Dolby Atmos for Home Cinema How is it Different?

[admin]

To better understand Dolby Atmos and its potential integration into the consumer market, it's important to consider how its different than the “classic” 5.1 and 7.1 surround decoding schemes. Dolby Atmos is not just a system with more channels than 7.1. It works with three primary elements: bed audio, object audio and metadata. To get the real benefits of Dolby Atmos, more speakers are required in the house. The real paradox in the audio industry is, the progress on the technical side is “more speakers”, but on the commercial side it’s “less speakers”. Regardless, the future will be exciting as always!

Discuss "Dolby Atmos for Home Cinema How is it Different?" here. Read the article.

 

[shadyJ]

Interesting, I thought that an object oriented sound system could scale all the way down to as few as two speakers. We will see if and when any home version spec gets finalized. If it does need eleven speakers, that might be the kiss of death for wide-spread home adaption.

 

[Drmark]

Word has it the new Denon/Marantz Pre/Pro's will support this with a November release. They are looking to incorporate 4 in-ceiling speakers to effect the motion sounds.

We should hear more about this sometime in April when the NDA is lifted.

 

[ruzveh]

Wait let me understand

So basically who installs this Atmos tech? The manufacturer or Dolby in HT & Cinemas?

 

[Superman07]

Seems like an odd setup for home that doesn't conform to the Atmos guidelines. I though the entire point, which your theater pictorial shows, is that you gain added height data on the Z axis - hence the ceiling array.

The home setup seems to be simply providing front and rear highs. I'd think your need ceiling mounted speakers to truly have Atmos.

 

[JMJVK]

expensive Doodad

There's no doubt some of the better-off home theater owners will have audio benefits, but for the average Joe, this will just be another expensive Doodad he can't use.

I love audio, and have spent lavishly to get to where I am. (relative to my income and budget, of course.) Yet, even if my AVR allows for more channels, I can't use more than a 5.1 setup, because I live in a 3rd floor flat, and have no room. Heck, I'm still using a 32" TV because anything larger seems pointless. I have, as a project, the ambition of acquiring a 11.2 channel Pre-amp and Amplifier combo, but I know full well it's overkill and that I will never have 11 speakers on my AVR.

I already have 9 speakers in the living room, and can't even begin to imagine where I could fit 6 more. Many people in smaller bungalows without sufficient room for a dedicated theater room are in the same boat as I am, add to that the myriad condominium dwellers, and you've got a very important segment of the population that just "can't do 11.2 channels", whether they want it or not.

There will be buyers, just not as many who buy cheapish sound-bars

 

[morphemes]

Okay, as far as I can tell... its not actually any different & the additional speaker feeds in commercial cinema applications only exist because of things like balconies and such? the main difference being large commercial theaters use arrays (ie all the left surrounds act as one) and an elevated level of control is required at the preamp stage. Otherwise, atmos simply adds actual top channels & by virtue of having l/r coverage on the z axis, the processing is able to interpolate 3D. In other words, there really isn't any difference (Same as it ever was).