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{{short description|Object-based surround sound technology}}
[[File:Dolby Atmos.png|200px|right]]

'''Dolby Atmos''' is a [[surround sound]] technology developed by [[Dolby Laboratories]]. It expands on existing surround sound systems by adding height channels, allowing sounds to be interpreted as three-dimensional objects.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/dolby-atmos-why-its-cool-how-it-works-and-how-to-get-it/|title=Surround all around: Dolby Atmos explained|last=Morrison|first=Geoffrey|website=CNET |access-date=2020-01-21}}</ref> Following the release of Atmos for the cinema market, a variety of consumer technologies have been released under the Atmos brand, using in-ceiling and up-firing speakers.

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==History==
[[File:Dolby Atmos system.jpg|thumb|Dolby Atmos Monitor at SoundFirm, Melbourne, Australia]]

The first Dolby Atmos installation was in the [[El Capitan Theatre|El Capitan Theater]] in [[Los Angeles]], for the premiere of [[Brave (2012 film)|''Brave'']] in June 2012.<ref name="hobbit">{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/peter-jackson-considering-dolby-atmos-318708|title=Peter Jackson Considering Dolby Atmos for 'The Hobbit'|author=Giardina, Carolyn|date=May 1, 2012|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=2012-06-02}}</ref> Throughout 2012, it saw a limited release of about 25 installations worldwide, with an increase to 300 locations in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://investor.dolby.com/news-releases/news-release-details/dolby-atmos-reaches-85-title-milestone-new-films-announced|title=Dolby Atmos Reaches 85-Title Milestone with New Films Announced at ShowEast 2013 - Dolby Laboratories, Inc|publisher=Investor.dolby.com|access-date=2015-07-23}}</ref> There were over 6,000 locations {{As of|2020|07|lc=y|post=.}}{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}} Dolby Atmos has also been adapted to a home theater format and is the audio component of [[Dolby Cinema]]. Most electronic devices since 2016, as well as smartphones after 2017, have been enabled for Dolby Atmos recording and mixing. The full set of technical specifications for [[Dolby Digital Plus]] with Dolby Atmos are standardized and published in [[ETSI]] TS 103 420.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://portal.etsi.org/webapp/workprogram/Report_WorkItem.asp?WKI_ID=52775|title=Work Programme - Work Item Detailed Report|website=portal.etsi.org|access-date=2019-06-19}}</ref>

In 2016 ''[[Power (TV series)|Power]]'' was the first television show natively mixed and broadcast in Atmos for its third season. Though in the same year, ''[[Game of Thrones]]'' up-mixed their previous 5.1 presentations for the [[Blu-ray]] reissue.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://essentialinstall.com/news/home-cinema/game-of-thrones-becomes-first-ever-tv-show-to-feature-dolby-atmos/|title=Game of Thrones Becomes First Ever TV Show To Feature Dolby Atmos|last=Gustafson|first=Alice|date=2015-10-08|website=Essential Install |access-date=2020-01-21}}</ref> [[R.E.M.]]'s 1992 album ''[[Automatic for the People]]'' was the first major music release with its 25th anniversary reissue in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7965626/rem-automatic-for-the-people-reissue-peter-buck-interview |title=R.E.M.'s Peter Buck Talks 'Automatic for the People' Before 25th Anniversary Reissue: 'I Didn't Expect It to Be a Huge Hit' |website=Billboard }}</ref>

==Technology==
[[File:Logo Dolby Atmos.svg|thumb|upright=0.5|Old Dolby Atmos logo introduced in 2012]]
[[File:2017 03 31 Dolby Atmos Studio TVN Group.jpg|thumb|Dolby Atmos studio at a media company in [[Hanover]], [[Germany]]]]

Dolby Atmos technology allows up to 128 audio tracks plus associated spatial audio description [[metadata]] (most notably, location or [[Panning (audio)|pan]] automation data) to be distributed to theaters for optimal, dynamic rendering to loudspeakers based on the theater capabilities. Each audio track can be assigned to an audio channel, the conventional format for distribution, or to an audio "object." Dolby Atmos in theaters has a 9.1 "bed" channels for ambience stems or center dialogue, leaving 118 tracks for objects.<ref name="cdn-blog_2014-08">{{cite web |url=https://www.dolby.com/us/en/technologies/dolby-atmos/dolby-atmos-for-the-home-theater.pdf |title=Dolby Atmos for the Home Theater |date=October 2016 |access-date=2021-07-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521122348/https://www.dolby.com/us/en/technologies/dolby-atmos/dolby-atmos-for-the-home-theater.pdf |archive-date=May 21, 2020 }}</ref> Atmos for home in films has only 1 bed channel in LFE and usually 11 dynamic objects. In Atmos games ISF (''Intermediate Spatial format'') is used, that supports 32 total active objects (for 7.1.4 bed 20 additional dynamic objects can be active<ref>{{Cite web|last=drewbatgit|title=Spatial Sound for Developers - Win32 apps|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/coreaudio/spatial-sound|access-date=2020-11-12|website=docs.microsoft.com }}</ref>). Each object specifies its apparent source location in the theater, as a set of three-dimensional [[Rectangular coordinate system|rectangular coordinates]] relative to the defined audio channel locations and theater boundaries.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.dolby.com/us/en/technologies/dolby-atmos/authoring-for-dolby-atmos-cinema-sound-manual.pdf|title=Authoring for Dolby Atmos Cinema Sound Manual|date=2014|publisher=Dolby Laboratories, Inc.|edition=Third|pages=69–103|access-date=7 December 2014}}</ref>

Dolby Atmos home theaters can be built upon conventional [[5.1 surround sound|5.1]] and [[7.1 surround sound|7.1]] layouts. For Dolby Atmos, the nomenclature differs slightly: a 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos system is a conventional 7.1 layout with four overhead or Dolby Atmos enabled speakers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dolby.com/us/en/technologies/home/dolby-atmos.html|title=Dolby Atmos for Home|website=www.dolby.com}}</ref>

Dolby Atmos content is authored using compatible [[digital audio workstation]] software (Dolby supplies a [[Plug-in (computing)|plug-in]] for [[Pro Tools]]) or a suitably equipped large format audio mixing console such as [[AMS Neve]]'s DFC or [[Harrison Audio Consoles|Harrison]]'s MPC5.

During playback, each theater's Dolby Atmos system renders the audio objects in real time based on the known locations of the loudspeakers present in the target theater, such that each audio object is heard as originating from its designated set of coordinates. By way of contrast, conventional multichannel technology essentially burns all the source audio tracks into a fixed number of channels during post-production. This has conventionally forced the re-recording mixer to make assumptions about the playback environment that may not apply very well to a particular theater. The addition of audio objects allows the mixer to be more creative, to bring more sounds off the screen, and be confident of the results.

The first-generation cinema hardware, the "Dolby Atmos Cinema Processor," supports up to 128 discrete audio tracks and up to 64 unique speaker feeds.<ref name="engadget">{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2012/04/26/dolby-atmos-technology-gives-new-meaning-to-surround-sound/|title=Dolby's Atmos technology gives new meaning to surround sound, death from above|publisher=[[Engadget]]|author=Hidalgo, Jason|date=April 26, 2012|access-date=2012-06-01}}</ref>
The technology was initially created for [[Movie theater|commercial cinema]] applications, and was later adapted to [[home cinema]].<ref name="digitaltrends">{{cite web|url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/dolby-atmos-surround-sound-technology-could-transform-video-games/|title=Dolby Atmos surround sound technology could transform video games|date=April 24, 2012|publisher=[[Digital Trends]]|access-date=2012-06-02}}</ref><ref name="nytimesblog">{{cite web|url=https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/24/new-dolby-technology-to-make-horror-movies-scarier/|title=New Dolby Technology to Make Horror Movies Scarier|author=Bolton, Nick|date=April 24, 2012|work=New York Times|access-date=2012-06-01}}</ref> In addition to playing back a standard [[5.1 surround sound|5.1]] or [[7.1 surround sound|7.1]] mix using loudspeakers grouped into arrays, the Dolby Atmos system can also give each loudspeaker its own unique feed based on its exact location, thereby enabling many new front, surround, and even ceiling-mounted [[height channels]] for the precise panning of select sounds such as a helicopter or rain.

==Consumer implementations==
===Home theater===
At the end of June 2014, Dolby Labs' hardware partners announced that Dolby Atmos would soon be coming to home theaters.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://us.kef.com/blog/dolby-atmos-for-your-home-theater-some-faqs|title=Dolby Atmos for home theaters: FAQ|access-date=2014-07-19}}</ref> Dolby Atmos enabled movies are available with [[Kaleidescape|Kaleidescape's]] movie players.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hunt|first=Bill|title=Kaleidescape: A Glimpse at the Future of 4K Home Entertainment|url=https://thedigitalbits.com/featured/articles/the-future-of-4k-entertainment|access-date=2020-09-02|website=thedigitalbits.com }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Kronsberg|first=Matthew|date=2020-05-29|title=Have a Top-Notch Film Experience Without Leaving Home |work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/have-a-top-notch-film-experience-without-leaving-home-11590753612|access-date=2020-09-02|issn=0099-9660}}</ref>

Manufacturers such as [[Denon]], [[Marantz]], [[Onkyo]], [[Pioneer Corporation|Pioneer]], and [[Yamaha]] announced products that brought Dolby Atmos into home theaters. Products offered range from premium home cinema receivers and preamplifiers to mid-range home-theater-in-a-box (HTiB) packages.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://usa.denon.com/us/news/news/119|title=Denon Press Release: Denon Unveils New AV Receivers for Dolby Atmos Sound|publisher=Denon.co.uk|access-date=2014-07-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.marantz.co.uk/uk/news/pages/newsdetails.aspx?newsid=124|title=Marantz Press Release: Marantz Unveils New AV Receiver and Preamp/Processors for Dolby Atmos Sound|access-date=2014-07-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eu.onkyo.com/en/articles/new-onkyo-high-end-a-v-components-debut-with-dolby-atmos-4k-60-hz-video-and-premium-build-118113.html|title=Onkyo Press Release: New Onkyo High-End A/V Components Debut with Dolby Atmos, 4K/60 Hz Video, and Premium Build|publisher=Eu.onkyo.com|access-date=2014-07-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eu.onkyo.com/en/articles/onkyo-unveils-dolby-atmos-ready-htib-packages-speaker-systems-and-base-model-a-v-receiver-with-hdmi-2-0-and-bluetooth-118537.html|title=Onkyo Press Release: Onkyo Unveils Dolby Atmos-Ready HTiB Packages, Speaker Systems, and Base-Model A/V Receiver with HDMI 2.0 and Bluetooth|website=Eu.onkyo.com|access-date=2014-07-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/Dolby+Atmos|title=Pioneer Press Release: Pioneer announce Dolby Atmos compatible high-end AV receivers|publisher=Pioneer.eu|access-date=2014-07-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://europe.yamaha.com/en/news_events/2014/dolbyatmos.html|title=Yamaha Press Release: Dolby Atmos® through the new AVENTAGE RX-A3040 and RX-A2040 AV receivers|publisher=Yamaha.com|access-date=2014-07-19}}</ref> On June 4, 2018, Apple announced that tvOS 12 for AppleTV 4K would support Dolby Atmos when released in Fall 2018.

The first movie to be released on [[Blu-ray]] with Dolby Atmos was ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140908005341/en/Dolby-Atmos-Home-Blu-ray-VUDU-Transport-Entertainment|title=Press Release: Dolby Atmos Comes to the Home Via Blu-ray and VUDU to Transport Entertainment Enthusiasts Into a New Dimension of Sound|publisher=Businesswire.com|access-date=2014-09-28}}</ref><ref name="theverge">{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/4/24/2971838/dolby-atmos-theater-audio-platform|title=Dolby Atmos audio hits moviegoers with sound from all directions|publisher=[[Vox Media]]|author=Webster, Andrew|date=April 24, 2012|access-date=2012-06-01}}</ref> The first video game to use Dolby Atmos was ''[[Star Wars Battlefront (2015 video game)|Star Wars: Battlefront]]'' with a special agreement between [[EA]] and [[Dolby Laboratories]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Dolby Atmos Coming to "Star Wars: Battlefront" |url=https://blog.dolby.com/dolby-atmos-coming-star-wars-battlefront/ |website=SIGNAL |access-date=24 March 2020 |date=5 September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/the-surround-sound-awakens-we-played-star-wars-battlefront-in-atmos-surround/|title=The surround sound awakens: How Dolby Atmos makes Star Wars Battlefront a better game|first=Ty|last=Pendlebury|website=CNET}}</ref> This game uses HDMI bitstreaming from the PC to deliver Atmos audio to consumer Audio-Visual Receivers. [[Overwatch (video game)|Overwatch]] and [[Battlefield 1]] for PC also have Atmos audio.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/dolby-atmos-gaming-2952345|title=Dolby Atmos may make you a better gamer – here's why|first=Ced|last=Yuen|date=9 February 2017|website=Trusted Reviews}}</ref> On the Xbox One, [[Crackdown 3]] and [[Gears of War 4]] support Atmos.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.techradar.com/news/crackdown-3-and-gears-of-war-4-are-xboxs-first-two-dolby-atmos-games|title=Crackdown 3 and Gears of War 4 are Xbox's first two Dolby Atmos games|first=Jon Porter 2017-06-12T02:18:05 162Z Home Cinema|last=audio|website=TechRadar}}</ref>

Dolby Atmos for Music, an audio-only iteration of the format was adopted by streaming music services [[Tidal (service)|Tidal]] and [[Amazon Music]] in December 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.insideci.co.uk/news/dolby-atmos-music-washes-over-tidal-hifi-service.aspx|title=Dolby Atmos washes over Tidal HiFi service|first=Steve|last=May|date=17 December 2019|website=Inside CI}}</ref>

[[Sennheiser]] launched a new soundbar with built-in Dolby Atmos technology named AMBEO soundbar at the 2019 [[Consumer Electronics Show|CES]] in Las Vegas.<ref>{{Cite web|quote=At CES 2019, held in Las Vegas from January 8 to 11, Sennheiser will be providing visitors with the unique opportunity to explore the world of Augmented Audio and craft their very own AMBEO AR experience.|title=Sennheiser CES 2019|url=https://en-de.sennheiser.com/mediaroom/step-into-new-worlds-of-sound-at-ces-2019-214839|access-date=21 December 2018|website=www.en-de.sennheiser.com}}</ref> The soundbar utilizes analysis of a room's reflective characteristics to enable a single-unit 5.1.4 setup.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sennheiser AMBEO Soundbar|url=https://en-us.sennheiser.com/ambeo-soundbar|access-date=October 8, 2020|quote=By capturing the characteristics of your living room and reflective surfaces, and using the latest virtualization technology developed with Fraunhofer, the AMBEO Soundbar merges with the acoustics of your environment to create a 3D sound experience.}}</ref>

On May 17, 2021, [[Apple Music]] announced the addition of spatial audio with support for Dolby Atmos and lossless audio.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Apple Music announces Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio|url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/05/apple-music-announces-spatial-audio-and-lossless-audio/|access-date=2021-05-24|website=Apple Newsroom }}</ref> The feature started rolling out to Apple Music users using [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] devices on June 7, 2021,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Welch|first=Chris|date=2021-06-07|title=Apple Music begins rolling out lossless streaming and Dolby Atmos spatial audio|url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/7/22523228/apple-music-lossless-spatial-audio-dolby-atmos-features|access-date=2021-06-08|website=The Verge }}</ref> with Android and Windows support later.

Streaming services like [[Netflix]] and [[HBO Max]] (only for movies starting with ''[[Wonder Woman 1984]]'') used Dolby Atmos.

====Implementation and differences from commercial implementations====
Because of limited bandwidth and lack of processing power, Atmos in home theaters is different from cinemas. A spatially-coded substream is added to [[Dolby TrueHD]] or [[Dolby Digital Plus]] or is present as metadata in Dolby MAT 2.0, LPCM like format. This substream is an efficient representation of the full, original object-based mix. This is not a matrix-encoded channel, but a spatially-encoded digital signal with panning metadata. Atmos in home theaters can support 24.1.10 channels, it also can do up to 118 dynamical simultaneous objects with 10 bed channels<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dolby.com/us/en/technologies/dolby-atmos/dolby-atmos-for-the-home-theater.pdf|title=Dolby Atmos for Home Theater |date=December 2018|publisher=Dolby Laboratories|access-date=2016-05-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521122348/https://www.dolby.com/us/en/technologies/dolby-atmos/dolby-atmos-for-the-home-theater.pdf |archive-date=May 21, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stormaudio.com/media/dolbyatmoshometheaterinstallationguidelines__085587300_1128_11082016.pdf |title=Dolby Atmos Home Theater Installation Guidelines |website=www.stormaudio.com |access-date=26 March 2020}}</ref> and uses the spatially-encoded object audio substream to mix the audio presentation to match the installed speaker configuration.

In order to reduce the bitrate, nearby objects and speakers are clustered together to form aggregate objects, which are then dynamically panned in the process that Dolby calls spatial coding.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://developerkb.dolby.com/support/solutions/articles/16000095119-dolby-atmos-production-suite-v3-2-documentation|title=Dolby Atmos Production Suite v3.2 Documentation|website=developerkb.dolby.com|access-date=26 March 2020}}</ref> The sound of the original objects may be spread over multiple aggregate objects to maintain the power and position of the original objects. The spatial resolution (and hence the strength of the clustering) can be controlled by the filmmakers when they use the Dolby Atmos Production Suite tools. [[Dolby Digital Plus]] has also been updated with Atmos extensions.<ref name="cdn-blog_2014-08"/>

===Headphones===
Dolby Atmos also has headphone implementations for PCs, the [[Xbox One]], the [[Xbox Series X and Series S|Xbox Series X/S]], and mobile phones. They work by using audio processing algorithms to convert the Atmos object metadata into a [[binaural recording|binaural]] 360° output using the usual two headphone speakers. This technique is an improvement on the previous [[Dolby Headphone]] technology, allowing for infinite channels of sound to be processed into a virtual surround experience.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kategat.com/2019/09/atmos-for-headphones-and-binaural-sound.html|title=Atmos for headphones and binaural sound|website=www.kategat.com}}</ref>

[[Windows 10]] [[Windows 10 version 1703|Version 1703 Creators Update]] added platform-level support for spatial sound processing including both Windows Sonic for Headphones and Dolby Atmos for Headphones.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/coreaudio/spatial-sound|title=Spatial Sound|website=docs.microsoft.com}}</ref> Dolby Atmos for headphones requires a license to function which can be purchased or redeemed inside the Dolby Access app.

===Smartphones===
Dolby Atmos has smartphone implementations for devices including but not limited to the [[iPhone XS]]/[[iPhone XR|XR]] and later (when running iOS 13 or later<ref>{{cite web |title=iOS 13 - Features |url=https://www.apple.com/ios/ios-13-preview/features/ |website=Apple |access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref>), the [[Razer Phone|Razer Phone and Razer Phone 2]], the [[ZTE|ZTE Axon 7]], [[Samsung Galaxy S8|Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+]], [[Samsung Galaxy S9|Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+]], [[Samsung Galaxy Note 9|Samsung Note 9]], [[Galaxy Note 8]], [[Samsung Galaxy J8]], [[Samsung Galaxy J6]], [[Samsung Galaxy S10|Galaxy S10 series]], [[Samsung Galaxy Tab]], [[Samsung Galaxy A20]], [[Samsung Galaxy A30]] [[Samsung Galaxy A10]], [[Samsung Galaxy M20]], [[Samsung Galaxy M30]], [[Samsung Galaxy M30s]], [[Samsung Galaxy M40]], [[Sony Xperia 1]], [[Lenovo K8 Note]], [[Lenovo smartphones|Lenovo K5 Note]], [[Huawei P20|Huawei Mate P20 Pro]], [[Huawei P30|Huawei Pro 30]],[[Redmi K40|Poco F3]],[[Realme X2 Pro]], [[Realme X7 Max]] ,[[Realme X|Realme XT ]], [[Realme 6 pro]], [[Lenovo Vibe K4 note ]],and [[Nokia 6]],[[Oneplus 8 pro]],[[Oneplus 7 pro]],[[Oneplus 7T]],[[Oneplus 8T]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dolby.com/us/en/categories/smartphone.html|title=Mobile Phones With Dolby|website=www.dolby.com}}</ref> This implementation uses both the binaural headphone technology and a dual loudspeaker virtual surround sound implementation.

===Automobiles===
Dolby's first implementation of Atmos in an automobile will be the Lucid Air sedan from [[Lucid Motors]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gartenberg|first=Chaim|date=2021-03-17|title=Lucid’s upcoming electric car will be the first to feature Dolby Atmos|url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/17/22336339/lucid-air-electric-car-dolby-atmos-sxsw|access-date=2021-04-04|website=The Verge }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Aureal Semiconductor#A3D|A3D]], a similar, [[head-related transfer function|HRTF]]-based 3D surround system
* [[Ambisonics]], a similar spatial sound encoding technique. Nowadays used for some games and VR Audio
* [[Auro-3D]], a similar, completely channel-based 3D surround system
* [[DTS (sound system)#DTS:X|DTS:X]], a competing fully object-based system
* [[MPEG-H 3D Audio]]
* [[Sound Blaster X-Fi]], a competing surround sound "audio holography" system for headphones tuned to ear shape.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website}}
* [https://www.arkinfo.in/dolby ARK Dolby Atmos webpage]

{{Dolby Laboratories}}

[[Category:Audiovisual introductions in 2012]]
[[Category:Dolby Laboratories]]
[[Category:Film sound production]]
[[Category:Surround sound]]
[[Category:Ultra-high-definition television]]

Dolby Atmos - Revision history

CleanupBot at 12:19, 12 August 2021