Dolby Atmos has been around us for the last 3 decades. However the booming phase of Dolby Atmos is still in progress and several platforms such as OTT, movies, and devices also are putting their investment into Dolby Atmos-compatible sound systems. Playing a Dolby Atmos soundtrack and expecting the same experiences as described in the advertisements of the technology? Well, things are not that simple now. We are talking about Dolby Atmos and it’s way more complicated than all past technologies. First, understand what it actually is.
Dolby Atmos- A SoundTrack?
Dolby Atmos as described in the advertisement isn’t really a soundtrack. It’s a metadata of a soundtrack that is optimised into a system for object-based sound production. In simple words, Dolby Atmos technology separates all the sound elements in a track and sends the signals to different speakers in real-time to create an immersive in-depth sound effect.
For example-
A movie screen is displaying a bird on the left side of the screen chirping. Suddenly the bird takes flight and goes to the right side of the screen. Here the sound of chirping will follow from the left speaker to the above-head speaker to the right speaker to create a sense of immersive movement. The past soundtracks used to throw the chirping sound embedded as one.
What is Dolby Music?
Dolby Music does exactly what you’re expecting. It separates each audio element and places it accordingly to create depth in the sound. There are several ways to experience it. You will find speakers, wired & wireless headphones that support the Dolby Atmos system with your smartphone. But Dolby Music needs different technical settings than Dolby Atmos.
There are two different Dolby systems- Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus. Dolby TrueHD is the HD bandwidth without any loss in the progression of the sound. This is ideal for extreme HD home setup while the sound is processed through an HDMI cable from a Blu-ray player to an AV receiver. Dolby Digital Plus loses the quality in between and is optimised for the use of streaming services on smartphones, tablets, and several streaming boxes.
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Devices Needed for Dolby Atmos Sound Setting:
As we already stated, Dolby Atmos is a complicated system with several supporting devices. Miss one of these and the system will fail to share the effect of the Dolby Atmos sound. Additionally, you also must run the supporting application for each device.
If an application supports the Dolby sound effects on device ‘A’ doesn’t necessarily support it on device ‘B’. Past versions of smart TVs will not support Dolby Atmos at all even if you download the app supporting Dolby Atmos.
You must set up a line of devices supporting the Dolby TrueHD to get it. The devices are as follows.
– The app on the TV
– The TV
– The cable connecting the TV with the AV receiver (HDMI ARC)
– The Movie itself
All of the above must support Dolby Atmos. Failing to do so, you may limit yourself to lower versions of Dolby or no Dolby Atmos effect at all.
Figuring Out the Dolby Atmos Experience:
1. Check Your TV or AV Receiver Display:
The very first way to check if you’re listening to Dolby Atmos or not is to check the display of your connected devices. The AV receiver display or the sound bar display will show the ‘DOLBY’ signal flashing on it. This ensures that you’re experiencing the Dolby Atmos sound effects only. If not, think otherwise without a doubt.
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2. Listen to the Audio Produced:
Dolby Atmos sound elements move from one speaker to another speaker creating a movement impact around the room. You can listen to the sound travelling from one end to another. More than that the multiple sound elements in one frame will let you decide the sound nature.
To check this, use a rainfall sequence or car whizzing sequence, or bullet ricocheting sequence on your device. You will feel the sound elements working in a 3-D model in cooperation but overlapping with each other. Note that the sound will also move from right to left, from overhead to low, and from front to back.
3. Watch a Dolby Atmos Movie:
If your display doesn’t have a display to show the Dolby Atmos, you need to find it in another way. All you need to do is to test with a Dolby Atmos video. There are several videos on YouTube that are specially designed for cross-checking the Dolby Atmos only. You can use multiple objects involved in the video to see the impact. If you’re able to sense each object separately and the audio compliments the video with their source position, you are experiencing the Dolby Atmos Sound. Congo!
4. Try Speaker App:
Today’s modern speakers offer you to manage the setting you want to get your preferred experience. These smart speakers come with an app. Open the app and manage settings and audio levels. The app will let you use the Dolby Atmos audio. Also, you can see the audio type that is in progress.
What Does Dolby Atmos Sound Like?
Dolby Atmos audio technology can bring the theatre right into your home. This is perfect for Homer theatres and a pair of headphones with both working speakers. Atmos analyses all the sound elements in the track, detects the total number of speakers, and plays each element at their respective real-time playback at their optimum placement.
The Dolby Atmos technology catches each sound element as an individual. It means you will feel the sound of a bee moving on the screen as a bomb explodes. The playback audio track will let you listen to the sounds from overhead even if you don’t see them in the video, giving you an experience of being in the scene in real-time.
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Conclusion:
The Dolby Atmos technology is still not in the hands of the common public. Its settings are complex and we have to struggle with it for quite some years until the technology becomes a common feature in all media devices alike. However, if you have Dolby Atmos technology with you and want to feel the difference, you can do it by the above-given methods. Remember that you must have all the equipment including the cable connecting the TV with the AV receiver Dolby Supported.
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