Hearing a jet fly overhead or subtle footsteps behind you while watching a movie makes flat audio from standard TVs feel underwhelming, even if the TV has good visuals. Great visuals alone are not enough for a truly immersive movie experience; it requires immersive sound, too. Dolby Atmos enables the experience of each object's sound in a three-dimensional world. Dolby Atmos allows sound designers to treat sounds as individual “audio objects.” These objects are placed in a 3D space, and the Atmos system dynamically directs them to the available speakers. For the average user, Object-based sound mixing means a lot because it offers an audio upgrade that transports them into a 3D world, whereas everything was either monotonous or stereo.
Evolution of Surround Sound: What Does Atmos Mean?
Traditional surround sound is what has made Dolby Atmos the industry's biggest breakthrough. As a result, many home theater enthusiasts have upgraded from traditional sound systems.
Moving Beyond Stereo Audio (5.1 and 7.1) to Object-Based Audio
In a traditional 5.1 or 7.1 stereo system, audio is "channel-based." It means that sound engineers send sound signals to specific, fixed speakers, either left, right, center, or rear. Because of this simple audio assigning tech, audio from such a sound system would always sound strictly horizontal. It would lack the vertical realism of real-world sound.
Dolby Atmos transformed the industry because of "object-based audio." Unlike traditional surround sound, where sound would be assigned to a specific speaker, with Atmos, sound designers can treat individual sounds like a chirping of a bird, a footstep, or a dog barking as independent objects and bring them into a 3D bubble.
Dolby Atmos can independently track and move up to 128 audio objects in a 3D space, allowing sounds to pan seamlessly from front to back, side to side, and most importantly, top to bottom.
How Does Dolby Atmos Work in a Home Theater?
Bringing the magic of the commercial movie theater into your home requires specialized hardware capable of decoding and pinpointing these 3D audio objects. Using this hardware often requires native support from visual sources to produce 3D audio.
The Importance of Height to Make Audio 3D
A breathtaking feature of the Atmos is its ability to put objects in the Z-axis (height). What this means is that installing dedicated in-ceiling speakers delivers superior sound via Atmos, rather than using upward-firing soundbars/speakers that bounce sound off the ceiling. For better understanding, the 3D surround is numbered. For example, the last digit, 2 or 4, in 5.1.2 and 7.1.4 indicates dedicated height speakers. 5 and 7 indicate the number of speakers used in surround sound. The middle digit indicates the number of subwoofers used.
Role of Compatible AV Receivers and eARC
To enjoy Dolby Atmos in a home theater, an AV receiver or soundbar must feature a Dolby Atmos decoder. Without this decoder, your audio setup can't support 3D sound. To fully utilize Dolby Atmos surround sound and experience Dolby TrueHD, your surround sound should support eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel). This connection allows your display to send uncompressed sound, unlike ARC, which compresses audio due to bandwidth limitations.
Dolby Atmos vs. DTS X: Which One is Better?
Both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X use object-based audio, allowing sound designers to position audio objects in three-dimensional space. The main difference lies in ecosystem support, speaker configuration flexibility, and industry adoption. Sound engineers use them, depending on the tech used to develop them, to deliver different experiences.
Technology and Speaker Setup
While a 7.1.4 setup provides the ultimate pinpoint accuracy for object-based audio, Atmos scales dynamically to whatever speaker configuration you have (e.g., 5.1.2 and up). Whereas with DTS X, you do not need a dedicated height speaker for 3D sound. But having a height speaker with DTS surround sound helps audio travel farther.
To get the absolute most out of Dolby TrueHD object pinpointing, a 7.1.4 speaker setup is ideal. For that setup, sound engineers can ensure each object is pinpointed. Unlike Atmos, DTS:X uses the Multi-Dimensional Audio (MDA) framework to position sound objects in three-dimensional space. Because of that, sound engineers can use any speaker they want and place objects wherever they need, using speakers to suit their needs.
Movie Sessions
Sound designers prefer Dolby Atmos for movies and theaters because of its broader adoption across streaming services and earlier industry adoption. At the same time, sound designers prefer DTS:X for movies because they can place sound anywhere in the bubble. This extra flexibility could become a double-edged sword, affecting viewers' experience if the right speakers are not used.
Gaming
DTS X is the go-to choice for game sound developers because it is open source. They use it better because the flexibility of placing sound wherever they want in 3D space is helpful, without the need for a specific speaker setup. This is the case for most gamers who use headphones.
Tip: You could choose a projector that supports both DTS X and Dolby Atmos, like most modern projectors, such as the Valerion projectors, so you don't have to give up either.
How to Set up Dolby Atmos
What does it take to replicate the director's intent and have a 3D surround sound with Atmos? It takes a projector or TV and an AV receiver, both of which must support eARC and feature a Dolby Atmos decoder.
Use a TV or a projector that Supports Dolby Atmos
If your TV or projector supports Atmos and delivers good sound, a soundbar that decodes Atmos isn’t necessary. Dolby Atmos decoding usually happens in the AV receiver or soundbar, not the TV or projector. The display simply passes the audio signal to the sound system through HDMI ARC or eARC. To see whether your display supports Atmos, check its product specification and look for "Dolby Atmos."
Use Compatible AV Receivers with eARC
If your projector or TV has built-in Dolby Atmos support, a sound system will enhance your experience by using dedicated speakers to create a 3D audio illusion. To experience Dolby TrueHD, an uncompressed and lossless audio, a soundbar or AV receiver must feature eARC. Dolby TrueHD isn't possible with ARC, which has a lower bandwidth. Dolby Atmos can be delivered via standard ARC when using compressed formats such as Dolby Digital Plus (common on streaming services). For lossless Dolby TrueHD Atmos, an eARC connection is typically required.
How to Enable Dolby Atmos
To enable Dolby Atmos in your projector or TV, follow these steps:
- Use the eARC or HDMI 2.1 port to connect the sound system to the display.
- Open the Settings of your TV or Projector
- Navigate Sound Settings
- Navigate to Advanced Expert or Audio Settings
- Search for Dolby Atmos and toggle it on
Where to Find Dolby Atmos Content
There are multiple sources to experience Dolby Atmos. Finding such content isn't a big hassle because it's widely adaptable across most of the industry.
Streaming Services
Major platforms like Netflix, Apple TV+, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video offer Dolby Atmos-compatible content. Always look for the Dolby Atmos badge on the content title page to see if it has 3D audio.
4K UHD Blu-Rays and Next-Gen Gaming
4K Blu-ray discs offer uncompressed, lossless Dolby Atmos (TrueHD), which is also possible with 1080p Blu-ray content. Look for Dolby TrueHD on the disc to ensure that it has uncompressed sound.
Most next-gen consoles also support Atmos, enabling pinpoint audio for tactical gaming. This helps gamers have an edge over others who use stereo sound.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Dolby Atmos vs. DTS X, which is better for headphones?
Both deliver 3D surround sound; there is no clear winner.
How to use normal headphones for 3D sound?
To use Dolby Atmos for 3D sound on stereo headphones, download Dolby Access on your PC to digitally transform 2D audio into 3D.
Can I get Dolby Atmos without ceiling speakers?
While in-ceiling speakers offer the ultimate experience, modern Dolby Atmos soundbars and floor-standing speakers feature upward-firing drivers that bounce sound off your ceiling to effectively simulate height channels.
eARC or ARC: What should I choose for immersive 3D sound?
Choose eARC because it delivers uncompressed, lossless audio over higher-bandwidth connections, which isn't possible with ARC or HDMI 2.0 due to slower data transfer speeds.
Dolby Atmos vs. Dolby Digital Plus: What is the Difference?
Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) delivers lossy audio, compressed to compensate for lower bandwidth. Dolby TrueHD requires eARC support and height speakers to deliver uncompressed audio, which gives the ultimate 3D experience.
Conclusion
Bringing object-based sound into 3D space was what made Dolby Atmos a revolution, especially in a consumer tech landscape that had long revolved around flat, stereo sound. What Atmos meant for sound designers was that they could now place up to 128 object sounds in 3D space, with the listener at the center. To enjoy Dolby TrueHD, a lossless, uncompressed audio format, you will need to use eARC, as ARC only supports compressed audio due to bandwidth limitations. Having an AV receiver or sound system that can decode Dolby Atmos is necessary, just as a visual source must have a decoder. A home theater feels empty without 3D surround sound to support a visual source. Having a projector like the VisionMaster Pro2, which can decode Dolby Atmos for movies and DTS:X for gaming, elevates your experience.
