Playing download files without an AVR or BluRay

[SeeMoreDigital]

Does the laptop have HDMI out?

It sure does... v2.1

 

[madscot]

It sure does... v2.1

HDMI out to an atmos enabled avr should work

 

[mandrix]

Aw... Personally I'm not into gaming, along with their computers that have loads of flashing coloured led lights!

Not a gamer either. But those lights...cool...lol. I have a lightboard I built a decade ago that covers the bottom of my pc's main case that has layers of acrylic and ringed with led's, the acrylic is edge polished....before all the pc's started having the pretty lil led's. But then while not a gamer, I am a pc geek.

 

[SeeMoreDigital]

HDMI out to an atmos enabled avr should work

Indeed... But I don't need a laptop with an Atmos logo on it to send an Atmos (or DTS:X) bit-stream via HDMI to a suitably equipped AVR. I've been able to send such bit-streams from my previous laptops for years!

 

[austinsignal]

Please define ‘studio rig’:
Do you have a PC or Mac?
How do you play multichannel audio files now?

Mac with MOTU 122D into JBL Intonato. I mix using Reaper generally (also have Logic and Pro Tools), into the Dolby Audio Bridge into Dolby Atmos Renderer.

 

[jimfisheye]

Mac with MOTU 122D into JBL Intonato. I mix using Reaper generally (also have Logic and Pro Tools), into the Dolby Audio Bridge into Dolby Atmos Renderer.

Hey @austinsignal
I have a MOTU 828mk3 as my main interface at present. (ADAT outputs to Apogee DACs). I also connect to virtual devices like Loopback and the Dolby audio bridge. I record, mix and produce in Reaper as well. Strictly Mac user since forever with audio. I use the Dolby renderer to create the intermediate file set and the Dolby encoder to create the final .mlp files. What I said earlier just works. You have to get your hands on the Dolby reference player app. That's the key and it genuinely is the only decoder capable app in software form at present.

 

[austinsignal]

Hey @austinsignal
I have a MOTU 828mk3 as my main interface at present. (ADAT outputs to Apogee DACs). I also connect to virtual devices like Loopback and the Dolby audio bridge. I record, mix and produce in Reaper as well. Strictly Mac user since forever with audio. I use the Dolby renderer to create the intermediate file set and the Dolby encoder to create the final .mlp files. What I said earlier just works. You have to get your hands on the Dolby reference player app. That's the key and it genuinely is the only decoder capable app in software form at present.

yessir - Thanks! - heard that elsewhere too. I just use the Renderer to generate ADM's, BINS's and MP4's for clients and distros.. Haven't really found the need for the Encoder, other than perhaps to adjust dialnorm for client-mp4's...so I've kinda put off licensing it...and I believe that's the only path to the Reference Player. I guess I'll just bite the bullet and get the Encoder!

 

[jimfisheye]

The intermediate file format from the renderer app will not play in anything. The exception is the lossy output (in mp4 container). They let you do that with the renderer. (And only that.) The encoder is required to produce the final .mlp file from the .atmos file set from the renderer. Also the encoder will not take 12 or 16 multichannel wav files for input! The only app that can work with the original multichannel mix file is the renderer. You need both apps and then the reference player included with the encoder for playback. Dolby really thought this through for maximum profits!

Wav (bed & objects) -> renderer (.atmos) -> encoder (.mlp)

Renderer can not produce .mlp output.
Encoder can not accept standard multichannel wav audio input for Atmos.
mlp decoder in reference player not licensed to any other software media player on the planet.

So I think it's good to remember at the end of the day that we could just put 7.1.4 12 channel (or 9.1.6 16 channel) mixes to wavpack and play them with VOX player.

 

[sjcorne]

So I think it's good to remember at the end of the day that we could just put 7.1.4 12 channel (or 9.1.6 16 channel) mixes to wavpack and play them with VOX player.

Great idea - that would make the mixes unplayable for anyone using a traditional home theater system with HDMI (i.e. how nearly all consumers listen to to Atmos over speakers) and remove the format’s ability to adapt to different playback environments.

It’s great you found a playback/archiving solution that works for you, but sometimes it helps to remember that not everyone has 7.1.4 or is using a computer to listen

 

[mkt]

Audite is selling atmos downloads now. The files are wav (bed and objects?). I expected 12 channels but there seem to be 13. Any ideas what the extra channel is? Or suggestions for playing on a Mac without an AVR? (I'm playing in Vox or Audirvana to 7.1.4).

EDIT And there indeeds to be content on that 13th channel.