What is Dolby Atmos? An Audio Enthusiast's Guide

Dolby Atmos is engineered to deliver:

• Immersive Sound: It creates a multi-dimensional soundscape that feels incredibly lifelike.
• Clarity and Depth: It provides a cleaner separation of sound objects, giving you a greater sense of clarity and depth in the mix.
• More Realism: The addition of height and object placement mimics how we naturally hear sound in real life.

Dolby Atmos creates a more realistic audio environment with three key innovations:

• Object-Based Sound: Instead of assigning a sound to a specific speaker channel (like a left front or right rear), Atmos treats individual sounds as independent "objects" with their own location and movement data. This allows sound designers to place these objects with precise accuracy anywhere in a three-dimensional space.
• Height Dimension: By incorporating overhead speakers or upward-firing speakers, Dolby Atmos allows sounds to come from above you. This is the key that breaks the horizontal limitations of traditional surround sound, creating a complete sonic sphere.
• Immersive Dome: The combination of precise object placement and the height dimension creates a complete "dome of sound" that surrounds you. This immersive soundscape makes the audio more engaging and lifelike.

The magic of Dolby Atmos doesn't happen by accident; it's a meticulously crafted process that involves:

• Mixing: Sound designers and artists mix audio for movies, TV shows, or music in Dolby Atmos-enabled software. Instead of using a conventional 5.1 or 7.1 mix, they create a foundational bed of up to 7.1.2 channels for ambience and then precisely position up to 118 individual sound objects in a 3D space. That's why the audio file sent to your system doesn't have a fixed number of channels; instead, it contains data that tells your system where the objects should be placed in the room.
• Hardware: To reproduce this three-dimensional mix, you need Dolby Atmos-compatible hardware, such as home theatre systems, soundbars, or headphones.
• Playback: Your compatible audio device has a built-in renderer that interprets the object-based audio data in real-time. It then sends the sounds to the appropriate speakers in your setup to create the intended immersive effect.

To experience Dolby Atmos at home, you need a combination of compatible hardware and content.

• Hardware: The easiest and most popular way to start is with headphones, a Dolby Atmos soundbar, or Dolby Atmos WiFi speakers like those from JBL, which provide a complete, all-in-one system to enjoy any form of media.
• Content: You need to be watching or listening to content that has been mixed in Dolby Atmos, such as:

• Movies & TV: This content is available on popular streaming services like Netflix and Disney+. You can also find it on 4K Blu-ray discs.
• Music: You can find this experience on streaming platforms like Apple Music, Amazon Music, and TIDAL HiFi from selected artists.
• Gaming: There are some games available with Dolby Atmos, and more games are being produced to provide an even wider immersive experience.

Searching for the perfect sound? JBL has everything you need. From the best soundbars to home speakers, you'll find the right gear to create an immersive sonic experience in any space. Shop now at JBL Australia!