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Official Atmos Home Theater Thread UPDATED With First Impressions (1 Viewer)

Sam Posten

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Dolby just sent us this press release:
Dolby Atmos Comes to the Home Via Blu-ray and VUDU to Transport Entertainment Enthusiasts into a New Dimension of Sound
Dolby Atmos enabled AV receivers and speakers will bring Dolby Atmos films from Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. to life in home theaters
San Francisco, September 8, 2014 - Dolby Laboratories (NYSE: DLB) today announced that Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. movies featuring Dolby Atmos ® soundtracks will soon be available for home theater enthusiasts with Dolby Atmos enabled AV receivers and speakers. Dolby Atmos movies will be available this fall on Blu-ray Disc™ and through leading content service provider VUDU, the first streaming service to announce support for Dolby Atmos films.

“Dolby Atmos, the most significant audio advancement in home theater in the last 20 years, brings consumers deeper into the story by delivering an experience that moves sound in every dimension throughout the room with amazing clarity and true-to-life detail,” said Doug Darrow, Senior Vice President, Dolby Laboratories. “Pioneered and perfected in the cinema, Dolby Atmos has generated tremendous excitement from the home theater industry and enthusiasts alike. We have teamed up with an amazing group of industry leaders to give consumers around the world the very best entertainment experience when they choose to watch a Dolby Atmos movie in their home."

On September 30, 2014, Paramount Pictures will release the first Blu-ray Disc to feature a Dolby Atmos soundtrack with the #1 movie of the year worldwide, Transformers: Age of Extinction. Both the Blu-ray Combo Pack and the Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack will offer a Dolby Atmos soundtrack encoded in Dolby TrueHD. Paramount Pictures will look to support additional Dolby Atmos home theater titles via online streaming and Blu-ray Disc later this year. Dolby Atmos soundtracks are fully backward compatible, meaning they’ll play on traditional home entertainment playback systems.

“If you’ve experienced Transformers: Age of Extinction in Dolby Atmos in the cinema, you understand the power of sound to transport you right into the middle of the action,” said Edward Hoxsie, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Product Production & Fulfillment, Paramount Pictures. “Soon, home theater enthusiasts will be able to experience Dolby Atmos movies the way they were meant to be heard, right in their living rooms.”

Warner Bros. will also be among the first studios to support Dolby Atmos via online streaming and Blu-ray Disc offerings. “By leveraging new technologies like Dolby Atmos, we can deliver a more enriching and realistic experience that taps into the power and location of the audio, to draw fans deeper into the story unfolding on the screen,” said Jim Wuthrich, President Of The Americas, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

Consumers who want to experience Dolby Atmos home theater products will be able to visit a variety of retailers for demonstrations. Magnolia Home Theater and Design Centers plan to feature Dolby Atmos demonstrations in select locations starting in October.

“With Dolby Atmos, hearing is believing,” said Michael Crane, Senior Director of Merchandising for Magnolia Home Theater and Design Centers. “You have to experience it to understand how captivating it is. We’re looking forward to demonstrating the technology in hundreds of our Magnolia locations within Best Buy.”

Also starting this fall, additional national and regional retailers including hhgregg, Future Shop, and Best Buy Canada will feature Dolby Atmos demonstrations in select locations, in addition to independent retailers such as Crutchfield and Bjorn’s. Beyond North America, consumers will be able to experience Dolby Atmos at leading home theater retailers such as Sevenoaks Sound & Vision (UK), AVAC Corporation (Japan), and BIC CAMERA INC. (Japan). More retail locations are expected globally as additional products are introduced into the market throughout the year.

Manufacturers who have announced Dolby Atmos AV receivers or pre-processors include Denon, Integra, Marantz, Onkyo, Pioneer, Steinway Lyngdorf, Trinnov Audio, and Yamaha. Manufacturers developing Dolby Atmos enabled speakers and add-on modules include Atlantic Technology, Definitive Technology, KEF, Onkyo, Pioneer USA, Teufel, and Triad Speakers. Onkyo also announced a Dolby Atmos equipped home theater in a box (HTIB) system. Silicon providers Analog Devices, Inc., Cirrus Logic, and Texas Instruments have developed chips to support Dolby Atmos home theater AV receivers and processors. Additional manufacturers who have committed to delivering future Dolby Atmos products include Datasat Digital Entertainment, Emotiva Audio Corp, Outlaw Audio, Storm Audio, and NHT (Now Hear This).

For more information on Dolby Atmos, please click here.

About Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos delivers captivating, multidimensional sound that places and moves specific sounds anywhere in the room, including overhead, to bring entertainment alive all around the audience.

Since its introduction in the cinema in 2012, Dolby Atmos has been embraced by all the major Hollywood studios, seven Academy Award® winning directors, and 16 Academy Award winning sound mixers, among others.

Now, entertainment enthusiasts will be able to enjoy Dolby Atmos in their home theaters.

About Dolby Laboratories
Dolby Laboratories (NYSE: DLB) creates audio, video, and voice technologies that transform entertainment and communications in mobile devices, at the cinema, at home, and at work. For nearly 50 years, sight and sound experiences have become more vibrant, clear, and powerful in Dolby. For more information, please visit www.dolby.com.
 

DanH1972

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After their big disc announcement pronouncement on AVS Forum's Video Podcast... one title and two studios does not give me the warm fuzzies.

Dolby and the studios need to take this to 11 or Atmos is going to be a very hard sell indeed no matter how good it truly is.
 

Dr Griffin

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What I find intriguing is the use of the additional channels, such as L & R centers and additional surrounds; I wasn't expecting that, and don't remember hearing this mentioned before, or I didn't fully comprehend the processing abilities of the Atmos system. My 7.1.4 system is dead before it began. Looks like I am now going with at least an 11.1.4 setup.
 

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My understanding is that the receivers that can handle more than 7.1.4 cost about the same as a car.
 

FoxyMulder

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Wayne_j said:
My understanding is that the receivers that can handle more than 7.1.4 cost about the same as a car.
Unless we start to see more fully equipped receivers or pre-outs that allow you to use an existing receiver with your brand new Atmos one then i think this will remain a niche market, only 2 studio's announced, pah, they must have tried to get more on board but failed. I have no interest in 7.1.4 but 11.1.4 minimum with additional pre-outs for upgrading, yes at the right price.

That right price being a helluva lot cheaper than a new car. :D
 

Dr Griffin

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Wayne_j said:
My understanding is that the receivers that can handle more than 7.1.4 cost about the same as a car.
The Dolby CP850 lists for over $33,000. There has to be an alternative for home theater. They mention the use of the additional channels in the home theater white papers!
 

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FoxyMulder said:
Unless we start to see more fully equipped receivers or pre-outs that allow you to use an existing receiver with your brand new Atmos one then i think this will remain a niche market, only 2 studio's announced, pah, they must have tried to get more on board but failed. I have no interest in 7.1.4 but 11.1.4 minimum with additional pre-outs for upgrading, yes at the right price.

That right price being a helluva lot cheaper than a new car. :D
I could swing the CP850 and all the amps required, but I'd have to live in the boxes they came in. :D
 

DanH1972

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One of the big benefits of Atmos, beyond the current 5.1/7.1 channel formats, is the pan-through array concept for far more precise panning and anchoring of sounds... this is something we do not get with any of the mainstream first generation products.

I don't want to have to buy something as expensive as a car to get Atmos' true capabilities.
 

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Make no mistake this is going to be an expensive upgrade for anyone that decides to pull the trigger. It will require the purchase of a new receiver and at least 4 speakers. I am sure that it will not take long for lower end product to come out and for those on a budget it will still be a big expense because of there income bracket. Those who make more and can afford more will get receivers with more features and flexibility. The economy is still a disaster and many people just do not have the money, granted there will be plenty of people that are happy with what they have and will not be interested in upgrading. A few things we are yet to see beyond the announcement of Dolby Atmos is the release dates of encoded media like 1080p blu-rays and 4K discs! We still have no release dates for 4K players that will offer both 4K video resolution and premium Dolby Atmos audio. In my honest opinion we will need to see physical media come out with Dolby Atmos on both Blu-ray and 4K discs for the audio format to have a chance to become accepted. I am sure many of us need to see a list of titles out soon with not only Dolby Atmos but what will be available on bluray and 4k disc. Some people think physical media is going away but IMHO not for some time. While downloading and streaming for many may be a matter of convenience it is still not to the point where it can be done as well and without the compression that is needed to keep the file sizes down. The fact is that physical media is still the best option as it still can offer the best experience with less compression, no buffer issues and superior audio. That doesn't mean that improvements in the delivery system will not be made where the same quality and experience can be had online eventually. What some do not realize is that the online model is destroying the ownership model and making it to where you do not actually own any of the media anymore. I would hope that most of us would go on supporting physical media over the online model.

I am still looking forward to hearing Dolby Atmos demos so I can decide one and for all if I will need to save up for a new receiver. But before I scrimp and save for a new receiver and added costs of additional speakers for Dolby Atmos. I want to see no only movie titles and release dates but I want to see release dates for 4K players and movie titles being released with Dolby Atmos. Hopefully before Christmas this information will become available!
 

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Dave Moritz said:
Make no mistake this is going to be an expensive upgrade for anyone that decides to pull the trigger. It will require the purchase of a new receiver and at least 4 speakers. I am sure that it will not take long for lower end product to come out and for those on a budget it will still be a big expense because of there income bracket. Those who make more and can afford more will get receivers with more features and flexibility. The economy is still a disaster and many people just do not have the money, granted there will be plenty of people that are happy with what they have and will not be interested in upgrading. A few things we are yet to see beyond the announcement of Dolby Atmos is the release dates of encoded media like 1080p blu-rays and 4K discs! We still have no release dates for 4K players that will offer both 4K video resolution and premium Dolby Atmos audio. In my honest opinion we will need to see physical media come out with Dolby Atmos on both Blu-ray and 4K discs for the audio format to have a chance to become accepted. I am sure many of us need to see a list of titles out soon with not only Dolby Atmos but what will be available on bluray and 4k disc. Some people think physical media is going away but IMHO not for some time. While downloading and streaming for many may be a matter of convenience it is still not to the point where it can be done as well and without the compression that is needed to keep the file sizes down. The fact is that physical media is still the best option as it still can offer the best experience with less compression, no buffer issues and superior audio. That doesn't mean that improvements in the delivery system will not be made where the same quality and experience can be had online eventually. What some do not realize is that the online model is destroying the ownership model and making it to where you do not actually own any of the media anymore. I would hope that most of us would go on supporting physical media over the online model.

I am still looking forward to hearing Dolby Atmos demos so I can decide one and for all if I will need to save up for a new receiver. But before I scrimp and save for a new receiver and added costs of additional speakers for Dolby Atmos. I want to see no only movie titles and release dates but I want to see release dates for 4K players and movie titles being released with Dolby Atmos. Hopefully before Christmas this information will become available!
Christmas 2015 is the new target date for some semblance of UHD Blu-ray. It may not have the specs. we were hoping for... and one of the major BDA members left the door open for DTS-UHD object audio because it was open source unlike Dolby Atmos. There's a wrinkle right there.

They're now talking like 66 GB discs will be the new 25 GB discs and 100 GB discs will be the new 50 GB discs. Possibly 10 bit 4:2:0 with a yet to be determined color gamut spec. Some studios want P3 and others in the industry want Rec. 2020 with downsampling taking place in the player if the display can't handle it. HEVC is, of course, the video codec of choice. No 120 fps mentioned... up to 60 fps instead.
 

schan1269

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How many times does it have to be stated...Atmos DOES NOT, AT ALL, require a new BD player. And apparently nobody remembers Onkyo firmware updated everything down to the 636(or was it 535...) to include at least 5/1/2 Atmos.
 

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schan1269 said:
How many times does it have to be stated...Atmos DOES NOT, AT ALL, require a new BD player.And apparently nobody remembers Onkyo firmware updated everything down to the 636(or was it 535...) to include at least 5/1/2 Atmos.
No one that I know of is saying that you need a new Blu-ray player for regular Blu-ray Atmos.

There is debate as to whether or not Dolby Atmos will be "welcomed with open arms" on UHD Blu-ray coming in late 2015. Some BDA members like DTS-UHD's (a subset of DTS MDA) open source architecture better. This would probably be preferable in disc authoring and mastering seeing as how the new discs will require new mastering software. No one would be beholden to Dolby. Official Atmos "product" is only available through Dolby Labs. DTS MDA data is open to all.

This thought process may influence the adoption of Atmos for current Blu-ray as well. We shall see.
 

schan1269

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Nobody, anywhere, expects Atmos on DTS HD content.What's your point of the adoption rate?Dave(above. And too many other posts to count) blurts about needing an Atmos BD player. Atmos, nor DTS UHD, will NEVER require an upgraded player, PPEERRIIOODD.UHD video has jack shit to do with Atmos/DTS UHD.
 

DanH1972

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schan1269 said:
Nobody, anywhere, expects Atmos on DTS HD content.What's your point of the adoption rate?Dave(above. And too many other posts to count) blurts about needing an Atmos BD player. Atmos, nor DTS UHD, will EVER require an upgraded player, PPEERRIIOODD.UHD video has jack shit to do with Atmos/DTS UHD.
Again, most people know that Atmos will not be on DTS anything and DTS won't be on Atmos anything. I'm not sure where you're coming from.

The Blu-ray Disc Association is currently debating and finalizing the specifications for UHD Blu-ray that may be released Christmas of 2015. Panasonic, one of the key members of the BDA, seems very keen on DTS-UHD for object based surround because it is an open source format. That makes it cheaper to implement. Studios and manufacturers like easy and cheap. This is why DTS Master Audio has dominated as a Blu-ray audio codec so far.
 

DanH1972

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schan1269 said:
1. There is no "may" in the Christmas 2015.2. Why, by God why, is UHD/4K video even being discussed in this thread?
1) Because 4k implementation has slipped many times in the past.

2) Because these behind the scenes rumblings are very relevant to the possible future of Atmos. It goes hand in hand. I'm surprised you can't see that.
 

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