HomePod HomePod to get Dolby Atmos support?

[se99jmk]

Apple just announced their  TV 4K is to get Dolby Atmos support in the Fall, but needs content (added to iTunes) and supporting hardware.

What are the chances the HomePod will get this with a software update? With the hardware available, is this even possible?

Hard to believe Apple wouldn’t have planned for this, given they knew they were about to release this on the  TV...

 

[CPTmom2wp]

I was wondering the same thing. I would like to have someone who understands the architecture of the HomePod and physics of Dolby Atmos to address how the two might work together. Since the HP is only a few months old, I have no doubt that the Apple folks might have considered them working together. The HP was marketed as having immersive surround sound much like the Dolby Atmos.

 

[vipergts2207]

It won’t work. Atmos works specifically with either in-ceiling speakers or speakers that have a specific design that will bounce sound off the ceiling to the listening position. Look at these for instance.

https://www.klipsch.com/products/elevation-speakers?model=rp-140sa

Those are set on top of your front left and right channel speakers and the sound bounces off the ceiling at angle and back down to where you’re seated.

The HomePod has two things working against it. First off, only the woofer faces upward, and it’s straight upward at that, not at an angle. Second, lower frequencies reflect more poorly than higher frequencies, so if only one driver were allowed to face the ceiling, you’d rather it be the tweeters rather than the woofer.

Finally, Apple clearly never designed the HomePod around home theater use cases in the first place.

 

[CPTmom2wp]

It won’t work. Atmos works specifically with either in-ceiling speakers or speakers that have a specific design that will bounce sound off the ceiling to the listening position. Look at these for instance.

https://www.klipsch.com/products/elevation-speakers?model=rp-140sa

Those are set on top of your front left and right channel speakers and the sound bounces off the ceiling at angle and back down to where you’re seated.
The HomePod has two things working against it. First off, only the woofer faces upward, and it’s straight upward at that, not at an angle. Second, lower frequencies reflect more poorly than higher frequencies, so if only one driver were allowed to face the ceiling, you’d rather it be the tweeters rather than the woofer.
Finally, Apple clearly never designed the HomePod around home theater use cases in the first place.

Thank you for the information, that is helpful. I did have the feeling that Apple wasn't in the home theatre business, but wondered why they wouldn't take advantage of the opportunity. Given that the majority of people don't have D-A speaker set-ups and those that care, will have to purchase either new speakers or make modifications to take advantage of D-A. Apple would surely have considered the earnings potential of at least a D-A speaker bar.

For anyone who has a good 5.1-7.1 speaker system, do you believe that the D-A sound quality in the average home warrants the investment to upgrade?..... or do you have any suggestions? Thanks again

 

[vipergts2207]

Thank you for the information, that is helpful. I did have the feeling that Apple wasn't in the home theatre business, but wondered why they wouldn't take advantage of the opportunity. Given that the majority of people don't have D-A speaker set-ups and those that care, will have to purchase either new speakers or make modifications to take advantage of D-A. Apple would surely have considered the earnings potential of at least a D-A speaker bar.

For anyone who has a good 5.1-7.1 speaker system, do you believe that the D-A sound quality in the average home warrants the investment to upgrade?..... or do you have any suggestions? Thanks again

Well at the moment I only have 5.1 surround so I can’t speak to whether it’s worth the investment or not. Since 90% of my TV time is spent using the ATV, I had no reason for Atmos speakers until now. I will be purchasing the speakers I linked at some point, but since tvOS 12 isn’t out until the fall, I’m in no rush.

 

[Morgenland]

Apple just announced their  TV 4K is to get Dolby Atmos support in the Fall, but needs content (added to iTunes) and supporting hardware.

What are the chances the HomePod will get this with a software update? With the hardware available, is this even possible?

Hard to believe Apple wouldn’t have planned for this, given they knew they were about to release this on the  TV...

Technically it would be quite possible that several hompepods recognize their relative position in space itself. They can "measure" rooms, so they can also easily identify adjacent boxes. It remains to be seen where the limitations of AirPlay lie. The programming of its architecture took an astonishingly long time to get from mono to stereo. Multi-channel options may already have been planned. Since Atmos is a system with an (theoretically) unlimited number of channels, however, it remains exciting.
Maybe Apple just doesn't want SONOS to disturb the HomePod sales with its planned flagship, I can understand that.

UPDATE July2018
First films with Atmos appear in the iTunes Store for a test. It would be a big mistake if Apple didn't train its equipment to do the same. Apple does not make these kind of mistakes.

 

[cynics]

For anyone who has a good 5.1-7.1 speaker system, do you believe that the D-A sound quality in the average home warrants the investment to upgrade?..... or do you have any suggestions? Thanks again

Not unless you do it right. Replacing a high end 2.1 setup with a entry level Atmos setup can be a downgrade. Ceiling mounted speakers is the way to go to unless a system with upward firing is clearly better than what you have. Remember at this point you still want your focus to be 5.1 since its the so prevalent.