What does Dolby Atmos mean

Obviously, most people are not going to hang speakers on the ceiling, the manufacturers of Home Cinema then had to find an alternative: send the sound to the ceiling so that it “rebounds” and returns from above. This is why the bars or the most upscale compatible atmospheries have loudspeakers oriented upwards.

Dolby Atmos: how this 3D sound technology works and why is really cool

Whether for films or music, Dolby Atmos is an “immersive” audio format that offers an unprecedented listening experience in three dimensions. We will explain everything to you.

The CNET France team with CNET.com

Posted on 10/16/2019 at 12:33 PM | Updated on 12/16/2019

Dolby Atmos is a format of sound competing with DTS: X. It is found in certain cinemas and in home cinema systems of individuals, in particular the bars of its. This “immersive” audio format has the distinction of adding a vertical sound dimension to provide a three -dimensional rendering, but not that. Let’s go for a little technical brief.

What is surround sound ?

To understand what Dolby Atmos brings, you must first have in mind the functioning of sound soundtrack. In the cinema or among those who have home cinema, everything you hear in a film, music with voices as well as sound effects, goes into specific “canals”. To put it simply, let’s take as an example the Dolby Digital 5 systems.1, that is to say the most common in individuals (there are also systems 7.1 with side speakers for example).

In such an installation, there is the front left front, the central speaker, the right front speaker, the left rear speaker (or left surround) and the right rear speaker (or straight surround). The low frequencies go through the subwoofer, a speaker specializing in the restitution of serious sounds.

Example of a cinema equipped with a 7 system.1

So when an actor on the screen speaks, his voice goes through the central speaker. For music, the sound usually passes over the front left and right channels. When an actor speaks out of scope from a place on the left of the setting for example, it is the front left enclosure which is requested, and when an airplane passes over the camera, you feel the sound moving from the front enclosures to rear speakers. The location of your speakers, their power and their scope vary considerably compared to a movie theater.

More precise and 3D spatialization

For its part, Dolby Atmos does not really use channels. Instead, most sounds are treated as “objects”. Instead of assigning a sound to a canal (and by extension to a speaker), the atmos allows filmmakers to assign a sound to a positioning in space. Thus, we do not work on a “left surround speaker” but on a “left back angle”. This gives greater flexibility, and it improves experience in the cinema and, potentially, at home.

With the Dolby Atmos, the mix of the film’s soundtrack is therefore different, but the decoding too. In cinemas, the number of speakers can vary considerably. Unlike the Dolby Digital which will ensure a dissemination of sound in 5, even 7 channels whatever happens and regardless of the number of loudspeakers, Dolby Atmos will adapt to disseminate a more specific sound. All speakers can be sent individually and a sound engineer can locate the exact place in the room where he wants to place a sound. This is what the image below shows us below.

With Dolby Atmos, right on this image, it is possible to place the sound on one of the side speakers, and no longer on the whole side canal

This also applies to the flagship functionality of Atmos: the height. With Dolby Digital, our cinemas and our Home Cinema were able to spread a 360 ° sound, but they lacked the vertical dimension. With speakers suspended from the ceiling, sound engineers can now move the sounds over your head. This effect is more convincing, more natural and more immersive.

A certain number of cinemas are equipped with Dolby Atmos today in France (to obtain the list, it’s here), but this technology has also entered the homes in recent years with systems of speakers or bars of his compatible. And it’s not just the movies. Tidal and Amazon Music now offer a small selection of songs remixed in Atmos.

A clever use of sound reflections

Obviously, most people are not going to hang speakers on the ceiling, the manufacturers of Home Cinema then had to find an alternative: send the sound to the ceiling so that it “rebounds” and returns from above. This is why the bars or the most upscale compatible atmospheries have loudspeakers oriented upwards.

At the top of this image, you have a 5 system.1 with additional speakers above the speakers to project the sound upwards. Below, a sound bar uses the same technique

This is the case with the Samsung HW-Q90R, our favorite sound bar, or the excellent Sony HT-S5000. If this technique remains less effective than hanging on ceiling speakers, it is however impressive when it is well controlled. But to take advantage of the Dolby Atmos, you need not only a compatible audio system but also a compatible source, namely a Blu-ray player, certain game consoles or certain compatible streaming boxes. And of course, you need Dolby Atmos content ..

Sky is the limit

Dolby Atmos drops a lot of limits. Know that you can create a system comprising up to 34 speakers including 10 just for the height effects if you sing you ! Obviously, it is really not necessary. But it is good to know if you have a pile of speakers and amps that you want to recycle.

Regarding content, it’s actually quite easy. If you like streaming, Netflix and other platforms offer Dolby Atmos content. On disc, we find them in Blu-ray and in video games. If the film is in 4K, there is a good chance that it is also Dolby Atmos.

Is it worth changing your equipment to take advantage of Atmos ? If you are film buffs and audiophile: yes. For the others, you can wait for the moment when you will have to renew your installation, there is a good chance that the devices are mainly compatible atmos at that time. In any case for the moment, nothing presses because these systems are always a little expensive, especially the good.

Read also :

Image: Sarah Tew/Cnet, Dolby

What does Dolby Atmos mean?

If you are a film expert, the name Dolby probably sounds a bell. Yes, it is at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood that has been given, every year since 2012, the Oscars rewarding the greatest craftsmen in the cinema in the cinema.

Among the audio technologies on the market, Dolby Atmos appears to be a reference in this area. First present in the cinemas, this technology has gradually settled in the equipment and films of our house. Today, the Dolby Atmos sound also extends to the world of music and video games. Although known, few people really know what Dolby Atmos means.

While Dolby Atmos means? Cinema, music, video games, electronic fillion expert advisers explain what Dolby Atmos is and how to enjoy it at home!

What does Dolby Atmos mean: an evolution of the Dolby Surround

Dolby Atmos technology has been Launched in 2012. She wants to be like a significant evolution of the well -known Dolby Surround. Dolby Atmos wants to be a sound experience multidimensional. In other words, the sound reaches your ears on all sides. In front, behind and even from the ceiling, the Sound spatialization is 3D, as if you were at movie theater. Very expensive and available on a few devices when it comes out, Dolby Atmos technology is becoming more and more and is now Compatible with many devices.

The sound environment proposed by Dolby Atmos therefore surpasses all the previously used technologies and allows you to live a unique experience, at home. There clarity and the sound depth are also better. Dolby Atmos also reveals all its potential in the scenes where the sound effects are vertical : an airplane or a helicopter passing over your head, the falling rain, someone walking on the floor of the upper floor, etc.

Film directors using Dolby Atmos can also decide on the exact origin of these sounds and their precise displacement as the scene is developed since This technology is not based on channels, but rather on audio objects. Thinking the sound in this way eliminates a lot from the limits of the channel -based audio.

What does Dolby Atmos mean: a multitude of possible uses

Unlike some popular ideas, Dolby Atmos technology is not limited to the world of cinema. Indeed, Dolby Atmos is present in other universes such as the music where the video game. Because yes, to enjoy a sound experience worthy of a phillermonic room or live your game games as if you were on the battlefield, Dolby Atmos is present for you.

To listen to your music With Dolby Atmos, you must have a compatible device, as well as a subscription to Apple Music. Like this, you can enjoy an incomparable sound experience, where each nuance of your song reaches you. In order to have an overview of what Dolby Atmos offers, know that it is possible to listen to certain songs in Dolby Atmos on the brand’s website. Listen to the classic “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye in Dolby Atmos? Yes it’s possible!

Finally for the video game, Dolby Atmos, you also need to have a compatible equipment to the Dolby Atmos sound as well as a game console and a game that is compatible (F1 2021, Halo infinite among others). Currently available only on consoles Next-Gen Xbox Series X | S. Technology should soon land on the Sony console.

What equipment is necessary to use the Dolby Atmos sound?

It exists Two different ways to enjoy the Dolby Atmos sound. The first is using speakers, with a Configuration 5.1 or 7.1 (a subwoofer and 5 or 7 speakers). You can also enjoy “Virtually” Dolby Atmos technology. Indeed, some sound bars are equipped with a Dolby Atmos chip who recreates the Dolby Atmos experience without requiring a configuration 5.1 or 7.1.

In any case, keep in mind that beyond compatible equipment, All movies, series and video games cannot be lived in Dolby Atmos. So remember to check if your Netflix series or film or your Blu-ray supports Dolby Atmos technology.

If you want to have a real Dolby Atmos experience as in the cinema, Here is the equipment you will need at home.

A home cinema receiver that supports the Dolby Atmos

The home cinema receiver is The device responsible for decoding the sound signal of a film and distribute the sound precisely to the various speakers in your system.

You should therefore make sure that your home film receiver will take care of the Dolby Atmos sound.

The Yamaha RX-V6A cinema receiver allows you to be able to distribute the Dolby Atmos technology to the speakers in your room.

Adapted speakers

With Dolby Atmos, the best configuration remains Adding 5 or 7 speakers and a serious box In order to create a configuration 5.1 or 7.1. Starting from this base, it is possible to add 2 Dolby Atmos speakers to your ceiling in order to return the high sounds directly from these speakers.

Note that the addition of Dolby Atmos speakers does not know any limits and that you can add as much as you want, for an ever richer and faithful sound experience. When you add home film speakers, the Dolby Atmos compatible receiver automatically determines how to use them to create a fantastic and immersive sound.

The Dolby Atmos Focal Chora 826-D speaker is an excellent choice to enjoy a unique cinema experience at home.

You could also opt for a set whose 2 satellite speakers have a second speaker, installed on the upper side, and which Direct the sound to the ceiling From a studied angle so that the sound signal is reflected throughout the listening room.

A Dolby Atmos soundbar

As we explained to you previously, Dolby Atmos technology can also be distributed through an intelligent sound bar equipped with a Dolby Atmos chip. Coupled with other speakers, the audio rendering is even better.

However, these bars of its Dolby Atmos can already allow you to take advantage of this technology, especially for those who cannot invest in a configuration 5.1 or 7.1.

The Dolby Atmos Sonos Arc soundbar allows you to enjoy Dolby technology with ease.

Treat yourself to Dolby Atmos sound by shopping at Fillion Electronic

In short, the Dolby Atmos sound brings the last experience of a real cinema in your home, by creating 3D sound effects that envelop you in a unique way. But that’s not all! This technology is also intended for the world of music and video games. Thanks to this technology, you find yourself as close as possible to your entertainment, as if you were there.

The Dolby Atmos experience, however, requires certain equipment, in order to be able to support this technology and take advantage of it as it should. Receiver, speakers, this is a certain investment.

To find out more about electronic devices compatible with the Dolby Atmos sound, do not hesitate to call on the expertise of our advisers, online or in store. At Fillion Electronique, we are the benchmark for home and audio cinema in Quebec !