New .. Dolby Atmos. at DVinfo.net

Allan Black · May 2nd, 2012, 06:24 PM

Anyone for Dolby Atmos? ... 64:1 !!!!

I dare you to try and find the sweet spot :)

Dolby's Atmos technology gives new meaning to surround sound, death from above -- Engadget

Cheers.

Gene Gajewski · May 2nd, 2012, 07:27 PM

Nice idea, and it probably makes it easier for sound production too.

Technologically, I'm going to guess what they did is add 2-axis pan 'track' automation to their mixer. That way, you can pan a 360 spherical sound field. Not exactly earthshaking when you think about it, but Dolby has the marketing muscle to move this into theatres where another company might not.

Assuming you have standardized placements for the 64 speaker setup, you should be able to easily set up a down mix for Dolby atmos sources at the local theater if it has less than the full complement. This is probably why they say they can auto generate 5.1 and 7.1 mixes.

Allan Black · June 6th, 2012, 08:37 PM

Yep Dolby and Co do have the marketing muscle and here they come, more news about the tech details ..

Dolby Reveals Theaters Set to Install New Immersive Sound Format Atmos - The Hollywood Reporter

Cheers.

Greg Miller · June 7th, 2012, 11:14 AM

From the above cited article:
"The system is designed to transmit up to 128 simultaneous and lossless audio channels, "

Let's see... 1 lossless [audio for video] channel = 48ksamples/second x 16 bits/sample = 768kbits/second.

768kbits/second/channel x 128 channels = 98,304kbits/second ~~ 98 Mbits/second.

Where are they going to get that much bandwidth?

Or is the key in the marketing hype "up to"? As in "save up to 90% in this week's sale." But the quote still sounds as if they're saying they CAN transmit 128 simultaneous channels, if they want to.

Allan Black · June 7th, 2012, 03:13 PM

Early days, there'll be more articles and reviews as the roll out progresses.

I wonder if it'll be like 3D, seats will cost a premium, and how much, and will patrons cop it on top of the 3D surcharge.
We might have to layby a seat or take out a small loan.

Note it's rolling out in China. Might be cheaper for us in OZ to take a week in Beijing ... mmmm 64:1 in Mandarin.
Still, I'd like to hear it, if anyone spots a review, plse post a link here thx.

Cheers.

Tom Morrow · June 8th, 2012, 02:08 AM

There is a lot of info at dolby.com/Atmos including some white papers. The main takeaway for me is that any track in your audio mix can be rendered with metadata as an object that will come out of only one speaker anywhere in the house (even on the ceiling). This avoids comb filtering from multiple speakers producing the same signal. The mix specifies the location, and the playback system determines which installed speaker is most appropriate based on where and how many speakers have been installed. Or you can specify "beds" or groups of speakers for it to come out of.

May 2nd, 2012, 06:24 PM	#1
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,887	New .. Dolby Atmos. Anyone for Dolby Atmos? ... 64:1 !!!! I dare you to try and find the sweet spot :) Dolby's Atmos technology gives new meaning to surround sound, death from above -- Engadget Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

May 2nd, 2012, 07:27 PM	#2
Gene Gajewski Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Edgewood, NM Posts: 162	Re: New .. Dolby Atmos. Nice idea, and it probably makes it easier for sound production too. Technologically, I'm going to guess what they did is add 2-axis pan 'track' automation to their mixer. That way, you can pan a 360 spherical sound field. Not exactly earthshaking when you think about it, but Dolby has the marketing muscle to move this into theatres where another company might not. Assuming you have standardized placements for the 64 speaker setup, you should be able to easily set up a down mix for Dolby atmos sources at the local theater if it has less than the full complement. This is probably why they say they can auto generate 5.1 and 7.1 mixes.

June 6th, 2012, 08:37 PM	#3
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,887	Re: New .. Dolby Atmos. Yep Dolby and Co do have the marketing muscle and here they come, more news about the tech details .. Dolby Reveals Theaters Set to Install New Immersive Sound Format Atmos - The Hollywood Reporter Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

June 7th, 2012, 11:14 AM	#4
Greg Miller Trustee Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,786	Re: New .. Dolby Atmos. From the above cited article: "The system is designed to transmit up to 128 simultaneous and lossless audio channels, " Let's see... 1 lossless [audio for video] channel = 48ksamples/second x 16 bits/sample = 768kbits/second. 768kbits/second/channel x 128 channels = 98,304kbits/second ~~ 98 Mbits/second. Where are they going to get that much bandwidth? Or is the key in the marketing hype "up to"? As in "save up to 90% in this week's sale." But the quote still sounds as if they're saying they CAN transmit 128 simultaneous channels, if they want to.

June 7th, 2012, 03:13 PM	#5
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,887	Re: New .. Dolby Atmos. Early days, there'll be more articles and reviews as the roll out progresses. I wonder if it'll be like 3D, seats will cost a premium, and how much, and will patrons cop it on top of the 3D surcharge. We might have to layby a seat or take out a small loan. Note it's rolling out in China. Might be cheaper for us in OZ to take a week in Beijing ... mmmm 64:1 in Mandarin. Still, I'd like to hear it, if anyone spots a review, plse post a link here thx. Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

June 8th, 2012, 02:08 AM	#6
Tom Morrow Major Player Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 416	Re: New .. Dolby Atmos. There is a lot of info at dolby.com/Atmos including some white papers. The main takeaway for me is that any track in your audio mix can be rendered with metadata as an object that will come out of only one speaker anywhere in the house (even on the ceiling). This avoids comb filtering from multiple speakers producing the same signal. The mix specifies the location, and the playback system determines which installed speaker is most appropriate based on where and how many speakers have been installed. Or you can specify "beds" or groups of speakers for it to come out of.