixing area. Metadata then tells a Dolby Atmos system the place that particular sound is and the way it must be directionally positioned in actual time to match the placement and variety of audio system in your room.
In different phrases, audio mixes do not need to be rigidly designed for two.1, 5.1, 7.1, or different particular speaker setups. Since results exist as objects, they will merely be scaled to work inside no matter Dolby Atmos configuration you might have. So long as your gear helps decoding the format, you’ll be able to play a Dolby Atmos audio combine on a easy two-speaker stereo system. Then, should you determine to improve to a system with extra audio system down the road, that very same audio combine will seamlessly scale to your upgraded setup, inserting sound results wherever they’re alleged to go throughout your room.
Since object-based mixing frees sound designers from the confines of typical channel placement, Dolby Atmos audio may come from extra places than ever earlier than, together with above your listening space. Results like rain, hovering spaceships, and falling particles can really sound like they’re overhead.
What gear do I must play Dolby Atmos content material?
To take pleasure in Dolby Atmos audio at dwelling, you may want a sound system that helps Dolby Atmos, a supply gadget able to outputting Dolby Atmos, and entry to Dolby Atmos-encoded content material. For a standard dwelling theater setup, this implies having an audio-video (AV) receiver with Dolby Atmos processing wired to a number of audio system and linked to a wise TV, Blu-ray participant, streaming gadget, or gaming console with Atmos assist.
Alternatively, you’ll be able to go for a soundbar system or a single stand-alone speaker with built-in Atmos capabilities as a substitute of shopping for a receiver and a number of audio system. Try our guides to the greatest soundbars and greatest Dolby Atmos soundbars for our high picks.
Since Dolby Atmos is a scalable expertise, you might have many choices concerning the variety of audio system you want, making it simple to arrange an Atmos system for various price range ranges. Atmos methods are categorized utilizing a string of three numbers separated by decimal factors.
For instance, one standard Atmos configuration is named a 5.1.2 system. The primary quantity represents what number of normal ear-level audio system are included (left, proper, heart, surrounds). The second quantity signifies if the system has a subwoofer. The ultimate quantity signifies what number of top audio system are included for overhead sound.
Well-liked Atmos configurations for the house begin with easy 3.0.2 setups and transfer as much as 11.1.4 setups. The house theater model of Atmos expertise is able to as much as a 24.1.10 setup.
Listed here are a few of our suggestions for Dolby Atmos speaker and soundbar methods.
This premium wi-fi speaker options up-firing and side-firing drivers to unfold Dolby Atmos music round your room. It additionally has built-in assist for Amazon Alexa voice management.
The Bose Good Soundbar 600 options built-in assist for Amazon Alexa, in depth music streaming capabilities, and nice sound high quality with 3.0.2 Dolby Atmos assist.
Vizio’s Elevate delivers a real 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos expertise with efficiency that rivals some dwelling theater methods.
This highly effective 11.1.4 soundbar system has up-firing drivers, a devoted subwoofer, and separate rear satellite tv for pc audio system. It takes up more room than smaller choices, however delivers the most effective Dolby Atmos efficiency we’ve heard in a system like this.
What do I must get overhead Dolby Atmos audio?
You could have three major choices for having fun with the overhead advantages of Dolby Atmos audio: ceiling audio system, up-firing audio system, or digital processing.
You will get the most effective Dolby Atmos top efficiency by putting in precise in-ceiling or on-ceiling audio system in your room after which wiring them to a Dolby Atmos AV receiver. This can present probably the most real looking overhead audio for the reason that sound will genuinely originate from above your head. Sadly, putting in audio system in your ceiling could be difficult, inconvenient, and dear. Fortunately, there is a far easier resolution you’ll be able to go for with up-firing audio system.
Up-firing audio system are ear-level audio system which are angled in a particular solution to beam sound upward to bounce audio off your ceiling and again right down to your ears. This course of simulates the impact of sound coming from above. Up-firing drivers could be constructed into bookshelf audio system, floor-standing audio system, or soundbars. They will also be bought as separate modules that you may place on high of present audio system so as to add top assist.
It is necessary to notice that the effectiveness of up-firing audio system depends closely on the peak and design of your room. Dolby recommends a flat ceiling with a top between 7.5 and 12 toes. Although not as convincing as in-ceiling audio system, up-firing audio system can nonetheless present a worthwhile sense of overhead audio if applied accurately in the proper of room.
Lastly, Dolby Atmos will also be reproduced purely by means of digital processing strategies that depend on psychoacoustics. This methodology is used on some soundbars, just like the Sonos Beam, to simulate a way of top from common ear-level audio system with out up-firing drivers. Typically, that is the least efficient methodology, and we sometimes advocate choosing a system that makes use of up-firing audio system as a substitute.
Can I hearken to Dolby Atmos with headphones?
Along with audio system and soundbars, Dolby Atmos audio playback can also be supported by means of headphones.
Although some headphones are marketed as being designed with Atmos and different spatial audio codecs in thoughts, any pair of headphones can play Atmos audio so long as they’re linked to a suitable Atmos gadget enjoying an Atmos title. Nonetheless, some units, like Xbox consoles, require you to buy a license with a purpose to unlock Dolby Atmos output to headphones.
With the intention to create an immersive encompass sound impact by means of headphones when listening to Atmos content material, Dolby makes use of 360-degree binaural audio strategies knowledgeable by Dolby Atmos metadata.
The place can I discover Dolby Atmos motion pictures and TV exhibits?
As soon as you’ve got acquired Atmos-capable audio gear, you may want to seek out motion pictures and TV exhibits with Atmos audio mixes. Fortunately, that should not be too tough since Dolby Atmos content material is available on Blu-ray discs and streaming apps. Most of the greatest streaming providers like Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV Plus, Paramount Plus, and Max all supply a rising choice of titles with Atmos. Nonetheless, assist is usually restricted to sure plans.
Dolby Atmos playback from these providers is on the market by way of apps on good TVs and media gamers from varied producers, together with most of the fashions we advocate in our guides to the greatest TVs and greatest streaming units. With that stated, particular app assist for Atmos can range from gadget to gadget.
As an example, Paramount Plus helps Atmos playback by means of its app on many Roku units, nevertheless it doesn’t assist Atmos playback by means of its app on LG good TVs. You need to test every service’s webpage to see which gadget apps assist Atmos playback.
It is also necessary to notice that the model of Dolby Atmos used on streaming providers isn’t lossless. This implies the audio high quality has been compressed to create a smaller file appropriate for streaming. To take pleasure in lossless Dolby Atmos soundtracks with the easiest audio high quality, you may want to look at Dolby Atmos motion pictures on Blu-ray or 4K Blu-ray discs. Studios like Disney, Warner Brothers, twentieth Century Fox, Lionsgate, and Sony all assist Dolby Atmos on Blu-ray. Try our information to the greatest 4K Blu-ray gamers for our high suggestions.
The place can I discover Dolby Atmos music?
Some artists are actually mixing their music utilizing Dolby Atmos expertise, and a few older albums have been remixed utilizing the format.
Three of our picks for the greatest music streaming providers at present supply choose songs with Dolby Atmos. These providers embrace Amazon Music Limitless, Apple Music, and Tidal.
When searching by means of albums and artists on every service, you may see a Dolby Atmos emblem subsequent to songs that assist the format. Nonetheless, Atmos assist from these apps is commonly restricted to sure units, so test every service’s web site to see in case your gadget is suitable.
Do video video games assist Dolby Atmos?
Sure, a number of standard video video games now supply assist for Dolby Atmos audio. The Xbox Sequence X, Xbox Sequence S, Xbox One X, Xbox One S, and Home windows 10/11 PCs are all able to supporting video games with Dolby Atmos by means of suitable speaker methods, soundbars, and headphones.
The PS5 may assist Atmos gaming by means of suitable speaker methods and soundbars, however the PlayStation 5 doesn’t at present assist Atmos gaming by means of headphones.
What’s DTS:X?
Although Dolby Atmos dominates the immersive audio market, rival audio model DTS has a competing format with related object-based mixing expertise and overhead audio assist. This format is named DTS:X.
For all intents and functions, DTS:X performs precisely like Dolby Atmos. The usual model of the format is scalable to a wide range of speaker setups with assist for as much as 11.1 discrete audio system, and there is a DTS:X Professional model that may scale to as much as 30.2 discrete audio system. Overhead audio can also be supported with DTS:X by means of in-ceiling or up-firing audio system.
DTS:X assist is discovered on many AV receivers that assist Dolby Atmos. Choose soundbars additionally assist the format, however Dolby Atmos is extra frequent. Likewise, Atmos content material is much extra prevalent than DTS:X, particularly on streaming providers.
Sony’s Bravia Core service that is unique to Sony TVs, is the one notable streaming platform that at present helps DTS:X. Nonetheless, at CES 2024, Disney Plus introduced plans to convey a model of DTS:X to a few of its streaming titles within the close to future.
DTS:X assist is extra widespread on Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray discs, however nonetheless not as frequent as Dolby Atmos. Studios like Common, Paramount, Lionsgate, and Warner Brothers supply DTS:X tracks on choose discs.
