You can easily find Dolby Atmos content on Prime by inputting the term in the search bar to display all the movies and TV series it has available in the sound format in its free-to-play Prime tier plus there's plenty of additional Dolby Atmos content to rent or buy should you feel like splashing out.Īs an aside, Dolby Atmos can also be found on a number of music streaming platforms, including Apple Music, Tidal HiFi, and Amazon Music. We're not going to list content availability for each of the streaming platforms here, but one of the best we've discovered for providing Dolby Atmos content without needing to pay an additional fee is through Amazon Prime. In some cases you'll need to make sure you have the correct subscription for a particular platform, such as a plan that supports UHD streaming, which in the case of Netflix takes the monthly subscription fee to $19.99. You can currently experience Dolby Atmos with select Blu-rays and through an array of streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime, Disney+ (now with support for Atmos on Apple TV 4K), HBO Max, and Netflix. Just as consumer products have often arrived on the market with capabilities ahead of a new format's availability (think TV screens capable of handling 8K images while content availability remains scarce), Dolby Atmos support seems to be readily available while content can be difficult to find and access. (Image credit: Netflix/Universal/Warner Bros.) Where can I find Dolby Atmos content? The easiest way is to stop by a big-box retail store and see if it has a Dolby Atmos home theater demo setup. And also bear in mind that this device delivers better TV audio than many soundbars.īut if you like feeling like you're in the center of your favorite action movie or sitting front row, center stage at your favorite artist's sold-out-for-months concert, then it's worth the investment. Everyone else can wait until the technology becomes more mainstream and the pricing becomes more affordable. AV fans who already own 4K televisions or even 8K televisions will want to look into investing in Atmos-compatible home theater systems or soundbars. Right now, Dolby Atmos is more of a want than a need. Many soundbar models can also be partnered with optional wireless rear speakers and subwoofers should you wish to expand your home movie theatre sound system beyond the 'bar speaker system beneath the TV. Luckily, for the more space conscious among us, the format has more recently started to be incorporated on several top-end soundbars, including the Bose Smart Soundbar 900, Bowers & Wilkins Panorama 3, Sonos Beam, Sonos Arc, and Sony HT-A7000.Īlthough still a considerable financial outlay for the very best soundbars, these powered speaker systems achieve a one-stop surround sound experience without the need for any additional speakers or components. Not everyone has the space to accommodate multiple speakers dotted around the TV room, or indeed the finances to lavish on these indulgent and often upmarket home theater speaker packages. It's not going to be as powerful as an actual height speaker, but it's an effective alternative. This is achieved by bouncing the sound off the ceiling like those found in the latest Klipsch Reference and Reference Premiere loudspeaker series. And because Atmos-compatible speakers have integrated upward-firing drivers, you have the added benefit of height. That means that if a sound occurs in the top right corner of the room, the audio will have better spatial accuracy instead of being fixed to the right speaker. This missing locational information can take away from the overall surround sound immersion factor.ĭolby Atmos assigns the acoustical sound and space around objects to a place. In this kind of setup, you can hear a helicopter moving from right to left or vice versa, but the system can't reproduce the sound of something flying above you. Audio over conventional surround sound is mostly referred to as 5.1 (five speakers, one subwoofer) or 7.1 (seven speakers, one subwoofer) channels. The biggest difference between Dolby Atmos and traditional surround sound is the use of channels. How does Atmos compare to surround sound? The more speakers you have, the better the audio positioning as well as detail and overall audio richness and depth. That means that when an airplane flies overhead in your favorite movie, it will sound like there's an actual plane moving above you. The Atmos-optimized tech analyzes all the audio data, and based on the number speakers you have and their placement, it determines optimal playback in real time. Once the audio mixing is completed, Atmos can bring theater-quality sound to your living room - provided you have Dolby Atmos-compatible equipment, such as one of our best soundbars or a home-theater system with one of the best AV receivers partnered to a surround sound speaker package.
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