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

[andyblackcat]

Mission To Mars (2000)

Chapter 11. Mission control voice circles around the five screen from left to left-ex as the camera also follows the reactions of the crew into centre then right-ex to right then slowly into right surround arrays then back left then bending over left back then comes around left surround arrays then back to centre channel.

Originally released in Dolby EX and where is the user option for EX as well as PLII PLIIx and PLIIz on my Marnatz SR6012 I'd thought they would have crammed all that in no matter the DSU is fine thou sounds fin in texture kinder like having a stake undercooked. dts Neural:X seems to have added well cooked stake with extra pepper on top. With five screen and overhead MUTED so I can focus on listening to between the back surrounds (with side surrounds briefly muted) I can hear a phasey like going on before the sound pan reaches the next back channels its kinder of atmospherics effective. With DSU this effect seems to be minimized.

Still with five screen muted now with all side/back muted listening to what is happening with overheads. I hear the dialogue pan with just reverbent faint background-ness.

With dts Neural:X some of the dialogue almost tries to struggle to get though but is held back with some sort of anti canceling process I don't know it does sound okay.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

No, DTS-X thus far has been a home/audio format.

Is this the reason why the ATMOS BD of movies that were originally ATMOS-Theatrically released sound better than the DTSX BD?

Gravity and Oblivion ATMOS BD (and others) sound better than any DTSX BD I’ve seen.

 

[Auditor55]

Is this the reason why the ATMOS BD of movies that were originally ATMOS-Theatrically released sound better than the DTSX BD?

Gravity and Oblivion ATMOS BD (and others) sound better than any DTSX BD I’ve seen.

I don't know. I've heard that DTS-X disc are really channel based mixes not object based.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I don't know. I've heard that DTS-X disc are really channel based mixes not object based.

I’m beginning to believe it too.

 

[Auditor55]

I’m beginning to believe it too.

It would be good if someone like Gene looked into it for us.

 

[Bookmark]

You are kind of working with a heavily biased sample group here, almost 10:1 or greater. Of the 30+ discs or so, I appear to have, all bar I think 4 or 5 are Atmos.

I believe that there are good and bad examples in both formats. In Dts:X Atomic Blonde and Crimson Peak are good examples. Pitch Perfect 3 is a bad one. I know from the Cinema experience Fast and Furious 8 was a bad Atmos example and a good Dts:X bluray.

I think that Mad Max Fury Road, Kong Skull Island, Ready Player One are good Atmos examples. The Mummy or John Wick are much less impressive.

Funnily enough last night, by mistake I watched the first half of Terminator Genisys up mixed by Neural X and the second half in it's native Atmos. Honestly if I had not noticed the display I would not have known or been able to tell you which was which.

Given that most Cinemas appear, at least in the west, to be set up only for Atmos it would then be odd that formats would automatically be switched for the bluray or UHD release. China, at least from the Dts list, appears to be the reverse.

I have not been able to watch either Gravity or Oblivion in any formats other than Dts HDMA and so I will not comment if they are good, bad or anywhere near the best examples of a format. I do know that even the bad or less than stellar discs in either format have their moments. Also how engaging the film is in the first place will likely skew the impression of the audio. Nothing in A Quiet Place is encouraging me to re-watch this anytime soon.

Perhaps some UHD discs which have both mixes present would be a good place to start.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

There are definitely some bad ATMOS and DTSX BD.

But here is my thinking. If a movie was created with ATMOS from the start to be released theatrically, then the final ATMOS BD will be more likely to sound much better than a movie that as created with only DD or DTS from the start.

If movies are not even created with DTSX from the start to be released theatrically, then wouldn’t it be more like an afterthought? Kind of like taking an old DTS movie from 1990 and remastering it?

Or do you think for BD production, they have to go back to the editing room and remaster every single movie anyway?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Well, I was looking at the Theatrical ATMOS releases on that website.

https://www.dolby.com/us/en/cinema/theatrical-releases.html

“The Great Wall” and “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” are not listed for 2016 ATMOS theatrical releases. Yet, I think both are among the best ATMOS BD I’ve seen.

Seriously if I could only demo 1 ATMOS movie, it would be “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”.

So I guess my previous thought of “original Theatrical ATMOS is better” is wrong.

 

[Bookmark]

I think William or Andy was suggesting earlier that Cinema and home mixes are completely different. So it would likely be a studio decision/contract issue as to which format is used for the home release.

I am of the opinion, whatever the format if it's good it's good and gimme more

 

[snakeeyes]

There are definitely some bad ATMOS and DTSX BD.

But here is my thinking. If a movie was created with ATMOS from the start to be released theatrically, then the final ATMOS BD will be more likely to sound much better than a movie that as created with only DD or DTS from the start.

If movies are not even created with DTSX from the start to be released theatrically, then wouldn’t it be more like an afterthought? Kind of like taking an old DTS movie from 1990 and remastering it?

Or do you think for BD production, they have to go back to the editing room and remaster every single movie anyway?

I read somewhere that mixing the sound for Blu-ray release is done often in only a couple days. This was in reference to the easier use of the DTS software vs Dolby.

 

[TechHDS]

You would think with the 10’s of millions they make off of Blu-ray and 4K disks they would give a premium product? I have GOT seasons 6 and 7 they are among the best surround disks I have.

Mike

 

[Auditor55]

I think William or Andy was suggesting earlier that Cinema and home mixes are completely different. So it would likely be a studio decision/contract issue as to which format is used for the home release.

I am of the opinion, whatever the format if it's good it's good and gimme more

Well, that's the issue, they are not always good. Not like what you hear in the cinema. If you watch a movie in Atmos at the cinema, you're going to get an object based audio experience, where sounds will move around. If a studio decides to release the home version in DTS-X and not use the object based audio palette, instead mix into a channel based surround sound, your experience at home will be different.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I just saw “Edge of Tomorrow” again. This time in DTSNX.

The sound was amazing so I bet the ATMOS version would be so awesome.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

If you watch a movie in Atmos at the cinema, you're going to get an object based audio experience, where sounds will move around.

When you say "Cinema", are you talking about any of the commercial movie theaters equipped with Atmos?

I've seen many Atmos movies at commercial theaters equipped with Atmos (OK, TX, CA, FL), and I have not been impressed.

Just one of many examples was the movie "Gravity". When I saw it in Atmos at a local commercial theater, I was very underwhelmed because I couldn't hear much difference. But when I saw it in Atmos at home, I could easily and quickly notice a huge difference.

 

[Auditor55]

When you say "Cinema", are you talking about any of the commercial movie theaters equipped with Atmos?

I've seen many Atmos movies at commercial theaters equipped with Atmos (OK, TX, CA, FL),and I have not been impressed.

Just one of many examples was the movie "Gravity". When I saw it in Atmos at a local commercial theater, I was very underwhelmed because I couldn't hear much difference. But when I saw it in Atmos at home, I could easily and quickly notice a huge difference.

Yes. Dolby Cinema. The Dolby Cinema down the street from my house is awesome. Some of the movies I have seen there have been impressive. They have D-Box, Dolby Vision and 8K resolution. I prefer it over 11.1 channel Laser Projection IMAX.

Gravity was kind of a slow paced, quiet movie, without a really impressive soundtrack for a cinema with a souped up sound system to take advantage of. I seen that recent Predator movie (BTW, one of worst movies I've seen in a long time),the Atmos sound track was amazing, sounds moving all around you, maybe that was the cinema mix, I don't know, but it was impressive to me. Only thing I don't like about some Atmos soundtracks is that some of the sound mixer get ridiculous with it, placing sound objects overhead that has no place being there, which becomes and distraction takes away from the movie.

 

[andyblackcat]

Alien Covernat, has become my new guilty pleasure least chapter 20 that I can play for solid one hour.

Yes. Dolby Cinema. The Dolby Cinema down the street from my house is awesome. Some of the movies I have seen there have been impressive. They have D-Box, Dolby Vision and 8K resolution. I prefer it over 11.1 channel Laser Projection IMAX.

Gravity was kind of a slow paced, quiet movie, without a really impressive soundtrack for a cinema with a souped up sound system to take advantage of. I seen that recent Predator movie (BTW, one of worst movies I've seen in a long time),the Atmos sound track was amazing, sounds moving all around you, maybe that was the cinema mix, I don't know, but it was impressive to me. Only thing I don't like about some Atmos soundtracks is that some of the sound mixer get ridiculous with it, placing sound objects overhead that has no place being there, which becomes and distraction takes away from the movie.

I know they type of overhead sounds your talking about that don't seem to match the onscreen visuals or what is to the sides behind above and yes below as well but Atmos, none of these formats have discrete below surround so mixers shove it all above and makes no sounding sense at all?

My biggest gripe is rain effects it never sounds correct with rain above in the wide outdoors as raindrops make surface contact with lots of surface objects mostly the ground where it would plainly sound. It has sense of above due to distance of it the angle height of ourselves and with trees in the distance we hear a different least "I" hear a different frequencies of the rain.

If you walked along the pavement on a rainy day and happened to pass by a storm drain you hear the water going down it at below angle from your standing ear height. Get down on your hands and knees to listen closely, get the idea? Directors and Mixers ain't giving all their effort with Atmos because in small way its bit of dud a for sound.

Take that what's it film, "Unbroken" I only seen clips of it on youtube but with no below surround those airplanes are going to sound very unconvincing as "skies the limit" so planes in real life would be heard above and below other planes, Now then! Yes we have all been conned by Auro, Atmos, dtsx, Liemax 12ch they each and all are copycatting the other and no one of them has better encoding decoding system to offer.

Edit: Brought "Unbroken" I think I give it a try it was cheap on bluray.

 

[andyblackcat]

SALT (2010)
Dolby Atmos

I have the bluray when it was released and thought maybe get it again. feeling frowned now.

I'm not even sure the Cinemascope is wide enough for these lips.

Dolby Atmos remix of the oscar nominated sound mix is just dreadfully unbalanced with overhead surrounds where I found myself reducing the overhead surround levels from all the rest of level settings that are 0.0db I had to reduce the overheads -6.0db down. I liked the movie few years ago. Maybe I got out of the wrong side of bed today? Feeling depressed and I want throw this movie in the cat-litter.

I found myself chapter jumping really not caring about my 4k Atmos investment for my Marantz SR6012 not even caring about the 4k image as well.

The sound effects is just a holy Atmos mess on this remix. Come on discrete BELOW SURROUND where are you as mixers still have their hands tied behind their backs when mixing. Maybe I will like the movie in few months time?

Well during the end credits with all the channels muted except for the overhead surrounds I got really fed up with movie I ejected it! I found it inSALTing for my ears.

 

[Bookmark]

I do like Salt, alas mine is only a bluray. I may try an upmix on it and see how that is.

Which version? There are 3 versions on my disc. One was the Theatrical and two other re-edits. I prefer the one which ends up back at the training centre in Russia (also the longest I believe). I disliked the other endings, unless they planned on a sequel at some point.

I watched Oblivion and Gravity up mixed and they were fine. The Gravity re-entry and the flies were particularly good, but the initial comms before the strike were not really moving off the horizontal plane but they still panned around.

The kitten will watch anything.. Johnny English Reborn. She particularly like the helicopter bit.

 

[andyblackcat]

The squeal to Salt is Pepper.
Well looks like Salt ended up...

Gone to bed early today was going to give that hacksaw ridge a listen to in Atmos but Salt really put me in bad mood. They do say too much Salt is bad for you. I don't even put Salt on my dinner no-more.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I might watch Salt 2010 again in Atmos.

Atmos is pretty much an excuse to re-watch some of these movies.

I saw "Punisher War Zone Remastered in Atmos" last night. It was loud, which is expected of action movies like this. The Atmos sound didn't really grab my attention like "Gravity" or "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies". It was still a good excuse to re-watch the movie.