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Dolby Atmos, a revolutionary audio technology widely used in various devices especially TVs. But what exactly is Dolby Atmos? Let's delve into the details of this technology in the following article.
1. Key Insights into Dolby Atmos Sound Standard
In 2010, Dolby introduced the 7.1 surround sound standard for cinemas, and just 2 years later, in April 2012, they unveiled a new benchmark called Dolby Atmos. While Dolby Surround 5.1 and 7.1 already offered listeners immersive and realistic sound experiences, Atmos takes it several notches higher. With Atmos, filmmakers can effortlessly showcase sound effects and noises more precisely. Thanks to Atmos' support for sound emanating from (up to) hundreds of satellite speakers, which can be densely installed all around the auditorium, from left to right, top to bottom, even overhead and underfoot.
As a result, sound and noises are reproduced with greater authenticity and vividness. This is a noticeable difference with Atmos compared to older standards. Additionally, Atmos adds more specialized speakers to accurately render sounds in the high frequency range, aiming to faithfully recreate noises like rainfall, helicopter rotor noise, buzzing bees, bird calls, and more.
The TV Coex 4K 55-inch 55UT8000X integrates Dolby Atmos audio technology.
Dolby also states that the Atmos standard is fully backward compatible with Surround 7.1, 5.1, and Stereo 2.0. This means that content created with Atmos sound can still be fine-tuned to fit older standards. Currently, Dolby Atmos is only implemented in the sound systems of cinemas and high-end auditoriums, with no specific timeline for its presence in home entertainment media. When asked about the advantages/disadvantages compared to IMAX, David Gray, Dolby's global service vice president, said: 'Basically, Dolby Atmos and IMAX are two completely different fields, and IMAX only uses 5.1 sound, so there's hardly anything to compare'. (Simply because IMAX is a widescreen standard, while Dolby Atmos is an audio standard. Comparing images with sound is completely impossible.)
As of April 2012, a total of 25 locations worldwide had been equipped with Dolby Atmos, with 17/25 in the US (including 14 cinemas and 3 Dolby offices). They mentioned that more places would be equipped with this technology in 2013. Dolby's sound standard is applied to nearly 90% of current entertainment sound systems (cinemas, speakers, sound systems, TVs, music players, phones... not to mention that 100% of Windows and Mac OS X computers are compatible with Dolby sound).
2. Some TVs Utilizing Dolby Atmos Technology Leading in Sales Today
With the increasing demand from users, choosing a TV with Dolby Atmos standard sound quality is now considered the number one criterion for TV purchases. Therefore, I will introduce you to the TV models utilizing Dolby Atmos sound technology that are currently leading in sales.
