Google and Samsung are creating a new "open-source spatial audio technology"

[admsh]

https://www.whathifi.com/news/move-over-dolby-atmos-a-new-rival-from-samsung-and-google-is-coming

 

[IMachine]

A new format! We need more and more!

 

[Old Quad Guy]

Well, if it’s a new format that doesn’t work with current equipment, we’ll have to see what happens. But if it’s truly open source to everyone, could be interesting over time. The thing with these “proprietary” formats is that the patent runs out and a company moves on to another patented product, which would be another format to have to buy to keep up.

If there was an open source format that could be made backwards compatible with even Quad or 5.1, it might be useful. But, if something is made with no way of easily playing it, no one will want it. Especially if there’s no content being offered.

 

[mkt]

I saw an update on this. My first thought was that looks familiar but it's not a soundbar.

I’ve had a top-secret listen to the future of Samsung’s Dolby Atmos soundbars, and it sounds deeply impressive

 

[H.A.L.]

I saw an update on this. My first thought was that looks familiar but it's not a soundbar.
View attachment 110569
I’ve had a top-secret listen to the future of Samsung’s Dolby Atmos soundbars, and it sounds deeply impressive

The Sony BRAVIA line is going that way as well with outside speakers. No thought to those that might play through their tv but while using their own amps / speaker array. Look at this to go with your BRAVIA:

https://electronics.sony.com/audio/...6cuCIC5nqXajI5EKzyDA9Cn5WpiOV1XyCKHofwf-ZSegO

"Upfiring speakers." 4.0.4. That's a new one.

 

[humprof]

I saw an update on this. My first thought was that looks familiar but it's not a soundbar.
View attachment 110569
I’ve had a top-secret listen to the future of Samsung’s Dolby Atmos soundbars, and it sounds deeply impressive

Interesting. Do we know whether Parsons actually had any previous experience with Atmos in a 5.14 or better system? (I.e., is there a credible frame of reference for his gee-whiz reaction to what he heard from the soundbar?)

IAMF: I'm certainly all for royalty-free competition for Atmos (royalty-free + open-source: even better), especially if IAMF is somehow compatible with Atmos. But I had high hopes for MPEG-H, too, and look where that's gone.

As for the soundbar itself: lord knows we've all heard rhapsodizing about other "immersive" soundbars (and headphones and earbuds and wireless speakers) in the past, and they've all turned out to be underwhelming compared to a genuine, hard-wired multi-speaker system. Also: Google has failed us more than once when it comes to this sort of thing, and in more ways than one (e.g., rollout-with-fanfare > failure-and-oblivion; free > until it's not, usually when they're done harvesting data and/or "training" their tech). So I'm not gonna get too excited just yet. That said: hope springs eternal, and this is definitely worth keeping an eye on!

 

[SeeMoreDigital]

...But I had high hopes for MPEG-H, too, and look where that's gone.

Indeed... And like any new audio (or video) innovation it will require a lot of software and hardware support or it too will die.

 

[barfle]

Well, if it’s a new format that doesn’t work with current equipment, we’ll have to see what happens. But if it’s truly open source to everyone, could be interesting over time. The thing with these “proprietary” formats is that the patent runs out and a company moves on to another patented product, which would be another format to have to buy to keep up.

If there was an open source format that could be made backwards compatible with even Quad or 5.1, it might be useful. But, if something is made with no way of easily playing it, no one will want it. Especially if there’s no content being offered.

That’s kind of what I thought when I first heard about atmos. Screwy format, way too complicated (objects? who needs ‘em?), and a LOT of new hardware needed.

Having been burned by countless obsolete flash-in-the-pan formats, I held off on atmos. I might get it for myself as a Christmas present, though. The Marantz 7704 is approaching the end of its manufacturing life, and is likely to go on sale soon. I’m in line for one.

 

[jimfisheye]

Hilarious!

If nothing else it might help usher in Dolby's "phase 2" to finally license their decoder to the software media players. This is pretty obviously their strategy, as it's gone in the past. Once the strong armed hardware sales start to dwindle. But competition or "liberation" would push that hand quickly.

I don't think many shitbar listening movie watchers are going to suddenly get interested in music listening anytime soon. Everything around that is a moot point.

Or, you know, we could all just use wavpack for 12 or 16 channel mixes and be done with all the "secret decoder ring" people! Everything's backwards compatible. It's just channels, amps, and speakers.

Hilarious is the first word that comes to mind. Desperate is the second!

 

[jabbr]

Interesting. Do we know whether Parsons actually had any previous experience with Atmos in a 5.14 or better system? (I.e., is there a credible frame of reference for his gee-whiz reaction to what he heard from the soundbar?)

IAMF: I'm certainly all for royalty-free competition for Atmos (royalty-free + open-source: even better), especially if IAMF is somehow compatible with Atmos. But I had high hopes for MPEG-H, too, and look where that's gone.

As for the soundbar itself: lord knows we've all heard rhapsodizing about other "immersive" soundbars (and headphones and earbuds and wireless speakers) in the past, and they've all turned out to be underwhelming compared to a genuine, hard-wired multi-speaker system. Also: Google has failed us more than once when it comes to this sort of thing, and in more ways than one (e.g., rollout-with-fanfare > failure-and-oblivion; free > until it's not, usually when they're done harvesting data and/or "training" their tech). So I'm not gonna get too excited just yet. That said: hope springs eternal, and this is definitely worth keeping an eye on!

IAMF or Eclipsa as its now named is compatible with 7.1.4 etc so is compatible with Atmos in the sense that the masterings can be encoded for IAMF/Eclipsa and both decoded streams can be sent to 7.1.4 hardware e.g. via Merging Hapi DAC etc