WHAT IS DOLBY ATMOS?

Developed in 2012, Atmos expands the previous 5.1 and 7.1 setups to
include numerous speakers which are placed around a room to create
an all-enveloping, 3D sound experience.

In a cinema setting, where the technology was first introduced, up to

64 speakers will not only be placed in front of, and at various points
around you, but also above you. This adds a height dimension to the
sound, creating a hemisphere of speakers which allows film-makers
and sound designers to direct specific sounds to certain areas in the
room with a high degree of accuracy.

One of, if not the main thing to be aware of when it comes to Dolby
Atmos is the concept of audio objects. Previously, sounds were
constrained to specific channels portions of the audio which get
routed to particular speakers.

With Dolby Atmos, sound designers dont have to limit a sound to a

particular channel. They can specify where an individual sound
originates from and moves to, and the Atmos system will interpret that
data and play it back within a virtual 3D space.

The result is sound that feels as though its coming from the room
youre sitting in. Rain drops can be heard hitting individual leaves
close-by, helicopters sound like theyre flying right above you.
Individual sounds that are no longer limited to a particular speaker or
channel in this way are known as audio objects.

With Atmos, a foundation level of sound is still mixed using the

traditional channel-based approach. These will be the ambient, static
sounds which dont require pin-point specific placement. On top of that
layer, the audio objects will be placed, along with their respective
spatial metadata, to create a much more dynamic sound experience.
The technology allows for up to 128 audio channels, 10 of which will be
used for the base layer, leaving 118 for the audio objects.

Using object-based audio also means the sound data can scale across
multiple formats. 64 speakers is the best way to render the Atmos
soundscape, but that doesnt mean other, less elaborate setups cant
reproduce the same audio experience. In that sense, its not so much
about the number of speakers, but the principle of audio objects and
how they can be reproduced across various systems.

Whether youre listening in a cinema with a giant 64-speaker setup, or

at home with only seven speakers, or even using headphones, all the
necessary data is there for the 128 audio objects to be played
accurately, making the technology incredibly adaptable.