Netflix Rolling Out Spatial Audio for All Devices in Partnership With Sennheiser

[mdriftmeyer]

I thought Spatial Audio fixed the audio source in real space such that turning your head made it appear to always come form the same location.

What Netflix is doing is just another digital effect to fake a true surround sound experience, yes?

Spatial audio is Apple applying Dolby Atmos with gyroscope sensors [MEMS] in a binaural traditional headset application. Apple requires your mix to be in Dolby Atmos stems before sending it to them to convert it via Binauralism and making it available in their spatial audio able headsets.

Sennheiser which owns Neumann will most certainly be using their professional brand's engineering talents to convert all audio spaces into Dolby Atmos compliant streams before sending it to Apple to be Spatial Audio compliant.

 

[Razor_Crest]

Legend says one day we'll get Mac Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Paramount Plus, etc etc apps so we can finally watch on our computers on a plane.

 

[mudflap]

Who is Netflix?

Netflix needs to focus on their content before spatial audio.

Funny how people are sayin "who is Netflix" while Stranger Things has been the most-streamed show for the better part of the last half-decade, even during that COVID hiatus.

 

[SFjohn]

Magically turning stereo into alleged “surround sound” sounds like marketing rather than actual results. If you’ve ever sat in an ATMOS theater, they use way more speakers to create remarkable surround sound.

 

[SpringKid]

Looks like that'd be via Dolby Digital, not AMBEO (Ambisonics).

AMBEO is advertised as a binaural drop-in replacement for the stereo track. ie. for headphones, sound bars, and other stereo playback devices.

Regarding Netflix:

> The company says Ambeo will deliver “an improved audio experience wherever stereo is delivered today, be it standard TV sets, stereo systems, headphones, tablets or laptops.”

Sooo... not really for surround speakers.

Well yes, that was what I meant, no reason for having some pseudo surround format replacing existing surround stream.

 

[TehFalcon]

Well it's an interesting approach to 3D audio, using various reprocessing techniques to make stereo audio more spacious. Usually you see Dolby Atmos over headphones being compared to Binaural Recordings.

Dolby atmos movies/sounds are recorded in atmos though, not converted from stereo channel.

 

[TehFalcon]

Not a fan of spatial? Even on "standard" lossless tracks, Apple Music sounds better for most songs. When combined with Atmos (re-mastering), sounds really good to me.

I love spatial, I just hate the way music/movies sound when CONVERTED from stereo. Atmos is recorded in multi channel and mastered for it, not converted from 2 channels

 

[TehFalcon]

Spatial (surround) sound on a stereo system its like having sex with a rubber


Almost every movie from maybe almost 20 years it's registered at least 5.1 so there's no point to "upscale" a 2.0 sound to a virtual 5.1 instead of "downscaling" it from discrete 5.1 ... Or maybe by saying "conversion" u intend "vitualize 5.1 on a 2.0 system".

Yep, the way this works is it virtualizes spatial multichannel off the stereo source. It's not in the same league of Atmos

 

[Damian83]

Yep, the way this works is it virtualizes spatial multichannel off the stereo source. It's not in the same league of Atmos

yes if u have only a stereo source, so u "upscale" it". however if u have also a 5.1 discrete source u'll have a better result by downscaling it. on netflix both 2.0 and 5.1 are present by default so theres no reason to use 2.0 rather than 5.1

btw, the part about sex was another message i was going to write. ive deleted it, however it seems, only partially

 

[Damian83]

Well, anything to provide competition to Dolby ATOM is good for all of us. Dolby requires special hardware and upgraded speakers to work. DTSx doesn't require any special hardware but isn't as popular (Note that this is somehow linked with Ambeo!). Now that Netflix went with Ambeo maybe we can see some serious competition between these guys, which is great for us pro-consumers. Note that these area "Object-based or Immersive Audio" vs "Surround Sound" which is a HUGE difference.

i have a serious and perfectly calibrated 5.1.2 system (av receiver + not satellite/not soundbar speakers) and i guarantee that difference than 5.1 isnt so HUGE ;-). is it worth to upgrade to atmos speakers? yes if, like in my case, a friend can wire ceiling for free, and if u have a ceiling for mounting overhead speakers. upfiring speakers? sounbars? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

 

[SFjohn]

i have a serious and perfectly calibrated 5.1.2 system (av receiver + not satellite/not soundbar speakers) and i guarantee that difference than 5.1 isnt so HUGE ;-). is it worth to upgrade to atmos speakers? yes if, like in my case, a friend can wire ceiling for free, and if u have a ceiling for mounting overhead speakers. upfiring speakers? sounbars? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

We upgraded to an Atmos 7.2.4 recently and it’s glorious. The sound is all around us and it’s super expansive in our relatively compact space. It’s an investment for sure, but was worth it for us.

 

[Damian83]

We upgraded to an Atmos 7.2.4 recently and it’s glorious. The sound is all around us and it’s super expansive in our relatively compact space. It’s an investment for sure, but was worth it for us.

upgraded from what?

 

[SFjohn]

upgraded from what?

A 5.1 surround sound.

 

[Damian83]

A 5.1 surround sound.

i upgraded too from 5.1, but i must say that until now ive watched only one movie with atmos soundtrack (the batman). theres a difference of course but not huge. huge is from 2.0 to 5.1...

 

[SFjohn]

i upgraded too from 5.1, but i must say that until now ive watched only one movie with atmos soundtrack (the batman). theres a difference of course but not huge. huge is from 2.0 to 5.1...

ATMOS is really tough to dial in. For us Foundation & Discovery are a huge improvement.

 

[Damian83]

ATMOS is really tough to dial in. For us Foundation & Discovery are a huge improvement.

Sorry, don’t know what the hell “Foundation & Discovery” is and why u talk in plural 😂😂😂😂😂

 

[SFjohn]

Sorry, don’t know what the hell “Foundation & Discovery” is and why u talk in plural 😂😂😂😂😂

“Foundation” is an AppleTV+ series, and “Discovery” is a Paramount+ series, and I talk in a plural when mentioning my partner and myself.