Is Dolby Atmos the Audio Equivalent of 3D TV?

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1439 posts

Uber Geek

#1762284 12-Apr-2017 15:48

hey max, what about atmos soundbars ?

http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/dolby-atmos-soundbars-everything-you-need-to-know/

Maxcat

273 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1762291 12-Apr-2017 15:58

I know...I know...

The thing that gets me is the outright fudging that is going with Atmos - when it doesn't need it.

It is one of the most important developments in HT, despite the greatly watered down nature of the process in the domestic HT environment.

But it is the promotion and information that is really getting in the way.

If you believe it the graphic below suggests that these upward firing Atmos speaker systems have the most directed dispersion in audio history..!

They act just like light canons and go exactly where they are intended..amazing!! Going on this dispersion graphic you couldn't hear them if you were two feet away from them!

I've seen and read (and written) a lot over many years in audio but this Atmos marketing stuff really takes the audio cake!

ilovemusic

1439 posts

Uber Geek

#1769220 23-Apr-2017 13:28

the new lg oled 4k tv's can do all 4 flavours of hdr but have to dumb down atmos on their new soundbars.

atmos borked !

bwhahaha

" It was surprising enough to find support for Dolby’s object-based sound platform on the flagship W7 OLEDs - and those ship with large external control and audio units fitted with a powerful 4.2 speaker system. Finding Dolby Atmos also supported by the much more compact sound bar integrated into the OLED65E7 almost beggars belief - as well as, it must be said, raising questions over whether Dolby has started to dilute Dolby Atmos expectancy a little too far for comfort.

Unfortunately, as with the W7 range, the potential usefulness of the OLED65E7’s Dolby Atmos support is bizarrely limited by the TV not recognizing Atmos tracks on Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray discs. It will only play Atmos from streamed sources or files stored on USB sticks that derive the Atmos information from Dolby Digital+ rather than Dolby True HD streams. "

- why even bother ?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarcher/2017/04/07/lg-oled65e7-oled65e7v-65e7-4k-oled-tv-review-oled-comes-of-age/#6e783ab23129

Dunnersfella

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#1769247 23-Apr-2017 14:54

Yet people still buy LG audio components?*

*Queue someone coming along attempting to defend their MusicFlow wifi system...

Maxcat

273 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1769293 23-Apr-2017 18:03

It really doesn't matter whether people buy LG audio components - it only matters that Dolby license them.

Of course Dolby has 'diluted Dolby Atmos expectancy a little too far for comfort'. They did that the minute they painted the picture above of a totally implausible dispersion (while calling the soundfield a 'bubble') or offered it as a mobile app:

https://devs-lab.com/install-dolby-atmos-audio-system-in-android.html

Dunnersfella

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#1769311 23-Apr-2017 18:57

WiFi speed ratings are a joke of marketing hype that have no place in the real world.

Amplifier power ratings 4ohms, 1kHz @ unspecified THD 1 ch driven are marketing hype that helps no one.

BHP in a new vehicle has no place in deciding the performance of a new car.

Atmos is just one of many things that we're marketed that doesn't stick to the facts and only the facts.

Sales and marketing folk get involved, PR companies are recruited, magazine writers and reviewers are all happy to ride the train...

It's the world we live in.

Again, I've heard reflective Atmos and it's really quite effective.

I don't consult diagrams on websites while the Atmos content is playing either...

richms

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#1769317 23-Apr-2017 19:14

Dunnersfella:

Yet people still buy LG audio components?*

*Queue someone coming along attempting to defend their MusicFlow wifi system...

Oh hell its the worst thing ever. Broken crash prone laggy junk that cant even 5GHz wifi properly, "playing in sync" that can have up to 60ms error between speakers - really great when its your wireless rear speakers. And an app that mysteriously stopped seeing the speakers after their last update.

If you have them in seperate rooms where you cant hear 2 of them, they are well enough in sync to be usefull but forget making a stereo pair of them or using them as rears on a soundbar.

They were really cheap tho, so they have that going for them.

Richard rich.ms

Equinox IT

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richms

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#1769330 23-Apr-2017 19:17

Dunnersfella:

WiFi speed ratings are a joke of marketing hype that have no place in the real world.

No, it is quite an important measure of link quality. Problem is that things will report the theoretical for a 3x3 connection and show 450 when most of the streams are not usable so the air rate is closer to 200, and then people not understanding the difference between the rate over the air and thruput of the link.

If I see my phone is connected at 72 megabit I know somethings wrong. The biggest bull.... is the signal bars on things. Ive got full bars!!

Dunnersfella:

Amplifier power ratings 4ohms, 1kHz @ unspecified THD 1 ch driven are marketing hype that helps no one.

As is people who quote "watts RMS" and think it's a real unit of measure, and are comparing different test paramaters but the one with more "watts RMS" is the better one because the number is bigger.

Richard rich.ms

Maxcat

273 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2103665 9-Oct-2018 08:56

Is anyone getting Atmos soundfield decoding working from Netflix or Lightbox?

Dunnersfella

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#2105844 10-Oct-2018 19:19

Netflix is easy - you just need to have the top level of subscription (UHD).

I have no experience with Lightbox, is it still a thing?

Maxcat

273 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2105846 10-Oct-2018 19:22

OK - thanks how many titles are Atmos?

Lightbox is still working although its functionality should send shivers down the spines of anyone looking at rugby streaming next year. Just read the Lightbox app ratings.

ilovemusic

1439 posts

Uber Geek

#2107850 14-Oct-2018 23:23

Maxcat:

Is anyone getting Atmos soundfield decoding working from Netflix or Lightbox?

lightbox doesn't even have 5.1 surround ?

i've just watched the new antman film in 4k and the atmos soundtrack sounds worse than the dts-hd ma track on the bluray.

another duff disney soundtrack that is good with spatial effects but low on level and dynamics.

nitro

656 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2108667 16-Oct-2018 10:23

Dunnersfella:

Netflix is easy - you just need to have the top level of subscription (UHD).

Per Netflix, it's not supported on any/all hardware... Neither chromecast nor shield is included.

Netflix - Atmos

The following devices support Dolby Atmos with Netflix:

Apple TV 4K (requires tvOS 12 or later)
LG OLED TVs (2017 or newer models)
Pixela 4K Smart Tuner
Sony BRAVIA Android TVs (2018 models)
Windows 10 app (requires Windows 10 RS3 Build 16299 or later)
Xbox One, Xbox One S, and Xbox One X

Dingbatt

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#2108762 16-Oct-2018 11:57

I used the excuse of redoing our theatre room ceiling to put some Atmos speakers in.
Most of our movie viewing these days is from the AppleTV. The AppleTV4K does Atmos for iTunes movies (where available) as well as Netflix.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

networkn

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#2108798 16-Oct-2018 12:22

I have to say, that the Atmos speakers (2 additional, in ceiling) over the 5.1 system we had before, has made a subtle but also noticeable difference to the sound both in Movies in Games. I also really like 3D from the home cinema projectors I have had, they are better in my experience, than the ones at the movie theatres. Obviously screen size is different, but it's not too much of an issue.

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