The Dolby Atmos, DTS-X, and Auro-3D Discussion Thread

[panteragstk]

I didn't take notes of everything, but I do remember when the car dove into the water, I could clearly hear the water rushing in overhead. The fireworks during the Berlin Wall coming down part were overhead. I recall there was a plane flying overhead at some point too I noticed. I'm pretty sure there was some other stuff too (little things). It wasn't Harry Potter or Jumanji, but it wasn't the original The Fast and the Furious (where I noticed like nothing overhead in DTS:X) either and that one had a GREAT soundtrack for 7.1, which was still an improvement over the old 5.1 soundtrack.

I really wonder what other people's Atmos/X systems sound like. I keep thinking maybe my side height speakers are screwing things up in "top middle" (not quite as high due to the steel beam, putting them 10 inches lower than the front/rear heights and almost 2 feet to the right being on the side wall compared to the front/rear heights too) and yet I hear more direct overhead sounds than I do front/rear on average and certainly Red Tails flew right overhead across the room as did some other movies here and there (Flatliners at the start put sounds like everywhere overhead LOUD) so I don't know what might be setup/speaker layout and/or soundtrack differences sometimes.

I keep getting the impression it's the soundtracks that aren't loud enough overhead, not the setup. I did tests before I even got the AVR by hooking up the front height and top middle/side height to my old Yamaha receiver as 4.0 and putting it in multi-channel stereo mode so ALL sounds would be overhead in stereo and played sound effects like storms/thunder, birds, etc. and they were all imaging beautifully overhead between the two sets of speakers. Binaural did even better. It's why I figured my system would work, but I have to say some of these Atmos and X soundtracks give me pause and keep making me wonder if I should have gone all on-ceiling and/or in-ceiling or whatever. But then when I read someone with IN-CEILING isn't hearing much overhead in a given movie either, I'm definitely wondering what's wrong with some of these soundtracks.

I really wish there was a demo similar to the DTS:X "moving ball" one but where the ball just flies only overhead in like switchback patterns or something so we could really test the accuracy of the overhead imaging across its entire range. Most of these trailers are just too limited in what they put overhead to judge correctly whether everything images "everywhere" in the room on the ceiling.

I did just download (using my the Dolby app for Mac downloading) the 9.1.6 demo from Dolby's site. I've read that THIS version has "snap to" turned OFF for the front wides so they should image correctly on my hybrid system. It'll be interesting to see how they sound as the demo disc version just played through the front mains here (except when I had my 7010 hooked up where they played discretely at the wides, but the other demos sounded the same with or without them turned on in that regard which makes me think they were all "snap to OFF" and the front/sides imaged perfectly fine without the wides in my room.

I do agree with what you said about Atomic Blonde. I did notice those things as well, but that was only a very small portion of the movie. Nothing wrong with that at all. I'd rather the mixer use the overheads when it makes sense than put things there that don't make sense.

As far as I can tell with my speakers in the "proper" place according to the Atmos documentation and my ceiling height of 8' my setup is working very well. The demos sound great and so do movies. I really do just get a room of sound as opposed to the obviously discreet channels when I had my 7.1 setup in my old house. This is above and beyond that setup not only due to much higher end speakers, but Atmos as well. EVERYTHING sounds better in my room.

 

[panteragstk]

Did you turn up the volume?

Initially I didn’t think much of the OH sound when I was skimming through. But when I was actually watching the movie, I noticed that the dialogue was low. So I turned up the volume. Then it was great.

One thing we’ve mentioned before is that there is no standard with the OH sound volume mixes. Some movies have low OH volume. Some movies (like Serenity) have high OH volume.

So might have to boost the trim levels for the OH speakers for some movies.

Oh it's plenty loud. No issue there. I did hear overhead sound, just not a ton (nor would I expect to in a movie like this). Kind of like in the new Halloween. Not much need for overheads, but when they used them, they were used very well.

 

[Phase 2]

Man, back in the mid 80's I was experimenting with surrounds, didn't really know it at the time, but come to think about it, I had 4 speakers, two in the front L/R mains, and two in the back L/R rears, and the TV speakers on aka center speaker..lol

 

[VonMagnum]

Rise of Skywalker will be in Dolby Sadmos....

 

[Auditor55]

When was the last time a helicopter or Batwing ever flew 10 feet above you head?

When was the last time a giant spaceship ever flew 10 feet above your head?

When was the last time giant rocks were falling over your head?

When was the last time giant robots were flying over your head?

When was the last time a tornado flew above your head?

We don't watch Fiction movies to remind us about our realistic boring lives where nothing ever happens overhead.

Even fiction must have a basis in realism or else you will turn off from the movie.

 

[Auditor55]

Oh it's plenty loud. No issue there. I did hear overhead sound, just not a ton (nor would I expect to in a movie like this). Kind of like in the new Halloween. Not much need for overheads, but when they used them, they were used very well.

I don't know if you have one or saw this video, but you might be able to pick up an Atmos or DTS-X demo disc. I'm sure they have a lots of overhead information.

 

[VonMagnum]

If overhead sounds are scaled/mixed correctly, it shouldn't sound 10 feet over your head (i.e. Depth behind speakers is certainly possible with stereo pairs). But even if it is mixed to be at the speaker, the whole movie is scaled to the size of your screen and so sounds should be mixed to match the scale, not where a plane would really be over your head, but over the head of the people on-screen. Thus, I think Atmos "heights" and even center channel dialog should be set up so the image relative to the screen. But sadly, Hollywood doesn't much care for panned dialog so the whole point of bothering starts to come into question when THEY can't even be bothered to properly align something that should work with just stereo speakers even for the MLP when properly placed alongside the screen.

But then I have people posting memes of horses pooping on someone's head at the Bluray forums in response to me liking Atmos remixes of old films like Blade Runner. The amount of hatred out there for those that don't ascribe to their particular set of quasi-religious beliefs (in this case that the original soundtrack should always be left alone) is rather staggering. All those that agree then pile on and those that don't often cower in fear of being ridiculed and dumped on themselves by Internet bullies and trolls. Utterly ridiculous. It's hard to have an intelligent conversation with high school dropouts.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

This party is definitely meant for Atmos/DTSX enthusiasts who love overhead sound effects and want to spread the love.

But unfortunately there will always be a few killjoys and haters trying to crash the party.

 

[VonMagnum]

They just announced Fast and Furious (#4) and Fast Five in UHD + DTS:X for June 11.

That's now all of them in DTS:X.

 

[VonMagnum]

Alrighty then! My 30th DTS:X movie is on the way... Fast and the Furious TOKYO DRIFT (oddly better than 2, 6, 7 and 8 even without a big star )

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Alrighty then! My 30th DTS:X movie is on the way... Fast and the Furious TOKYO DRIFT (oddly better than 2, 6, 7 and 8 even without a big star )

Don't tell me, don't tell me!

One of your favorite movie franchises of all time is the "Fast and Furious" franchise.

The only Fast/Furious DTSX movie I have is "Fate of the Furious 2017". But I haven't seen it yet (in DTSX).

 

[VonMagnum]

Don't tell me, don't tell me!

One of your favorite movie franchises of all time is the "Fast and Furious" franchise.

The only Fast/Furious DTSX movie I have is "Fate of the Furious 2017". But I haven't seen it yet (in DTSX).

Nah, I already have them all on regular BD (and on iTunes in free upgraded 4K). I just want the DTS:X soundtracks (I'll use my Amazon bonus points to get them over time) on the better ones. Really, the newer movies like Fate are out of control and have like NOTHING to do with the original (and best) movie which was about Japanese style cars upgraded with 3rd party parts (since back then they had a limit of 300HP maximum on stock cars from Japan as part of an agreement for Japanese car companies to not "one up" each other). That limit has since been lifted, but the crowds around meets and/or races probably still exists in large cities.

First movie was great (mostly about the cars, but had some interesting characters)

Second movie stunk (don't care, don't bother). Fake CGI stunt, over the top and only Paul Walker is in it.

Third movie had no characters from the original, BUT Tokyo Drift had awesome drift racing filmed in actual Tokyo so like the first the cars stole the show, but the characters weren't that interesting. Han shows up in later movies, though. The main character has a cameo in 6, but he has zero charisma and comes across as a spoiled brat so....

Fourth movie brought back the original cast. It wasn't the best, but the gang was back together and to its credit, no flipping Dwayne Johnson (getting sick of him being in EVERYTHING). He shows up in Fast Five as the pseudo "bad guy" (or good guy from POV) chasing them and ends up on the team in the following movies. Fast Five was regarded as the best movie by many outside the first, anyway. Six gets too crazy/goofy. Paul dies during the filming of 7 and I haven't even watched it yet or 8. I have 8 in DTS:X already.

So I'm mostly looking to get 4 and 5 in DTS:X, maybe 6 & 7 if they go on sale. There's not a lot of overhead use, but at least in the original the rear surrounds get heavy use (much better than 5.1 in other words) so still worth the upgrade if it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Hardly my favorite series, but I'm always looking for DTS:X and Atmos upgrades. Not counting overhead use, which has been inconsistent with both formats, IMO, I've found DTS:X tracks more often than not to be less disappointing per capita, so-to-speak. They seem to put more effort into them, probably because there's less studios using it. The only horrible DTS:X track I've heard is The Big Lebowski. It's barely in stereo, let alone 7.1.4....

I'm dumping the 4K DTS:X soundtrack right now as a matter of fact. I've got DTS:X #31 coming tomorrow (American Made with Tom Cruise). The review indicated good overhead use (lots of planes, etc. in it). That puts me at 31 for DTS:X and 63 for Atmos (on disc; there's more Atmos in my iTunes collection, about 30-40 more I believe). So for discs, DTS:X is running about 50% behind Atmos here, which isn't too bad considering it got a late start, etc.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

So, I finally got around to Aquaman. Red box UHD. This was bittersweet for me. The first bass hit when the Atlantans blow a hole in the wall, I was like . Ok, THIS sis what everyone is talking about. Then it kinda started to lose its luster, like it was just overdone. What I DID love was the different textures and how much fun I imagined the mixers had making it. TMNT also had very nuanced bass like AM, and a decent atmos track.
AM did have a great atmos track overall, and even though Jason momoa is a beast, I really had a hard time connecting to it. I think the scale just seemed too big, like even MY imagination couldn’t take it all. Will have to revisit naturally, as it IS reference in every regard.

 

[panteragstk]

I don't know if you have one or saw this video, but you might be able to pick up an Atmos or DTS-X demo disc. I'm sure they have a lots of overhead information.

I've got a couple of those and they do quite well in my room. Demo material is so close to marketing material it's almost annoying.

I need to get the real demo discs I have to single demo files and that would be much better. Those or movie scenes that are used for specific purposes. Some dude over at AVS used to compile sweet demo discs that had selections based off what you wanted to demo. Those were fantastic.

 

[panteragstk]

Alrighty then! My 30th DTS:X movie is on the way... Fast and the Furious TOKYO DRIFT (oddly better than 2, 6, 7 and 8 even without a big star )

No.

What made the first two so good was the actual driving stunts they did. Tokyo drift was so forgettable I don't really even have any business posting about it...yet here we are

 

[panteragstk]

Nah, I already have them all on regular BD (and on iTunes in free upgraded 4K). I just want the DTS:X soundtracks (I'll use my Amazon bonus points to get them over time) on the better ones. Really, the newer movies like Fate are out of control and have like NOTHING to do with the original (and best) movie which was about Japanese style cars upgraded with 3rd party parts (since back then they had a limit of 300HP maximum on stock cars from Japan as part of an agreement for Japanese car companies to not "one up" each other). That limit has since been lifted, but the crowds around meets and/or races probably still exists in large cities.

First movie was great (mostly about the cars, but had some interesting characters)

Second movie stunk (don't care, don't bother). Fake CGI stunt, over the top and only Paul Walker is in it.

Third movie had no characters from the original, BUT Tokyo Drift had awesome drift racing filmed in actual Tokyo so like the first the cars stole the show, but the characters weren't that interesting. Han shows up in later movies, though. The main character has a cameo in 6, but he has zero charisma and comes across as a spoiled brat so....

Fourth movie brought back the original cast. It wasn't the best, but the gang was back together and to its credit, no flipping Dwayne Johnson (getting sick of him being in EVERYTHING). He shows up in Fast Five as the pseudo "bad guy" (or good guy from POV) chasing them and ends up on the team in the following movies. Fast Five was regarded as the best movie by many outside the first, anyway. Six gets too crazy/goofy. Paul dies during the filming of 7 and I haven't even watched it yet or 8. I have 8 in DTS:X already.

So I'm mostly looking to get 4 and 5 in DTS:X, maybe 6 & 7 if they go on sale. There's not a lot of overhead use, but at least in the original the rear surrounds get heavy use (much better than 5.1 in other words) so still worth the upgrade if it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Hardly my favorite series, but I'm always looking for DTS:X and Atmos upgrades. Not counting overhead use, which has been inconsistent with both formats, IMO, I've found DTS:X tracks more often than not to be less disappointing per capita, so-to-speak. They seem to put more effort into them, probably because there's less studios using it. The only horrible DTS:X track I've heard is The Big Lebowski. It's barely in stereo, let alone 7.1.4....

I'm dumping the 4K DTS:X soundtrack right now as a matter of fact. I've got DTS:X #31 coming tomorrow (American Made with Tom Cruise). The review indicated good overhead use (lots of planes, etc. in it). That puts me at 31 for DTS:X and 63 for Atmos (on disc; there's more Atmos in my iTunes collection, about 30-40 more I believe). So for discs, DTS:X is running about 50% behind Atmos here, which isn't too bad considering it got a late start, etc.

Probably should have read this before my last post. Woops

 

[panteragstk]

So, I finally got around to Aquaman. Red box UHD. This was bittersweet for me. The first bass hit when the Atlantans blow a hole in the wall, I was like . Ok, THIS sis what everyone is talking about. Then it kinda started to lose its luster, like it was just overdone. What I DID love was the different textures and how much fun I imagined the mixers had making it. TMNT also had very nuanced bass like AM, and a decent atmos track.
AM did have a great atmos track overall, and even though Jason momoa is a beast, I really had a hard time connecting to it. I think the scale just seemed too big, like even MY imagination couldn’t take it all. Will have to revisit naturally, as it IS reference in every regard.

Really feel like he'd be a good dude to have a beer with and shoot the sh!t about anything. Seems like he's just having a blast doing what he does. I'll probably like the movie for that aspect alone.

EDIT: Props to whoever got the language filter to change swear words to poop. Impressive

 

[VonMagnum]

No.

What made the first two so good was the actual driving stunts they did. Tokyo drift was so forgettable I don't really even have any business posting about it...yet here we are

I just remember hating the second movie and being surprised how much fun Tokyo Drift was (the character is a spoiled brat with zero charisma, but the drift driving in the movie was awesome, but then different strokes for different folks. You can't expect everyone to like the same movies or for the same reasons.)

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

I just remember hating the second movie and being surprised how much fun Tokyo Drift was (the character is a spoiled brat with zero charisma, but the drift driving in the movie was awesome, but then different strokes for different folks. You can't expect everyone to like the same movies or for the same reasons.)

I love to suspend disbelief, but number two was definitely #2. I’m a car guy, and I agree that the first film captured some of the culture(albeit mostly ricers, and some less realistic technical stuff).
Fun mindless stuff for sure. I also like Tokyo drift and it’s actually the only one I own(save for stuff in my dvr) ironically I’m watching NCIS NO, which features the lead in TD. Funny...

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Really feel like he'd be a good dude to have a beer with and shoot the sh!t about anything. Seems like he's just having a blast doing what he does. I'll probably like the movie for that aspect alone.

EDIT: Props to whoever got the language filter to change swear words to poop. Impressive

I agree. I’d love to have a beer with home and wreck a whole bunch of sh1t. Would be fun.
I would also love to do what he does. I tell my wife all the time, “I’d love to make a film with_____”. She thinks I’m dumb.....