Dolby Atmos

[jhaider]

A bit off-topic from the OP ... I am not sure of the Apple TV+' value proposition, besides the Apple UI and a good number of Atmos movies.. I mean, you pay the Netflix subscription, and you have tons of content (however poorly organized and suggested they are ) but Apple TV+ ??? Anything you care to watch has to be purchased or rented ...

I think you’re confusing two Apple services. There is the old rental/purchase storefront (pay per unit, no monthly fee) and the subscription streaming service (fixed monthly fee). Unlike Amazon (where “Prime Video” streaming seems like a loss leader for purchases, i.e. one episode of a show is free but the next is for purchase), I think Apple separates them. I could be wrong. We haven’t used the Apple streaming service.

 

[FrantzM]

Very interesting topic, thanks @FrantzM !
So I'm curious about Apple TV+ : Is their hardware box required for Atmos/DTS support, or does their app on Roku support it as well?

As for the value proposition - also a concern, but willing to try it out if only for the Greyhound movie coming out soon - that should be pretty good in full surround.

Is there a subscription fee just for access, PLUS a fee for each viewing (are the 'rentals' or purchases?).
Hard to tell from all their glitzy 'sell' pages.

I'd be ok with a service where I only pay for what I watch, less ok with a subscription+rental fee model (like Prime, though not an apples to apples! comparison

I've just gotten my Big System (PC/NUC based) back to HT/BR 'compatibility' and am now looking into streaming surround sources, and not finding much. (I'd be using an Oppo103 HDMI input for decoding to it's analog outputs; it supports Atmos and DTS.)
If I have to wait for BDs to drop, I'm willing to do that, but streaming (even in 'just' 1080) would be fine, at least until such time as I upgrade to a newer projector.

Purchasing Yet Another streaming box/ecosystem?? Meh. Not so much.

Thanks!

Hi Neddy!
Very new to Atmos but from the tittles i experienced the past day, it is an advance on MCH, in audio reproduction.
AppleTV+ is one of the numerous boxes that can decode Atmos and send it to your AVR. so are several BD-Playe and Roku... . I believe the X-Box is so able but the upcoming Sony PS5 may not. I find The Apple Tv 4Kits interface slick and the ability to use SIRI to do (some) things is most welcomed. I am also new to Apple TV+ but from the littlest I've experienced, it is not a Netflix replacement. The way most people navigate Netflix and could potentially find a cornucopia of (poorly cataloged, organized) contents, is not matched by Amazon, even less by Apple TV+. There are a lot of movies but for the most part you have to pay for those movies on Apple TV+. IOW this Apple streaming service is poor, the lack of free content is most glaring weakness. You pay Netflix subscription and you watch everything Netflix provides for your geographical location.. All for just the monthly fee. Not so with Apple TV+

 

[valerianf]

After decades of dictatorship from the CD audio format I am hoping that Dolby Atmos will become the new standard for music soundtrack.
Come on, when you are going to a live concert (before the pandemic), you are hearing Atmos sound, not CD sound!

 

[witchdoctor]

Ok
IT was too beautiful to last ... FOr some odd reasons which I am researching and sharing with you here. Now I don;t even get an indication of "Dolby Surround", let alone "Dolby Atmos" on my receiver. Mind you the sound is clearly multi-channel but not knowing what to expect ... I can't tell if it is Atmos or not, at least 5.1 .. No longer does the "Dolby Atmos" lights up... I've always used the cheapest HDMI available with great results. In the Apple Forum they seem to suggest to use a Belkin High Speed HDMI cable .. What I don';t get is that it worked for a while !!
It shouldn't be that complicated ... I will get back to you on this... I

Make sure your source is setup for bitsteam out to your receiver or it won't see the Atmos stream. I don't think the HDMI cable will make a difference.

 

[witchdoctor]

After decades of dictatorship from the CD audio format I am hoping that Dolby Atmos will become the new standard for music soundtrack.
Come on, when you are going to a live concert (before the pandemic), you are hearing Atmos sound, not CD sound!

You can stream any content you want (2 channel, 5.1, 7.1, etc) in Atmos or DTS-X if you have an X-Box.
1) Download the Dolby Access and DTS Sound Unbound from the Microsft Store on your X-Box.
2) Go into settings>audio>bitstream out
3) Then select the codec you want to stream in (Atmos,DTS-X, etc)
4) Anything you play via the X-Box will now be in that format, your receiver "sees" the meta data and decodes it.
This system of streaming via the X-Box is much better than the upmixers in your receiver for non-native immersive content. You can even stream audio to it via DLNA and listen to one of your CD's upmixed into Atmos or just play the CD using the X-Box.

My media room is setup for both 9.1.4 Atmos and 13.1 Auro 3D:

 

[valerianf]

My current happiness is about recording: more and more sound studio are mixing a Dolby atmos soundtrack.
And Dolby atmos is coming to your home (streaming, BR...).
A new era is starting.

 

[Katruje]

Bumping an old thread with some new content. This read is pretty compelling. It would be nice to see something finally replace 2-channel stereo. The engineer specifically mentioned HD660s and Focal speakers along with radio and Sonos. As good as stereo can be, for sure there could be better ways.

https://www.musicradar.com/news/an-...music-is-definitely-going-to-supersede-stereo

 

[FrantzM]

Bumping an old thread with some new content. This read is pretty compelling. It would be nice to see something finally replace 2-channel stereo. The engineer specifically mentioned HD660s and Focal speakers along with radio and Sonos. As good as stereo can be, for sure there could be better ways.

https://www.musicradar.com/news/an-...music-is-definitely-going-to-supersede-stereo

I read the article.

I am a Dolby Atmos fan. Repeating myself here and being utterly ignorant of DTS-X, Atmos is a serious advance in sound reproduction. The benefits are real.
I am old enough to remember Quadraphonic, , it bombed. We have now cheap bandwidth, cheap storage, cheap and powerful processing and cheap hardware for music reproduction and production, . I think it is the right time. People that are in Sound productions must be correctly educated and the artists too. the article mentioned Adele as being produced by the article's facility. I don't listen to Adele to comment on her artistic merits but the sound of many of her pieces I have heard is horribly compressed and loud, only loud ... I believe her artistic intents could have been carried with better production/recording and mastering.
We'll see..

 

[Zedly]

The challenge is that Atmos is a proprietary format, and the mastering/encoding tools are not cheap or easy to use. Not every label/producer will be willing/able to pay Dolby to mix in Atmos. And indie artists will not have the resources to be able to take advantage of Atmos, so they will continue to mix in stereo. I love multi-channel and frequently listen to upmixed tracks, but It is hard for me to see multi-channel mixes becoming popular until there is an open standard adopted industry-wide.

 

[DubbyMcDubs]

@FrantzM I have a Dolby Atmos setup in my HT. I use JBL SCS 8 speakers for both overheads and surrounds. LCR's are JBL 4722. The SCS8's are amazing and they are very affordable. You will see them commonly used on JBL setups at shows. They have 120x120 deg dispersion and excellent off-axis performance. Consider those for sure. If I had my time over again, I would use SCS8's for overhead and something lower profile for the surrounds, but only due to the size of my room, perhaps JBL Synthesis SCL-2. https://jblpro.com/en/products/scs-8

EDIT: Pricing https://socalcinetech.com/product/jbl-scs8-speaker/

As for a player, have you looked at the Nvidia Shield Pro? I use one and it works great. One caveat is that it does not have a mode for forced Dolby Vision, if that was important to you. I personally use my Oppo 203 to play my blu ray rips as it will force DV output, which I have running through a HDFury Vertex 2 configured with a Sony EDID to fool it into thinking the projector (Sony 260ES) is LLDV compatible, giving me control over the colour mapping and dynamic tone mapping.