Will Atmos go away in a couple years?

[soesbeout]

Do you know, or or old enough to remember the radio show late night on WUSF called "The Fourth Tower of Inverness"? This would have been about 1970'ish.

I wasn't living here then I relocated to Florida in 2005.

 

[Sal1950]

Thanks all for the well-wishs, Ian was tough, but I'm tougher.

Between Atmos scalability and it's inclusion on many recent soundbars (I know, I know ) those are the main reasons I believe Atmos will be around for a long time. The codec and hardware designers are pulling together for a surround system that may actually have some life in it. The music industry wants it and may have finally learned that format wars is good for no one.
From these lips to God's ear. LOL

 

[Doug G.]

I won't make a move until they perfect color TV and come out with Atmos II with speakers mounted in the floor.

Doug

 

[Ranasakawa]

Got more chance of getting a BluRay of Jimi Hendrix Royal Albert Hall 1969 concert than ATMOS surviving streamed services etc. They should make these albums available through subscription BluRays/DVDs for example

 

[sjcorne]

The idea of a disc-based subscription service catching on in 2022 is kind of laughable. It makes me think of the early days of Netflix, before they introduced video streaming around 2007/8.

Streaming is the only way this is going to survive, and I actually enjoy the convenience of being able to build playlists or listen to new stuff right on release day. Like Clearmountain suggests in the article, I wish they'd market more in the way of inexpensive, easy-to-install speaker systems to be used in conjunction with an Apple TV or Firestick. A good 5.1 mix on one of those cheap 'soundbar in front, two satellite speakers in the rear' systems is still a pretty effective listening experience. It's certainly preferable to the binaural rendering over headphones, which to my ears only works with some of the four-corner '70s quad mixes.

 

[barfle]

I certainly surmised that with the PUSH for DOLBY SURROUND, DTS and DD 5.1 for home video/theater applications, surround would've had a more profound impact on Joe Q Public but even that fizzled out followed by DTS Entertainment's push for MUSIC ONLY surround releases [LOSSY] with 4.0. 5.1 even 6.1 releases immediately followed by the Major record label's big announcement for LOSSLESS MLP DVD~A 5.1 and Sony's push for SACD [Stereo and Multichannel]. ALL unfortunately, had minimal impact except for that niche market which always embraced surround as a viable format.

ATMOS with its requirements for new Receivers and 4 MORE overhead speakers presented a new challenge. And seriously folks, and I'm NOT being cheeky, how many who claim to be ATMOS ready have four properly placed overhead speakers which in any way match their already extant front, rears and center channels?????? The majority of listeners who claim they're ATMOS ready rely on sound bars and Amazon's 'toy' ATMOS plastic thingamajigs which in no conceivable way meet the ATMOS challenge.

And Clearmountain isn't alone in his assessment that ATMOS may be here today ... gone tomorrow because in an interview some years ago Elliot Scheiner said that 5.1 [even 4.0] was adequate for surround immersion when 7.1 became the new kid on the block!

I don't have ATMOS nor do I stream but from what I've read the ATMOS remixes are lossy, are basically 'rentals' and most will never be released, AFAIK, on LOSSLESS physical discs [which would fold down nicely into 5.1] .

So, really, how committed are both the artists and the Major releasing companies to making ATMOS a viable format for ALL to enjoy, even in a 5.1 unfold?

I see ATMOS as a PUSH by both artists and record labels to sell MORE music, albeit in a new 'improved' format and commendable as it is, it's hardly likely to be any more successful than ALL those formats which came before to create a dent in an already minimalist niche market.

And to be totally honest, this listener is happier than a pig in sh*t when UK's Dutton Vocalion releases those old QUAD classics from the 70's in pristine remasterings on LOSSLESS SACD with vibrant phantom center channels ....... at near 70's prices as well!

And if the Beatles' latest REVOLVER box set is any indication .... even though a DOLBY ATMOS version exists ... why didn't they consider it important enough to include it .... most especially for the price point they're charging for the set!

Will ATMOS be here today ... gone tomorrow? ALL things considered ....... perhaps another remnant of SURROUND'S ingloriously rocky history is my guess!

As I understand Atmos, the ceiling speakers don’t need to acoustically match the others in the system. At least according to a handful of gurus on the old “Home Theater Geeks” webcasts.

When building my room, I installed fout Yamaha ceiling speakers. As I recall, they were about $50 each from Best Buy, with several reviewers saying that they survived attic heat and worked well for Atmos. So far, I don’t have the electronics to decode or drive those speakers, so the wires are run to the amplifier location and shorted out. I don’t expect 40 Hz out of them when the time finally arrives that I can enjoy the next step in my A/V adventures, but I do hope for pleasant and interesting imaging. Time will tell.

 

[mandrix]

As I understand Atmos, the ceiling speakers don’t need to acoustically match the others in the system. At least according to a handful of gurus on the old “Home Theater Geeks” webcasts.

When building my room, I installed fout Yamaha ceiling speakers. As I recall, they were about $50 each from Best Buy, with several reviewers saying that they survived attic heat and worked well for Atmos. So far, I don’t have the electronics to decode or drive those speakers, so the wires are run to the amplifier location and shorted out. I don’t expect 40 Hz out of them when the time finally arrives that I can enjoy the next step in my A/V adventures, but I do hope for pleasant and interesting imaging. Time will tell.

I think that's right. May not be what Dolby thinks, but who cares? For my heights I'm just using some Polk monitors (just by looking roughly 11"x7")? Maybe not good enough for the purists with deeper pockets but seem to be working out for me.
When my wife retired I knew she was going to monopolize the "big ass tv" and the living room where I had the audio gear set up for years. So I moved all my gear into my pc room, so it's setup actually across the width of the room, or the short side. Was a challenge to get tuned in but I made some adjustments.

 

[soesbeout]

So looking at the speakers that are above the TV and 2 more on the opposite end facing downword can those be used for Atmos and I'm not sure what hardware I would need to listen to it.This stuff was already there when we bought the house.

 

[barfle]

So looking at the speakers that are above the TV and 2 more on the opposite end facing downword can those be used for Atmos and I'm not sure what hardware I would need to listen to it.This stuff was already there when we bought the house.

Ouch! I won’t say that having those speakers in a house I was thinking about buying would be a deal breaker, but I wouldn’t expect serious high fidelity from them. That said, they look quite a bit like the speakers I installed for Atmos in my room. I’d give it a try, though. You might be surprised. And if the imaging sucks, you just have some sawing and patching to do in order to put speakers you already own where they belong.

 

[~dave~~wave~]

So looking at the speakers that are above the TV and 2 more on the opposite end facing downword can those be used for Atmos and I'm not sure what hardware I would need to listen to it.This stuff was already there when we bought the house.

Ouch! I won’t say that having those speakers in a house I was thinking about buying would be a deal breaker, but I wouldn’t expect serious high fidelity from them. That said, they look quite a bit like the speakers I installed for Atmos in my room. I’d give it a try, though. You might be surprised. And if the imaging sucks, you just have some sawing and patching to do in order to put speakers you already own where they belong.

Seeing these in friends & relatives newer homes "family rooms."
Intended for enhanced TV watching with inexpensive AVR.
And of course, no ugly floor speakers ruining the decor.
Inexpensive for the builder to slap in as the drywall is being installed.

You might take time connect them to your receiver and see how they sound.
As far as hardware, obviously you'd need an Atmos-capable AVR or cobble something together to use them as heights.
Not a huge head start expense-wise, but certainly in Wife Acceptance Factor & easy hook-up.

A few years ago a friend of my wife's, widowed, retired grandma asked me to come look at hers.
Four ceiling speakers in the corners, TV, AVR, center dialog soundbar & sub in a shelf unit.
Just didn't work right, blamed the grandkids for messing with the remotes, could I help?

Fortunately she had the AVR owners manual and calibration mic.
Turned out the room had been rotated 90 degrees from the original install, speaker wiring labels no longer applied.
Got it sounding fine for casual easy listening & TV.

 

[humprof]

Seeing these in friends & relatives newer homes "family rooms."
Intended for enhanced TV watching with inexpensive AVR.
And of course, no ugly floor speakers ruining the decor.
Inexpensive for the builder to slap in as the drywall is being installed.

You might take time connect them to your receiver and see how they sound.
As far as hardware, obviously you'd need an Atmos-capable AVR or cobble something together to use them as heights.
Not a huge head start expense-wise, but certainly in Wife Acceptance Factor & easy hook-up.

A few years ago a friend of my wife's, widowed, retired grandma asked me to come look at hers.
Four ceiling speakers in the corners, TV, AVR, center dialog soundbar & sub in a shelf unit.
Just didn't work right, blamed the grandkids for messing with the remotes, could I help?

Fortunately she had the AVR owners manual and calibration mic.
Turned out the room had been rotated 90 degrees from the original install, speaker wiring labels no longer applied.
Got it sounding fine for casual easy listening & TV.

Agreed: see how they sound first; they might be fine. I installed four similar-looking speakers (well, speakers with similar looking grills) in my living room ceiling--Episode ES-350T-IC-8's. The owner of my local hi-fi store (we still have one!) recommended them over what he called "standard contractor speakers," as they weren't much more expensive (I forget; maybe ~$150 each?). They sound great: full range, good dispersion, and the tweeters can be angled if necessary.

 

[soesbeout]

When I first saw them I figured they were for movie watching and have not tried them having my own 4.1 system with full range speakers front and rear.There was no documentaion about them that came with the house.

 

[IMachine]

As long as the music industry has new ideas of new formats in the future they will let the old formats die and present a new one. So many of us will buy the same music again and again and the industry is happy.

This is capitalism!

 

[AYanguas]

I do not have enough information to forecast the future of Dolby Atmos.

My thoughts:

• We (very few) want good Atmos mixes both with both discrete movement and ping-pong, and immersive sound environments. Only with discrete speakers the effects are good.
• The few of us that have discrete 7.1.4 speakers (I have really 9.1.4) are the majority already retired. That's why we can do it. Let’s enjoy now as much as possible.
• Perhaps Dolby Atmos will die soon, but I expect to enjoy Atmos as long as I have my equipment and my ‘physical’ and/or ‘downloaded’ releases.
• Dolby needs to maintain its supremacy by delivering this or other format for the masses.
• The masses will listen via headphones, either music or games/VR
• I think there is very low interest about it in the next generations, specially for music. Perhaps more for gaming.
• The money will be put into the business that obtains the adequate return.

Questions:

• What feedback do we have now about those next generations about the immersive audio for Headphones? Do they like it? Is there enough market?
• How much damage is being done by delivering the ‘fake’ Atmos mixes?

My dream:

• Prebuilt Houses with new technology flat-thin speakers preinstalled in all walls and ceilings, with multidirectional modules spread all around. (i.e. many many virtual individual speakers).
• The flat-thin modules on walls and ceiling will have also luminescent pixels, both for lighting and for configurable video screens and video effects.
• The majority of people will have those systems already installed.
• Routine configuration services of the preinstalled modules to activate them according to the forniture.
• No negative WAF, as the house comes that way.
• Good business for the masses, so they will invest enough money to deliver good immersive mixes for audio and video.

 

[Sal1950]

Atmos is fine if you have a room that it will work in. I don't. 5.1 works well enough for me. The Atmos systems I've heard didn't really impress me. Maybe it was the music, or the mix, but came across to me as more for movies than music.

Don't know what you've heard but I find Atmos equally, if not more important for music as movies. I listen to a LOT more music than watch movies and Atmos encoded music, both new and old, is exploding on the market.
I wonder if you've looked at some options for speaker mounting? First class systems can be accomplished with in or on ceiling or high on side walls.
I love 5.1 but after 4 years of Atmos, I'd hate to do without.

AURO-3D is back online.

I'm glad to hear they've survived. I have half dozen of Auro encoded blurays and even with my Atmos config speakers the sound quality on them is outstanding. Also the upmixer side does great with non-immersive coded sources..
I wish them well.

 

[Sal1950]

As long as the music industry has new ideas of new formats in the future they will let the old formats die and present a new one. So many of us will buy the same music again and again and the industry is happy.

True, but it makes us happy too.
I'm thrilled with the music reproduction options we have today!
My new PF - Animals is incredible but I'm already hoping for a Atmos mix someday before I die. LOL

 

[MidiMagic]

And what do people using Bluetooth get?

 

[Sal1950]

And what do people using Bluetooth get?

Toothpaste?

 

[OldAsMono]

I've mentioned before that I find Atmos encoded music wonderful and enjoying the experience. My brother (a fellow, music for enjoyment and not just background enthusiast) says Atmos won't last and I better stock up on the media while it's available. I also think Atmos greatly enhances my stereo playback with obviously pseudo encoding by my amp sending room filling sound. I'd still enjoy the playback capabilities of Atmos and would accept it if new Atmos sources died out. My only concern is that if I needed a future amp replacement, manufacturers may stop including the decoding both of actual Atmos and pseudo Atmos.

 

[AYanguas]

... My only concern is that if I needed a future amp replacement, manufacturers may stop including the decoding both of actual Atmos and pseudo Atmos.

I hope it happens after i'm passed away.