Audio Video News

Readers Intrigued by Dolby Atmos Surround Sound

SV Staff  |  Jul 7, 2014

Dolby Atmos holds great promise for taking the home theater experience to new heights but is it audio’s Next Big Thing?

In the wake of announcements that the commercial surround technology is making its way to home gear, we asked readers if they would upgrade to Atmos. Nearly a third (30 percent) said they would have to wait to hear a demo and read reviews before deciding, while one in five indicated that they would upgrade to an Atmos setup but only with properly installed ceiling speakers.

Another third dismissed Atmos as either too much of a hassle to install or too expensive. Only 6 percent of survey respondents said they would upgrade to Atmos with speakers designed to reflect sound off the ceiling—a percentage that we expect to grow once people hear live demonstrations.

Here’s the complete breakdown of the results:

30% Maybe, but I’ll wait to hear a demo and read the expert and user reviews

20% Yes, but only with properly installed ceiling speakers

20% No, installing new/extra speakers and amp channels is too much of a hassle

12% No, it costs too much to add the extra speakers and amp channels

12% I’d spend the money if there was enough Atmos-encoded software to make it worthwhile

6% Yes, with the new Atmos-enabled speakers that reflect sound off the ceiling

See our first impressions and news coverage of Dolby Atmos here.)

COMMENTS
LordoftheRings's picture
Submitted by LordoftheRings on July 8, 2014 - 1:27pm

There is also dts who is working on their 32-channel surround sound system. And they'll be coming with something as well, in a very near future. ...For us the people in our homes.

Check around (google) to find more about their positive results coming from professionals in the sound business.

Dolby is great, dts is great+

Cheers,
Bob

HMB's picture
Submitted by HMB on July 8, 2014 - 1:58pm

By your own words, Blue Ray is hurting - as more people are getting their movies from the internet or streaming. With that being the case, ATMOS has a slim chance.

esappy's picture
Submitted by esappy on July 8, 2014 - 3:42pm

@HMB, ATMOS has already been specified to work with Dolby Digital Plus as well as Dolby TrueHD, so the streaming services will be able to provide ATMOS as well. With that being the case, ATMOS has a better than slim chance.

From the Dolby blog at www.blog.dolby.com

How will I get Dolby Atmos movies?

We wanted to ensure that entertainment fans could get Dolby Atmos movies in the same ways they get movies now, on Blu-ray Disc™ or through streaming video services.

We invented new scalable algorithms and extensions to Dolby® TrueHD, our Blu-ray format, and Dolby Digital Plus™, which is used by leading streaming video providers. Both formats now support Dolby Atmos sound, meaning that you’ll be able to play Dolby Atmos movies from your Blu-ray™ player or through your favorite streaming service.

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