What is Dolby Atmos: Everything You Need to Know

Y'all must be hearing most Dolby Atmos a lot these days. It is beingness considered every bit the next big thing in audio industry subsequently the environs sound systems. Dolby Atmos engineering has been around since the year 2012, yet information technology'southward gaining real traction just now. Initially designed for theaters, at present the applied science has forayed its way not simply inside our homes simply likewise in our backpacks (laptops) and pockets (smartphones). As more and more devices are starting to support the engineering, it is only a matter of time when you lot volition also own a device which supports it. All that is not bad news, but this likewise begs a question, what exactly is the Dolby Atmos technology and how does it differ from everything else? This article is our quest to respond these specific questions. So sit tight and acquire everything you need to know about Dolby Atmos:

What is Dolby Atmos?

Dolby Atmos is the technology which focuses on delivering dynamic audio to our ears. Think of it as a 3D system for audio. Whenever you lot are watching a movie or video which supports Dolby Atmos on a compatible hardware, the sound volition move around in iii-dimensional space giving out the experience that you equally a viewer are right in the middle of the action. To understand it easily, allow us compare it to standard and surround sound technology.

When you are watching a normal video, the sound is delivered to you in channels. A video supporting stereo volition push the audio using two channels, one for each of your ears. When you are using surroundings sound, the sound volition exist delivered using multiple channels. The number of channels can range from five to ix depending on your setup. That's where the surround sound organisation gets its proper noun, the audio surround you from all the sides. Still, there'southward a drawback to the surround sound arrangement, which held it back from providing a real life experience. No thing how many channels you use, the audio is still delivered to your ears in a linear aqueduct.

That is not the case in the existent life. In existent life, the sound is not delivered to you in a linear motion. Your ears are capturing sounds from all effectually you. Dolby Atmos was created to deliver this natural sound experience to us. It does not deliver the audio in linear channels rather the sounds move in a precisely placed 3-dimensional space giving you lot an experience that you are not watching the video from outside but rather that y'all are inside the video itself.

How Does Dolby Atmos Work?

Other than putting speakers around and in forepart of the audience, Dolby Atmos arrangement requires information technology to place speakers above and behind the audience as well. Withal, this is just the kickoff step, as now even some surround sound systems utilise the similar speaker systems. However, this is where the similarity ends. The way both the systems evangelize sound to your ears are very different. To understand this divergence, let usa imagine that we are watching a movie within a theatre.

You are in a scene where a helicopter is flying. At present, the environs audio system will button the sound of the helicopter to the speakers higher up you. However, in Dolby Atmos, the sound is not pushed to a particular speaker rather information technology is pushed towards a certain point in the 3D infinite. The sound engineer will pinpoint the sound of a moving helicopter on its corresponding 3D trajectory. The Dolby System will exist intelligent plenty to push the sounds to the corresponding speakers giving you a natural experience. Even the book, diffusion and the size of the audio coming out of speakers will change relative to the moving object (helicopter in this example), just similar it happens in real life.

Dolby Atmos in Theatres

Theatres were the start place to utilize the Dolby Atmos sound system. This happened for two specific reasons, firstly, a motion-picture show theatre is the best place to experience truthful Dolby Atmos sound. Theatres have large empty spaces which can accommodate the required number of speakers and likewise at that place'due south no outside interference. A set of 64 speakers is required to give you a precise Dolby Atmos experience. Secondly, producing Dolby Atmos content is a costly endeavour, hence merely large upkeep movies could afford information technology.

Every bit of how it works, I have already explained the nuts in the previous section. Basically, the idea is to demark the sounds to a 3D plane which corresponds to the actual objects or persons in the movie. Then, the Dolby software will direct those sounds to their corresponding fix of speakers. The sound will motion between speakers depending upon the move of the object in the moving picture. To really get the hang of it, you have to watch a pic which supports Dolby Atmos audio inside a compatible theatre. If you lot have not experienced it before, I assure you, y'all volition be floored. It will be equivalent to watching 4K content in 3D.

Dolby Atmos at Dwelling house

You must exist wondering, how the heck volition I fit 64 speakers in my room to go the Dolby Atmos feel and how much information technology is going to cost me. Well, you tin remainder easy as you lot can savor the Dolby Atmos experience at your domicile with as trivial as 7 set of speakers. Dolby itself recommends using a maximum of 14 speakers for an optimal feel. Yet, if your price is something that cannot deter you, you tin can install the full 34 speakers bundle to get the all-time possible in-home audio experience.

If you already have a surround sound speaker set up, you will exist happy to know that your old speakers will work with Dolby Atmos. All you need to buy is an AV receiver capable of decoding the Atmos Audio. For overhead, speakers you have three options. Firstly, yous can drill through your roof and install the overhead speakers (2-four) or you can detect buy specially designed upward firing Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers. These speakers fire the sound upwards, then that it is bounced back against the roof giving you almost the aforementioned experience. If you do not want to buy fifty-fifty that, y'all can buy modules which convert your existing speakers into the upwardly firing speakers. Still, the experience will non be optimal in that case.

If you want an fifty-fifty cheaper alternative, yous can buy Dolby enabled sound bars. These sound bars pack upward firing speakers along with normal speakers. You tin use these audio bars forth with a ready of ii-4 speakers to become a bones Dolby Atmos experience. You should know that even the bones Dolby Atmos setup will be far superior to your current environment audio setup at home.

Dolby Atmos in Smartphones and Laptops

Smartphones have go the king of content consumption. Today, more people are consuming content on their smartphones than anywhere else. This is what made smartphone manufacturers to include 2K and even 4K screens in their phones. Still, one key missing feature has always been audio quality. The speakers and audio decks in the smartphones are just non powerful plenty to evangelize sounds which will please even an boilerplate audiophile.

Dolby Atmos wants to change that past bringing its technology to our smartphones. Although, the quality is nowhere every bit good when compared to habitation or theatre audio organisation, still it is astonishingly good for such small and meaty devices. Since smartphones don't have the luxury of packing high-end speakers, the Dolby Atmos processor inside them renders the sound in virtual three-dimensional infinite over built-in speakers or headphones. The result is more than pronounced when yous are using headphones than on speakers. Dolby Atmos non only provides the best experience of Atmos-enabled content but besides improves the sound quality of normal videos, games, and songs. The aforementioned stands truthful for Dolby Atmos enabled laptops also.

Smartphones and Laptops Supporting Dolby Atmos

With every new phone and laptop releases, more and more manufacturers are including the Dolby Atmos systems in their products. Microsoft's in-firm products including the new Surface laptop along with Huawei MateBook X support the Dolby Atmos. Other manufacturers supporting Atmos are Lenovo, Razer, and Acer. Apple devices like the new iPad Pro and iPhones along with the Macs support it. Other major manufacturers supporting Dolby Atmos are Lenovo, HTC, LG, and ZTE. You can cheque out the total list of manufacturers supporting Dolby Atmos for smartphones and laptops here and hither respectively.

Streaming Services Supporting Dolby Atmos

All the pop streaming services are adopting the Dolby Atmos standard for supported content. However, you do need a decent cyberspace speed if y'all want to enjoy the best possible audio quality. Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Prime are some of the biggest names which support the Dolby Atmos audio. Other popular services include Vudu which streams 4K UHD movies with Dolby Atmos sound. Fifty-fifty YouTube and Facebook stream supported content. You do need a Dolby Atmos capable dwelling house surround sound system to savour the content though. Information technology will never sound equally good on your smartphone or laptops.

Dolby Atmos and VR

In February 2016, Dolby also launched its developer kit for integrating its Atmos engineering with the Virtual Reality. If yous think of information technology, VR is the all-time identify to feel Dolby Atmos, even more and so than theatres. While using Dolby Atmos with VR, non only the sounds surround you, y'all are as well visually correct in the middle of things. VR with Dolby Atmos volition the all-time place to swallow the content in the future. Merely the future is still non here and it will have a lot of time earlier VR can become the principal stream. If you have a VR headset with you, you can watch the VR documentaries about the making of Paul McCartney'due south latest compilation album, Pure McCartney.

Dolby Atmos vs The Competition

There'south only one major competitor to Dolby at this point of fourth dimension and that is DTS. In late 2015, DTS launched its ain "Immersive Sound" technology called DTS:Ten. At present, permit me make it clear. there's no way any boilerplate person similar yous volition be able to differentiate betwixt the 2 and crown a winner. Just ones who are on the top of proverbial audiophile chart will be able to distinguish between the two and then as well the decisions will be more subjective than objective.

The but way one of these technologies will win over the other is past the way of mass adoption. It will basically depend upon which of the two companies can lure more content creators to use their technology. Dolby already has a big caput start on that one. As a consumer, you exercise not take to worry as 99% of AV receivers and speakers can support both the formats. And so, in the end, we will all be winners as the competition volition mean more vigorous adoption of the technology itself.

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Ready to Feel Dolby Atmos

At that place'south no incertitude well-nigh the fact that Dolby Atmos is the nowadays and the time to come of the audio technology. In future, mosts of the movies will be supporting Dolby Atmos as it gives the best audio feel to viewers. It is expert to see film makers acknowledging the importance of audio at the same level as that of the video. If you accept never experienced Dolby Atmos before, find out the nearest theatre which supports it, and sentry a picture which uses Dolby Atmos. People who already have Atmos supported dwelling house systems, check out the movies which make use of it. If you lot still have any doubts, shoot your questions in the comment section below.

Source: https://beebom.com/what-is-dolby-atmos/

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