5 Reasons Dolby Atmos May Be DOA

[GO-NAD!]

If Dolby Atmos could be enabled so that it detected speaker placements and "made due" with the speakers available, consumers would flock to it. Have a 5.1 system where one of the front speakers is near a wall and the other is pushed back a bit because of a window or door? No problem for Atmos! Have one surround speaker at ear height and one on the ceiling?

I think this is a very important feature that should have been implemented. Speaker placement is a problem for the vast majority of HT owners - whether they realize it, or not. It seems that many can't be bothered (or are unable) to place them optimally. Then, there's the issue of needing speakers with up-firing drivers. Going from stereo to surround just required the addition of speakers. Now, we're being asked to not only add more speakers, but to replace the ones we have? If that's what's required, I for one, will take a pass on ATMOS for the foreseeable future.

 

[RichB]

I think this is a very important feature that should have been implemented. Speaker placement is a problem for the vast majority of HT owners - whether they realize it, or not. It seems that many can't be bothered (or are unable) to place them optimally. Then, there's the issue of needing speakers with up-firing drivers. Going from stereo to surround just required the addition of speakers. Now, we're being asked to not only add more speakers, but to replace the ones we have? If that's what's required, I for one, will take a pass on ATMOS for the foreseeable future.

There are Atmos modules like these:

Amazon.com: Onkyo SKH-410 Dolby Atmos-Enabled Speaker System: Electronics

I suspect they will not blend well with my Salons. On AVS, this is not problem, room equalization solves that problem.
Why on earth did I buy such expensive speakers? I could have had dozes of these and with REQ, it would be amazing

There some discussion about systems where the surrounds are already up high. You know, like they are in the cinema.
Some say they should be lowered to Optimize for Atmos.

- Rich

 

[jgersic]

Atmos Objects

I am one of the people who flirt with that 'bleeding edge' and have a persistent case of 'upgrade-itis' but I am not feeling the draw on Atmos.

The primary reason has been stated in the article and by some others - I don't believe it is a mature technology for the consumer. In fact, I don't believe it is really ready at all for consumer consumption because of the way it was implemented. This appears to be Atmos Beta or pre-GA. It looks like Dolby got the jitters from DTS releasing a product and pushed it quicker to market than expected. One can see it on how it is being implemented by the new crop of receivers. The receivers are going to be released later in the year, and most will require a firmware update to even decode the Atmos data. The idea that Atmos requires speakers in particular locations by the AV companies totally nullifies the true potential of Atmos - it really is just another codec with two or maybe four more channels of sound for the ceiling.

I have a little dedicated theater room and even installed four ceiling channels in anticipation for Atmos - but I believe I am going to actually (gulp) wait this Beta crop of products out and see what the next generation brings..

I would also be willing to bet that these new receivers have a very short run and the new '2015.5' or '2016' receivers come out in the early spring with a more fully implemented Atmos as well as DTS OO codecs..

-John

 

[gene]

There a Atmos modules like these:

Amazon.com: Onkyo SKH-410 Dolby Atmos-Enabled Speaker System: Electronics

I suspect they will not blend well with my Salons. On AVS, this is not problem, room equalization solves that problem.
Why on earth did I buy such expensive speakers? I could have had dozes of these and with REQ, it would be amazing

There some discussion about systems where the surrounds are already up high. You know, like they are in the cinema.
Some say they should be lowered to Optimize for Atmos.

- Rich

LMAO trying to blend those Onkyo Atmos speakers with your Revels. Maybe Revel will come out with their own module some day.

 

[GO-NAD!]

There are Atmos modules like these:

Amazon.com: Onkyo SKH-410 Dolby Atmos-Enabled Speaker System: Electronics

I suspect they will not blend well with my Salons. On AVS, this is not problem, room equalization solves that problem.
Why on earth did I buy such expensive speakers? I could have had dozes of these and with REQ, it would be amazing

There some discussion about systems where the surrounds are already up high. You know, like they are in the cinema.
Some say they should be lowered to Optimize for Atmos.

- Rich

I take it all back. I will be an early adopter. They had me at "...High-Grade Cloth Grilles and Black Vinyl Hairline Finish..."

 

[MidnightSensi2]

Amazon.com: Onkyo SKH-410 Dolby Atmos-Enabled Speaker System: Electronics

 

[jliedeka]

Tom's point about having required speaker positions is what really gives me pause about Atmos. When I first heard about it, I thought it had great potential. But I thought it would work with whatever speakers you have, where you have them. To not do that pretty much kills the advantages.

I'm not really an early adopter type but I do pay attention to new technologies like this. I just wait until they are fully baked before parting with any cash. Dolby's marketing people should have stuck a toothpick in Atmos before ramping up the hype.

Jim

 

[wiyosaya]

Here is a technology that can potentially make it EASIER for neophytes to set up their systems while, at the same time, allow power users and Audioholics to add tons of additional speakers for the ultimate sound. Instead we get 7.2.4 channels with speakers that are trying to bounce sound off specific spots on the ceiling. Atmos could be a game changer. Instead, it launched sounding more like a way to force users to buy more speakers.

For me, this is the biggest reason that Atmos will fail, or at least not end up in my HT setup. Given what was said about DTS UHD being useable with all setups, no amount of

Atmos is better, but you need more speakers on your ceiling to experience it

will make much difference as I see it. It's a big BUT that will, as I see it, keep Atmos in the niche category if it survives at all.

DTS has consistently done better, technically, than Dolby, and it looks like it might again do so. I highly doubt that Dolby knee-jerked a product into the market just because of DTS UHD. Perhaps DTS UHD will not be all that great either, but a system for the home that is capable of a marketing statement such as "you can use your existing speakers" is going to sound a whole lot better to the average consumer than

Atmos is better, but you need more speakers on your ceiling to experience it.

It sounds like the solution that Dolby chose is not as demanding technically as the one that DTS chose in UHD, and Dolby's solution places the onus on the consumer rather than in the technology itself - I have to ask why given decades of successful DSP equipment such as is found in Yamaha's products.

I am all for improvements in technology, but I think Atmos will miss the mark for the average consumer; as I see it, the average consumer is the market that any new product has to succeed in to be widely considered successful.

 

[FlyhiG]

Make it and they will come.

At least with strong advertisement. But not huge sales for current HT users. New construction perhaps, in homes and basements. When a all box solution like the TV sound bars perhaps, which won't be as effective, expect more to buy into it. For myself, cost too high and unnecessary for my tastes.

 

[GranteedEV]

Hehehe.

Procella Audio does not mess around

http://www.procella.citymax.com/index.html

Booth 850, we'll have a full Procella-based Dolby Atmos 3D Audio system, with four ceiling mounted P6s - no upward firing speakers!

Procella says A hella no

 

[corey]

Tom's point about having required speaker positions is what really gives me pause about Atmos. When I first heard about it, I thought it had great potential. But I thought it would work with whatever speakers you have, where you have them. To not do that pretty much kills the advantages.

Exactly. An object oriented mix on the content side should imply an object oriented processor on the output side: an AVR or Pre/Pro that measures where your speakers are and optimizes your real world speaker layout. All you need is a few extra pre-outs, and then - if you feel like it - you could take an extra speaker(s) add an amp and see how it works in your room.

 

[JohnnieB]

Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet.

I don't know what Dolby Atmos is going to do. I'd like to hear it once, but I will never own it. Movies are just not that damn important. My 2 channel system already sounds better than the last movie I saw in the theatre. I have a friend with a projector and a huge motorized screen. It's cool, once. Watched a 3D movie on it. It was cool, once.

As a thought, if they claimed Dolby Atmos would make your "music", multichannel or otherwise, sound so real you'd forget you were listening to a recording. Claim it to be the greatest thing since the phonograph. Would people feel differently? I've seen stereo cables that sell for thousands of dollars for a 3 foot chunk of wire that's worth 3 cents scrap price.

4K on the other hand? I can't help but drool over the picture on a new Ultra HD display.

 

[gene]

Hehehe.

Procella Audio does not mess around

http://www.procella.citymax.com/index.html



Procella says A hella no

Holly crap that's funny. Man I've been speaking to Curt Hoyt of Trinnov. The man is a genius and makes my head spin. He really understands surround sound and Atmos. His is planning a contribution to my up coming article on Atmos speakers. Looking forward.

 

[olc]

3. Atmos will appeal to niche market like DVD-A and SACD does for audiophiles.

"3. Atmos will appeal to niche market like DVD-A and SACD does for audiophiles."

This is a reason Atmos will succeed? Those two technologies were dismal failures in the marketplace. If that's your scale for success, then what's a failure?

 

[RayK]

I'm in for Atmos

I missed the Quadraphonic 5 minutes of fame 35 years ago. This is my chance to ride the bow wave of Atmos. Yet, music is 80-90% of my HT experience. Perhaps the Berliner Philharmoniker will commission a promising new conductor to write Atmos: The Next Generation symphony featuring cymbalists jumping on a trampoline to fly high above the spell-bound audience to deliver a crashing crescendo finale.

Then, again, .... Okay, I'm in.

 

[Steve81]

"3. Atmos will appeal to niche market like DVD-A and SACD does for audiophiles."

This is a reason Atmos will succeed? Those two technologies were dismal failures in the marketplace. If that's your scale for success, then what's a failure?

The point here is that Atmos should have a solid foothold in at least one segment of the overall market. Is that enough in and of itself to guarantee success? Probably not. Of course, you could potentially say that about any of the individual reasons listed. OTOH, once you start putting those puzzle pieces together, you might find things aren't necessarily so dire as Tom's DOA prediction. That's not to say in 5 years I'd expect every living room in America will have a 24.1.10 Atmos setup. However, I don't anticipate that Atmos is going to crawl into a corner and die either.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Are we debating whether Dolby ATMOS and DTS-UHD are going to survive or are we debating how many speakers people will own?

ATMOS & UHD are here to stay forever. The only debate is how many speakers and which type of speakers people will own.

 

[MidnightSensi2]

Are we debating whether Dolby ATMOS and DTS-UHD are going to survive or are we debating how many speakers people will own?

ATMOS & UHD are here to stay forever. The only debate is how many speakers and which type of speakers people will own.

Nod. It's more about what end users do. The Atmos format makes complete sense from a soundtrack production standpoint.

On that AVS thread the theater people seemed to like, but, the Atmos Home demo didn't seem to get rave reviews at all... and that's after Dolby let selected people give it a listen. Usually after a demo in that environment, people are raving, regardless of the quality. I didn't get that vibe.. sort of reading between the lines.

I'm interested to see how the Atmos top pods compare against the ceiling speakers. I think that's the juxtaposition that will be supremely interesting.

 

[RichB]

Nod. It's more about what end users do. The Atmos format makes complete sense from a soundtrack production standpoint.

On that AVS thread the theater people seemed to like, but, the Atmos Home demo didn't seem to get rave reviews at all... and that's after Dolby let selected people give it a listen. Usually after a demo in that environment, people are raving, regardless of the quality. I didn't get that vibe.. sort of reading between the lines.

I'm interested to see how the Atmos top pods compare against the ceiling speakers. I think that's the juxtaposition that will be supremely interesting.

Atmos makes complete sense for theaters.
Atmos home uses bed with some objects that map to the height channels encoded.

It seems likely that you have to produce a new mix with anyway and it may be more complex than a standard 5.1/7.1 mix. It is not clear if the bandwidth (max bitrate) exists on Blu-ray to support fully object based Atmos, anyway.

- Rich

 

[MidnightSensi2]

Atmos makes complete sense for theaters.
Atmos home uses bed with some objects that map to the height channels encoded.

It seems likely that you have to produce a new mix with anyway and it may be more complex than a standard 5.1/7.1 mix. It is not clear if the bandwidth (max bitrate) exists on Blu-ray to support fully object based Atmos, anyway.

- Rich

Really? I thought the 'one mix' thing was one of the reasons?