Dolby Atmos can be replayed on a traditional surround system or even with a pair of headphones thanks to technologies like Dolby Virtual:X and Dolby Headphones. The first option is the direct.While the biggest change in the cinema was the addition of height channels, Atmos soundtracks can work with many different systems, no height speakers required. Dolby Digital for sound quality, your decision is whether you need uncompressed or compressed audio. While this format, also known as "immersive,"was originally designed for movie theaters, it is now used as a new way to remix and listen to music from the likes of The Beatles and Ariana Grande.When evaluating PCM vs. For casual listeners, it may be much better to go for Dolby Atmos since it is the cheaper option.Dolby Atmos is a popular surround-sound format, a competitor to DTS:X, and it's found in everything from the biggest commercial cinemas to home theater systems - and now on mobile phones. What not many people realize is that this particular branch of the technology has been with us for quite a few years, where it has been, and still is, known as Dolby Atmos.Almost similar sound to Dolby Atmos: Although DTS can theoretically encode audio at a higher rate than Dolby Atmos for better sound quality, some listeners are unable to distinguish any differences between the two.All the low frequency booms and thumps go to the ".1" subwoofer channel. Some more complex systems add "surround back" channels. Ceiling speakers are great, but many companies sell upward-firing speakers that will come close in performance without the need for speaker mounting or installation.The $450 Vizio M512a-H6 is an upcoming Dolby Atmos soundbar.To understand what makes Atmos different from, say, its direct predecessor Dolby Digital, let's first take a look at how sound is mixed for movies and TV shows.Everything you hear in a movie, from the music to the voices to the sound effects, all gets mixed into specific "channels." For simplicity's sake, we'll say these channels are, as you look at them in a room, left front (L), center (C), right front (R), right surround (RS) and left surround (LS). The best sound will be with a multispeaker setup, but even soundbars with Atmos (like the Vizio SB36512) offer a much "bigger" and more enveloping soundstage than stereo bars. Height channels can create a more immersive sound.When the music swells during a dramatic moment, that's usually in the front left and right channels. So a sound would come from the left "wall" not a specific speaker on that wall.So if two actors are speaking onscreen, that gets mixed to the center channel. Lots of speakers, but only a few "channels" to direct the sound to.
![]() ![]() Dolby Atmos Vs Dolby Audio Code Audio AtThe mixing is different, as we've discussed, but so is the decoding. Not "left surround speaker" but "left rear corner." Not "pan from left surround speaker to right sound speaker" but "pan smoothly across the rear wall." Not only does this give greater flexibility, but it improves the experience in the theater and, potentially, at home.With Atmos (on the right), sound designers can pinpoint exactly where in any Atmos theater they want a sound to "appear." This could be just about any place in the room, including overhead.Atmos is an end-to-end change in theater and home audio. Instead, most sounds are treated as "objects." Instead of assigning a sound to a channel (and by extension, a speaker), Atmos lets filmmakers assign a sound to a place. Where your speakers are, how powerful they are, and increasingly, how much range each has, varies greatly compared with a decent movie theater.Atmos, for the most part, doesn't use channels. After all, if you have a 5.1 speaker system, you have all those same speakers.Except… you don't. To an extent, this same mix of channels also translates to the home. A smoother experience for everyone. With Atmos those speakers can be individually addressable and a sound designer can pinpoint the exact location in a theater where they want to place a sound. Most theaters have many speakers along the walls to ensure everyone gets the same-ish experience. These speakers bounce sound off the ceiling to mimic "real" height speakers. In the case of a standard tower or bookshelf speaker you can fit a speaker model on top that has a separate, upward-firing driver. That's fine because there are a growing number of speakers and soundbars that either feature built-in height channels or fit on top of existing models. It will just play a Dolby Digital or Dolby Digital Plus track.But if you want height channels, more channels or other benefits of Atmos, then you'll need a receiver or soundbar that can decode it and a source that provides it. Even if you get a brand-new 4K streamer to connect to your older receiver, the audio will still work if it doesn't have Atmos. If you're not interested in Atmos, your gear will still work. But Dolby Digital is still the default for everything, so this isn't a required upgrade. Just add a Dolby Atmos receiver.So, yes, if you want to take advantage of true Atmos surround you'll need new hardware. Not as well as real height speakers, of course, but it works and is a far simpler option if you aren't interested in installing speakers in or near the ceiling.The Focal Sib Evo is an Atmos-ready speaker set. Eve online alpha clone guideYep, 34 speakers if you want. So how many could you have if you really wanted to go wild? Oh, 24… plus 10 height speakers. At the bottom, you see a soundbar designed to do the same.Atmos also lets you have a greater number of possible speakers. These are tuned so the bounced audio sounds correct to your ears. Each is a traditional speaker but also has separate drivers that shoot sound to bounce off the ceiling. At the top, you see a setup with specially designed upward-firing speakers. If you see "a 7.2.4 home theater" you can deduce that it's probably got three speakers up front, two on the sides, two in back, two subwoofers and four height speakers.In addition to the gear, you'll also need Atmos content. If you then added two Atmos height speakers, Dolby would describe this system as a 5.1.2 system. Traditionally a 5.1 system has three speakers up front, two on the sides or in back and a single subwoofer. Good luck with that.For Atmos, Dolby uses a slightly different twist on the nomenclature of home systems. But if you've got a bunch of spare speakers and amps laying around and a room that can fit them, go for it.On the left, a well-installed Atmos home theater system with four in-ceiling height speakers. ![]() If you buy a movie that features Atmos it will also have an audio track your current gear can play, minus the height channels.Is it worth upgrading all your gear to take full advantage of Atmos? No. Just keep in mind there won't be compatibility issues. It might be available with Atmos on the 4K Blu-ray, but not on Amazon, for example. Updated with information about Atmos Music and Apple's spatial audio.Got a question for Geoff? First, check out all the other articles he's written on topics like why you shouldn't buy expensive HDMI cables, TV resolutions explained, how HDR works and more.Still have a question? Tweet at him then check out his travel photography on Instagram. For example, most of our favorite receivers already work with Atmos, as do several of our favorite soundbars.Originally published two years ago. When you're ready to upgrade anyway, chances are the gear you're considering will have Atmos.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorHeidi ArchivesCategories |