Dolby Atmos for home

[manoj.p]

Sooner than you thought. Available later this year.
Dolby Atmos: Coming soon to a living room near you - Dolby - Lab Notes

Onkyo has a website - http://dolbyatmos.onkyousa.com/

Denon and Pioneer will also have receivers with Atmos.

 

[srinisundar]

Really i think it is an waste of money and another marketing gimmick..

I dont think so most of the guys( whomever i know installed home theater or using HT in home) they have NOT properly used the present DTS-HD or Dolby tru-HD or even DTS ... Most of their systems were never calibrated or speaker placed according to the studio specified.

What is the point of using the Atmos ? I am not even happy with the Atmos system in the Satyam complex and dont feel VAST difference between other screens.

 

[RajithKumar]

Yes agree with u Mr.Srini...Dolby Atmos I've tried in Mayajaal Theater at Chennai..I didn't satisfied much ..may be I dont know whether the theater guys have installed it correctly or not ..

But I liked AURO 3D of Vishwaroopam there..

As already BARCO Auro 3D has been lauched in some of the AVR and some Bluray AURO 3D formats (recently read in some Internet reviews) ,Dolby might have taken this strategic initiative to increase their market share..(In my view)
Since the world is changing with new technologies we may need to stick/adapt newer versions hence let us wait n watch...

 

[captrajesh]

Really i think it is an waste of money and another marketing gimmick.

Cant agree more. :thumbsup:

Quoting from the blog linked:

Dolby Atmos has the amazing ability to have sounds come from above you. In the movie Noah, for instance, Dolby Atmos in the cinema made it sound like the torrential rains were pouring down from the sky on top of you.

Never knew one could hear the sound of rain drops falling from above. :lol:

 

[BOSS8055]

I too was disappointed by ATMOS watching in PRASADS Hyderabad an year ago. May be not all movies can tap the whole potential of this system. But technology keeps evolving so does our equipment. Even if we like it or not Dolby will make sure its in next gen AVRs. My concern is how many speakers should we buy to get the feel!! 24??? :sad:

 

[manu george]

still I didnt understand how the connection will go in a 7.2 channel avr.does it mean that the rear 2 channels will go up and cofigure like 5.1.2

 

[ranjeetrain]

Technology by itself is impressive. Would be fun to watch movies in a setup where it's correctly installed. But, it is not likely to take off in a country like India where people are still unable to utilize 7.1 fully. Lack of space is very important criteria.

 

[manoj.p]

Well, the one thing impressive about Dolby Atmos is the Object oriented audio. It is not based on the channels anymore. The receiver knows the speaker layout for any room and render the sound to these speakers based on layout. So, you can get sound rendered in between speakers, panning becomes more effective and gives an enveloping sound stage + surround field.

But you are right. Some people may implement it right, some may have restrictions and some will mess it up. I mean some people can't even get 5.1/7.1 right. Good thing is that it will become standard and everyone will have it, whether they implement or not.

As for Manu George's question: It could be handled the same way done now. In 7.1 receivers, you have a choice to use surround back or height speakers. Some receivers even provide 9 speaker outputs and you can wire all 9 speakers. But only 7 will be active at the same, depending upon whether one chooses PLIIx (back channels) vs PLIIz (height channels)

One thing I just realized. People will have this in their homes even before all the theaters get it.

 

[sdurani]

The receiver knows the speaker layout for any room and render the sound to these speakers based on layout.

Not the first generation of receivers, but that will come down the road, along with the ability to render to more speakers.

 

[sdurani]

The 3 "Top" speaker locations are for use with Atmos. "Heights" are for use with PLIIz, Neo:X or Audyssey DSX.
You can use a single pair (directly above) or two pairs (slightly forward and rearward of your listening position).

 

[gap g j]

Really i think it is an waste of money and another marketing gimmick..

I dont think so most of the guys( whomever i know installed home theater or using HT in home) they have NOT properly used the present DTS-HD or Dolby tru-HD or even DTS ... Most of their systems were never calibrated or speaker placed according to the studio specified.

What is the point of using the Atmos ? I am not even happy with the Atmos system in the Satyam complex and dont feel VAST difference between other screens.

+1 Yes you are right, I have not experienced any sweet spot in any of the theatres. I watched viswaroopam in auro 3d and in DTS, I didn't find any difference. For auro 3d they have placed the speakers few inches above the existing speakers. What difference will it make in sound? It's a gimmick to charge extra amount from us.

 

[tintin2k2]

Watched "How to Train your Dragon 2" in Dolby Atmos @ LUXE. I was amazed by the sound effects... And it seemed a bit different than what I experienced for the same movie in RDX. Might be some change like fine notes were clearly audible. For example the secondary audio source like the two dragons fighting over a stick in the background was clearly audible over the chat between Hiccup and Astrid. I actually asked the Sathyam guys what the difference was.... and they said that this ATMOS thingy is much sharper and cleaner audio compared to RDX which is more bass-oriented.
Apart from some minor changes.. I found that both delivered the same story and effect on me..

 

[sdurani]

With Atmos and Auro on board, meet the new badshah of surround processors:

 

[Rockfella]

Another thing to chase after.

 

[Santy]

Do we need 32 channel power amp? :lol:

I agree with capt. We don't hear rains from the sky. Only when it hits the surfaces on the ground. Or when we are under thin roofs. Unless it is fiction, very few sounds we would hear from above. Thunder, birds and choppers/airplanes. Or the footsteps from the attic (good for horror movies :lol.

Whatever, I am yet to experience atmos. Object based audio must certainly make a difference. And top speakers may not be necessarily used to project sounds from above, I believe it helps to create a more realistic atmosphere. And I agree, implementation is the key.

 

[sdurani]

We don't hear rains from the sky.

Real vs reel (movies). If you ask the typical movie-goer where they expect the sound of rain to come from, they'll point up. Movie mixers deliver on that expectation. Same reason why fight scenes have dishum-dishum sound effects instead of what a fist fight actually sounds like.

 

[musicbee]

All movie watching is suspension of belief... otherwise one cannot watch it with logic and the critical factor involved in the process.

Unlikely a person in that "trance" state really knows where the sound is coming from or even where it should come from.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[kneo]

Well, this trend seems to be catching up. Pioneer has recently launched their Elite series of Atmos compatible speakers designed by Andrew Jones. They have an additional coaxial driver on top of the speaker to project the height channel, thus eliminating the need for installing the ceiling speakers. Using this series, one can have a traditional 5.1 setup layout physically and still end up utilizing the 4 additional height channels of Atmos compatible AVRs.

 

[manoj.p]

Real vs reel (movies). If you ask the typical movie-goer where they expect the sound of rain to come from, they'll point up. Movie mixers deliver on that expectation. Same reason why fight scenes have dishum-dishum sound effects instead of what a fist fight actually sounds like.

or you hear thunder and see lightening at the same time....

 

[sdurani]

Keep in mind that those virtual height speakers are only for people who can't/won't install in-ceiling or on-ceiling speakers. Dolby still recommends actual speakers above you as the first choice. But if you are not willing to punch holes in your ceiling, then virtual height speakers (upward firing drivers reflecting off the ceiling) is a good second choice.