The additional speakers are the ones that will re-create the “overhead” sound. (You were probably thinking you needed more speakers anyway, right?) The not-good-at-all news is that your existing AVR or pre/pro will likely have to be replaced with one that includes Atmos processing (though some 2014 models are upgradeable now via firmware). The less-than-good news is that you’ll have to add or replace at least two-but preferably four-speakers. The good news is that your current Blu-ray player will most likely be totally compatible if it’s reasonably modern. Of course, you’ll need to make some changes to your home theater (in other words, spend some money) to accommodate Atmos.
DOLBY ATMOS DEMO DISC AMAZON MOVIE
(Saying it’s the height of movie sound could be a bit over the top, but only if you don’t like puns.) So what’s the best way to add Atmos to your home theater? Second, each Atmos object is defined by metadata in the soundtrack that describes its position at any given time, which allows an Atmos-equipped A/V receiver or preamp/processor to render best-fit playback based on the number of speaker channels supported in a particular home theater, whether it’s 7, 9, 11, or perhaps (and preferably) even more.įor those who’ve already heard it, Atmos is a significantly uplifting and highly noticeable enhancement over the standard way of doing surround. The Atmos mix of a movie adds the dimension of height, which means that sound effects can now seem to move anywhere within the space that’s head height or above, including directly over you. First, the soundfield-in its original, discretely encoded version, not an extrapolated one-is no longer limited to a two-dimensional plane circling around your ears. Two things are important about its adaptation for home theater.
Dolby Atmos, for you members of the unwashed and uninformed masses (yeah, you know who you are), enables film sound designers to treat individual sonic elements as virtual “objects” that can be placed and moved almost anywhere within the three-dimensional space of a movie theater.