Dolby Atmos is one of the most popular surround sound technologies on the market. Many devices and services offer support, but do you really know how it works, all its advantages, and the minimum requirements to enjoy it? If not, we'll explain everything.
What is Dolby Atmos?
Dolby Atmos is an object-based surround sound technology that Dolby introduced in 2012 alongside Pixar's Brave movie and was initially only available in Dolby Theater.
Over time, this technology spread and the idea of ​​surround sound became more popular and accessible. So much so that it was no longer something exclusive to theaters but was also designed to enjoy the best sound experience at home.
Before we continue, it's important to clarify that this isn't the only system aiming for such spectacular surround sound. Its main rival is DTS-X technology , which has also advanced considerably over the years. But for now, we'll focus on Dolby's offering.
Dolby Atmos proposes a surround sound experience. That means that the idea is that you feel how the sound arrives from practically any point of the room or room in which you find yourself, that surrounds you as if you were in the very center of the action.
To achieve this effect, the minimum required is to expand upon the standard surround sound options. This means expanding the classic 5.1 and 7.1 speaker systems. This can be done by adding as many extra speakers as desired. Or almost, since the limit is 64 speakers.
These 64-speaker setups are logically for larger spaces such as theaters and movie theaters where virtually the entire space is covered by speakers at various heights. Some are on the wall and some are directly on the ceiling. With this array of speakers and the different settings, that unique and special surround sensation is achieved.
How Dolby Atmos works in the home
Leaving aside Dolby Atmos compatible facilities such as cinemas, theaters, performance halls, etc., to enjoy this technology at home what we will absolutely need is equipment compatible with this technology.
Normally these are made up of several speakers that adapt to the needs of the users. So much so that there are even solutions that avoid having to place speakers on the ceiling or at different heights.
This is achieved through specific modifications to the available components, allowing sound to be projected in different directions . This, combined with advanced algorithms, enables the sound waves to bounce off walls and ceiling, creating the same surround sound effect, or at least attempting to achieve something as close as possible to what would be achieved with a high-end speaker system.
Dolby AtmosMusic
Okay, now another question: do you know what Dolby Atmos Music is ? As you can imagine, it's basically the same thing, but applied to music and not to content like movies, series, documentaries, etc.
As we've mentioned, Dolby Atmos is based on the principle of sound applied to objects. Therefore, when creating music compatible with Dolby Atmos Music, information is added to each object (instrument) about its position and which speaker or group of speakers it should be playing through in a Dolby Atmos-compatible installation.
This is a technology that services like Tidal or Amazon Music HD offer, so if you have speakers or other sound equipment you could try it.
Dolby Cinema
Since we have talked about Dolby Atmos, we also think it is interesting that you know Dolby Vision and what implication both have in what is later known as Dolby Cinema.
Dolby Vision is like Atmos, a technology that seeks a better multimedia experience. The difference is that here it affects the image and not the sound. So the advantages are in how the image is reproduced in terms of color, brightness, contrast, saturation... so you can get the best possible quality.
Thus, when image technology (Dolby Vision) is combined with audio technology (Dolby Atmos), a total experience called Dolby Cinema is achieved.
Dolby Atmos compatible equipment and services
Dolby Atmos is currently a widespread technology that is gradually gaining more ground and support from hardware, software, and service manufacturers. Therefore, it's not at all difficult to find equipment capable of delivering this enhanced sound.
At the speaker level, before there were few teams that provided support and those that did had a high price or needed an unfeasible number of speakers for many homes. Today there are sound bars that are compatible thanks to this way of projecting the sound to achieve the same effect.
In matters of players, from Apple TV to Microsoft consoles, the Amazon Fire TV Stick and a large number of televisions, players and even mobile phones are compatible.
However, you'll need to connect a compatible set of speakers to these, or at the very least, headphones capable of delivering surround sound. So it's quite easy to then enjoy Dolby Atmos content, which is also becoming commonplace on services like Netflix, Prime Video, Rakuten, Sky, etc. What's more, even if you only want it for music, Tidal and Amazon Music HD also have compatible tracks.
Dolby Atmos is really worth it
Asking if Dolby Atmos is worth it is like asking if there is an improvement between mono or stereo sound. Logically it is not something essential, but when you try it and you can enjoy it, you do appreciate its true value and potential.
In addition, Dolby Atmos has interesting plans for the future that would even affect the use of virtual reality. Ultimately, to obtain a more realistic experience, it is important that we experience the different sound situations in the same way that we do in reality.