Atmos is an immersive or 3D process. This means that you are immersed in the sound, you are there and don't just have a sound event in front of you. There are no longer just two loudspeakers (one-dimensional) in front of you, or a sound source localized in your head in the headphones. The immersive process brings the listening experience, whether just music or sound with image, a good step closer to reality. Now that the technology has been introduced, it will soon become another new standard alongside stereo. It is possible to enjoy this immersive sound experience via several discrete loudspeakers, a soundbar or binauralized via headphones. The Dolby Atmos process originally comes from the world of cinema and has been expanded to include height information (third dimension) after the familiar surround. In addition to the maximum of 10 previous channels in the horizontal plane (surround), up to 118 so-called object-based sound sources are added, which are supplemented with metadata and sound in the listening room (loudspeakers or headphones) at the intended location in the room. This is realized in the cinema via a large number of loudspeakers. Binauralization, which is already built into every new smartphone, allows this to be consumed with conventional headphones or via soundbars on the broad market.
Atmos is available as a CINEMA and a MUSIC version. Atmos in the music version is completely license-free because Dolby has built up its business model via licenses from the manufacturers of playback devices (smartphones, smart TVs, AV receivers, etc.). Dolby has lowered the entry threshold through license-free content production. There is also a low technical entry threshold at home recording level. This has the advantage that Atmos productions at home recording level are already possible with the simplest means, thus enabling a wide range of semi-professional providers to enter the market. Another major advantage of this is that the format can be seen as the winner in the immersive sector. This increases the demand for professional providers of this Dolby technology.
As soon as the demands increase, such as meeting Netflix requirements or producing Blue-Rays, it becomes more complex. We can handle this complexity thanks to our many years of experience.
Use of Dolby Atmos
Music in general, streaming of films that are not shown in cinemas, TV
Most streaming services rely on Dolby Atmos. Apple has strongly advocated this technology, which it also calls “spatial audio”. Apple Playlist explicitly requires Dolby Atmos It is already the case that more and more is being requested in ATMOS format. All sub-formats such as surround and stereo can be generated from this. It can therefore be expected that this format will soon dominate.
“Dolby Atmos Music” technology is increasingly in demand for music productions.
“Dolby Atmos Music” technology is also becoming the standard for film sound outside the cinema, i.e. for the familiar streaming.
Special caseDolby Atmos CINEMA
Atmos cinema requires a cinema-size certified control room. We don't think it's realistic that many filmmakers can afford these costs. However, the fact is that in a control room built according to the highest Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment/Music criteria (our Control Room A & Postproduction1), the technology and quality is such that such mixes can be sent to a cinema-certified company (e.g. Germany) and the certification can be carried out there as finishing work. DH: So if a customer wants Atmos cinema, we can also offer a solution in this way.
In General
We were able to upgrade to Dolby Atmos without compromise thanks to the support of the Swiss Confederation and the Canton of Lucerne. This helps all music and film customers to realize Atmos productions in high quality. At this point, a big thank you to the Lucerne Culture Commission. The technical planning was supported/accompanied by SMM Munich and Dolby Europe.