Dolby Atmos coming soon for home use

[BaerGriggs]

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=244027

A few pages of discussion on this already if you follow that link.

[PowellPressburger]

My home theatre is all new as of last summer. However I am very interested in ATMOS but I'd hate to have to buy a whole new audio receiver to enjoy it. Buying a few extra speakers doesn't bother me as much. I could always sell my current receiver since it is so new. I guess I will be waiting to hear the outcome. It also depends on the film titles being offered.

[pentatonic]

I think most don't get Atmos and the notion of object based sound. In a nutshell, how many speakers you use is not really important. Object based means the processor knows where to place a specific object based sound in your individual soundfield.

If that bird chip needs to be let's say at a certain coordinate (3' left, 2' deep, 6' feet high from the left of the pic) then the processor will calculate the best combination of speakers used to place it there, like when you listen to a stereo track of music but you still hear the voice in the middle and instruments panning the whole soundstage. Some do height and depth very well, 3D sound out of 2 speakers.

Well apply the same concepts, but instead of defining which speaker plays which track of a pre-mixed 3D sound, they actually place the objects (individual sounds) at their exact coordinates for your personal environment. Obviously the more speakers the easier it is to be precise, but they can achieve a very similar result with less speakers, since the processor just determines how to place that object using the parameters it has.

There will never be a point when 64 speakers are needed for home unless your HT is 200'X100'x50'. 11 or 13 speakers would be more than adept at home Atmos. Remember stereo. Fully scalable, and if you own your house, in ceiling speakers really don't look bad at all, they can be barely noticeable.

And if somehow 5.1 is all you can deal with, it will still work with minimum additions. Or you can skip it, it won't make lossless go away.

[pentatonic]

To the Mods!

How come the merged threads ended up it the BD movies sections. This being new tech not yet available on BD, shouldn't it in the BD tech section in upcoming tech news??

[SlmShdy1]

It was also being discussed in the Audio Theory Board, which is a more proper place for it. Looks like it got moved.

[HDTV1080P]

Dolby ATMOS soundtracks launched in local cinemas in 2012, and now in late 2014 new consumer A/V receivers are scheduled to ship with the Dolby ATMOS feature. Some new lossless Blu-ray movie soundtracks (and some streaming lossy soundtracks) will be using the new Dolby ATMOS audio format. It looks like all existing Blu-ray players that offer the bitstream feature will most likely be able to send Dolby ATMOS to a new A/V receiver that is able to decode Dolby ATMOS soundtracks. Therefore, consumers most of the time will only need to upgrade their A/V receiver and add additional speakers to hear Dolby ATMOS soundtracks. However, the good news is that some A/V receiver manufactories have suggested that certain high-end A/V receivers can be upgraded to Dolby ATMOS with a firmware update.

The following are select word for word quotes from the Twice article

“With Dolby Atmos, launched in cinemas in 2012, consumers will be able to hear torrential rain falling from above them, and in the movie “Godzilla,” theater-goers hear the monster roar from above, Crockett said.”

“San Francisco — Dolby Atmos surround sound will begin appearing on Blu-ray discs and streaming services this fall, with more titles to come in 2015.”

“Onkyo and Pioneer have announced plans for Atmos-decoding A/V receivers and Atmos-enabled speakers.”

Dolby Atmos Blu-ray Discs Due This Year

[Villiam Hayes]

There's already a few threads about this.

[HDTV1080P]

On Wednesday Pioneer will unveil its new A/V receivers that support Dolby ATMOS. By the end of the year Pioneer will issue a firmware update to enable the Dolby ATMOS feature in its new Elite series of A/V receivers.

The following are select word for word quotes from the Twice article

“Long Beach, Calif. —Pioneer plans Wednesday to unveil its first A/V receivers that support Dolby Atmos surround decoding and its first speakers that meet Dolby’s specifications for delivering an Atmos surround field.”

“The Elite-series receivers will be Dolby Atmos upgradable via a firmware update due by the end of the year, the company said.”

Pioneer Readies Dolby Atmos AVRs, Speakers

[HDTV1080P]

quote

“D+M Group plans to launch Denon and Marantz audio components equipped with Dolby Atmos surround decoding, joining Onkyo and Pioneer.”

Denon, Marantz Readying Dolby Atmos Audio Components

[Brian81]

Originally Posted by blujacket

I'm in also. Glad I waited to upgrade my receiver. I almost got a new Marantz

Same here.

Have a HDMI 1.3 receiver, was planning for a prepro with 1.4 but the only one with the feature set I liked was the Onkyo but it had massive HDMI board failures. Decided to wait for HDMI 2.0 and during the wait this comes up. I can wait. Since my receiver doesn't handle 3D, I end up using a direct connection (thank you dual HDMI Oppo).

[sega3dmm]

This could be dangerous news, or we might be surprised.

An upgrade to Diet Atmos (which is what I will refer the home version of Atmos to for the remaining of this post) would hardly have a significant upgrade to a decent 7.1 system. It just adds 2-4 speakers. Not too far off from DTS Neo:X, which you can get today. And I don't buy into this Atmos-certified speakers or equipment baloney, reminds me of, I don't know, a three-letter brand that ends with a cross and begins with another kind of "cross?"

If Dolby wanted to do Atmos "right," I'd suggest an Atmos pre-amp that a Blu-ray player can bitstream to so it can render the Atmos track, which is bit-for-bit identical to the master used for the cinema. It outputs to an Atmos-enabled amp for with 3 to 5 front speakers, and up to 4 speakers for each wall (left, back, right) and 4 speakers for the ceiling. Basically, the same thing in the theaters, but streamlined, and it would've been designed for high-end home theaters.

Atmos doesn't even have the best of quality control in the cinema. I can assure you as the AMC theater in Tyson's Corner sounds like an excess of steroids, and the Regal plex in Kingstowne Town Center actually sounds incredible. Every Diet Atmos house would still be completely different from one another, each limited to their owner's knowledge and budget. Until I hear a good Diet Atmos setup, then I may consider investing in one. But for now, I am pleased within the confines of my 7.1 setup.

[FilmFreakosaurus]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

My home theatre is all new as of last summer. However I am very interested in ATMOS but I'd hate to have to buy a whole new audio receiver to enjoy it. Buying a few extra speakers doesn't bother me as much. I could always sell my current receiver since it is so new. I guess I will be waiting to hear the outcome. It also depends on the film titles being offered.

Since it's so new, I'd sell it.

I would imagine "Gravity" will be one of the very first Atmos Blu-ray titles along with "Frozen" in 3D, for very obvious reasons ("Gravity's" audio was purposefully gimped to 5.1, and "Frozen" 3D was surreptitiously dumped from its original release). "Godzilla" and a few of the upcoming summer movies that were mixed for theatrical Atmos would also be my guess.

[Mr.Twinks]

Maybe Edge of Tomorrow as well.

[Poya]

Is it possible for a receiver to have both DTS-UHD and Atmos capabilities in case certain BDs might favor one format over the other?

[Mr.Twinks]

Originally Posted by Poya

Is it possible for a receiver to have both DTS-UHD and Atmos capabilities in case certain BDs might favor one format over the other?

I wonder if DTS is waiting for CEDIA or wait to see how this pans out? What about Auro3D sound as well?

I also think the AVR manufacturers should have modern day chipsets in them so we can upgrade them for a number of years. Modern day separates that are equal to a PC. Nah, just make everyone buy AVR's like cell phones./ sarcasm.

[PowellPressburger]

Could you imagine if we finally got Speed Racer with uncompressed audio and WB went a step further and did 7.1 w. Dolby Atmos. Just saying I know it bombed theatrically but this movie for sure sold on DVD and BLU.

If they were going to upgrade it it could be a decent selling point.

[Poya]

They said that 7.1.4 is the gold standard, yet there's mention of 9.1.2, which technically, should be superior. What's up with that?

And even more, why not go 11.4.4? It should be possible, right?

[slimdude]

If people do decide to upgrade their sound system to Dolby Atmos, 100% of their blu-ray collection is in 5.1, or 7.1 anyway, so they might as well keep the sound system they already have.

[Poya]

Originally Posted by slimdude

If people do decide to upgrade their sound system to Dolby Atmos, 100% of their blu-ray collection is in 5.1, or 7.1 anyway, so they might as well keep the sound system they already have.

This isn't about now. It's about the future.

[slimdude]

Originally Posted by Poya

This isn't about now. It's about the future.

Still the majority of the current, and future theatrical movies are going to be in 5.1, and just a handful of releases will be in Dolby Atmos, (the way it is now). Dolby Atmos is featured only in selected theaters across the country, so how could Dolby Atmos be successful in the home theater market, when approximately 75% of the general population worldwide has never heard it, or don't know anything about Dolby Atmos? Certain people who have heard Dolby Atmos, have stated, they were not that impress with it.