Tidal Debuts Dolby Atmos Music Support for Apple TV 4K

[MacRumors]

Music streaming service Tidal is bringing Dolby Atmos Music to Dolby Atmos-enabled devices like TVs, sound bars, speakers, and, notable for Apple users, the 4K Apple TV.

Apple's 4K Apple TV, released in 2017, supports Dolby Atmos, a feature that brings more immersive sound for content when the Apple TV is paired with a Dolby Atmos soundbar or receiver and speakers.

According to Dolby, Tidal support for Dolby Atmos is rolling out to compatible television streaming boxes as of today. Support is available for the 4K Apple TV, 2nd-generation Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Cube, 3rd-generation Fire TV, Nvidia Shield TV and TV Pro (from 2019), and Dolby Atmos-enabled TVs from Sony and Philips.

To use the feature, Apple TV 4K owners will need a Dolby Atmos enabled sound system along with the updated Tidal app.

Tidal began rolling out Dolby Atmos support back in December for Android smartphones and tablets, and it is available for all Tidal HiFi subscribers. Tidal HiFi is Tidal's streaming tier with lossless High Fidelity sound quality, priced at $19.99 per month.

Music playback will default to Dolby Atmos if a Dolby Atmos mix and compatible device are available. Tidal has been adding Dolby Atmos music to its streaming service on a regular basis, and notable albums and songs with support include Ariana Grande's "7 rings," The Weeknd's "After Hours," and Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello's "Señorita."

Tidal's Dolby Atmos content can be found by selecting the "Available in Dolby Atmos" section from the Home screen or searching for Dolby Atmos. For new subscribers interested in Dolby Atmos Music, Tidal is offering an extended 60-day free trial.

Article Link: Tidal Debuts Dolby Atmos Music Support for Apple TV 4K

 

[Salty Pirate]

Apple,

tidal has my attention. higher quality streaming and now atmos?

may be time to check them out

 

[greenbreadmmm]

Apple,

tidal has my attention. higher quality streaming and now atmos?

may be time to check them out

Tidal rocks!

Master Recordings are an absolute game changer. I almost prefer that more than vinyl...I know, I know.

I don't get the Tidal disdain from Apple fans, I could not be more happy with Tidal.

 

[simonmet]

Tidal rocks!

Master Recordings are an absolute game changer. I almost prefer that more than vinyl...I know, I know.

I don't get the Tidal disdain from Apple fans, I could not be more happy with Tidal.

The only problem is the price. Hi-Fi is expensive.

 

[djphat2000]

I may be switching from Qobuz to Tidal mainly for the Hi-Res audio. Qobuz was less at $15 per month. This is $20. Have to see if I will want to keep paying that price for 1 user account. However, adding it to my AppleTV 4k is helping that cause along now. I would totally be only apple music if they did this too. But, we will have to wait and see. I hope Apple does an HD add-on SOON!

 

[cikakosta]

Well, its not just an add-on. In order to support Dolby, 360, MQA, flac etc it would mean that Apple ditches his own formats and run to the 3rd party ones. Not sure if that will be the case soon.

 

[x-evil-x]

Last time I tried their appletv app it was horrible. Is it actually updated and works?

 

[cikakosta]

Yes, it is updated

 

[b11051973]

How much content is in this Hi Res format? I remember having a SACD and DVD-A player. There wasn't all that much available for either, and even less that I cared about.

 

[derbothaus]

While not perfect, Tidal is the best balance of catalogue and quality for me. Been a subscriber for over 4 years. Spotify never rolled out their higher quality tier (no idea why) and Apple music is DOA to me due to lackluster sound quality. There are some others worth checking out like Amazon HD and Qobuz, but Tidal's integration has the best options right now. Apple Music and Spotify are adequate for folks who are fine with wireless audio over the anemic bluetooth bandwidth, but it frustrates and angers me that people are ok and actually pay for this. It's nice to see Apple not forcing users to adopt their current philosophy of low quality audio only and continue to let users decide what they like.

 

[mattopotamus]

Tidal rocks!

Master Recordings are an absolute game changer. I almost prefer that more than vinyl...I know, I know.

I don't get the Tidal disdain from Apple fans, I could not be more happy with Tidal.

As long as you have the equipment, it is easily worth the cost of admission.

 

[iamPro]

I really enjoy the master quality offerings from Tidal for my setup with my iMac as the source.
I'd stop my tidal subscription if Apple offered a comparable service.

That said, does anybody know what quality sound you get from the apple TV tidal app? (not airplay).
Also, does which generation apple TV matter?

 

[nutmac]

The only problem is the price. Hi-Fi is very expensive.

You can say that again. Premium seems more or less identical in quality and price as Apple Music:

• Premium - $9.99 USD a month with standard sound quality, high definition music videos, and expertly curated editorial.
• Family Premium - $14.99 USD a month including up to 5 additional family members totaling 6 on the account. Standard sound quality, high definition music videos, and expertly curated editorial

But HiFi is on a different level:

• HiFi - $19.99 USD a month with lossless High Fidelity sound quality, Sony 360 Reality Audio, Dolby Atmos Music, high definition music videos, and expertly curated editorial.
• Family HiFi - $29.99 USD a month including up to 5 additional family members totaling 6 on the account. Lossless High Fidelity sound quality, high definition music videos, and expertly curated editorial.

If you have spent thousands on high-end audio system, $10-15 premium over cheaper competing services can be negligible. So AirPods wearing music listeners are obviously not their target audience.

 

[DeanL]

You can say that again. Premium seems more or less identical in quality and price as Apple Music:

• Premium - $9.99 USD a month with standard sound quality, high definition music videos, and expertly curated editorial.
• Family Premium - $14.99 USD a month including up to 5 additional family members totaling 6 on the account. Standard sound quality, high definition music videos, and expertly curated editorial

But HiFi is on a different level:

• HiFi - $19.99 USD a month with lossless High Fidelity sound quality, Sony 360 Reality Audio, Dolby Atmos Music, high definition music videos, and expertly curated editorial.
• Family HiFi - $29.99 USD a month including up to 5 additional family members totaling 6 on the account. Lossless High Fidelity sound quality, high definition music videos, and expertly curated editorial.

If you have spent thousands on high-end audio system, $10-15 premium over cheaper competing services can be negligible. So AirPods wearing music listeners are obviously not their target audience.

That's the point though: Tidal is for the niche looking for HiFi. Tidal has no advantage for most people.

 

[konqerror]

Well, its not just an add-on. In order to support Dolby, 360, MQA, flac etc it would mean that Apple ditches his own formats and run to the 3rd party ones. Not sure if that will be the case soon.

Apple never had its own formats. Apple always used AAC audio, which is the exact same as what Tidal and Amazon use on their lossy tier.

It is because, other than MP3, only AAC is universally supported in hardware on phones.

Apple has had a lossless format for 16 years, and added support for FLAC 3 years ago. Apple also supports Dolby Atmos/Dolby Digital Plus, which is what this is running on.

 

[macsound1]

What's the compelling advantage for stereo music with Atmos?
Is it doing like ProLogic where it just distributes the two channels based on phase?

 

[Jimmy James]

It’s high tidal for this.

 

[KanosWRX]

What's the compelling advantage for stereo music with Atmos?
Is it doing like ProLogic where it just distributes the two channels based on phase?

Think its more for content created for Atmos.

Bigger issue is, Apple I believe still doesn't support True-HD Atmos. Only DD+ Atmos which is compressed.

 

[konqerror]

Bigger issue is, Apple I believe still doesn't support True-HD Atmos. Only DD+ Atmos which is compressed.

Only Blu-Ray players support Atmos over TrueHD. Streaming services aren't going to support the 18 Mbps+ peak bitrate you need.

 

[greenbreadmmm]

The only problem is the price. Hi-Fi is very expensive.

Agreed, thankfully I am on a family plan, otherwise its crazy pricey.

 

[4jasontv]

The only problem is the price. Hi-Fi is very expensive.

I have never used them but their website is pretty terrible. Or do they just not have any content?

 

[pob42]

Looks like Atmos via Tidal on AppleTV 4K runs at 768kbps using Dolby Digital+.



Normal stereo recordings use ALAC. One Coldplay track I tried had a bit rate of around 950kbps (master)

 

[4jasontv]

Looks like Atmos via Tidal on AppleTV 4K runs at 768kbps using Dolby Digital+.
View attachment 919504


Normal stereo recordings use ALAC. One Coldplay track I tried had a bit rate of around 950kbps (master)

Must be due to bandwidth. Hotter tracks are being sent to more users so they need smaller files.

 

[konqerror]

Must be due to bandwidth. Hotter tracks are being sent to more users so they need smaller files.

768 kbps is the standard maximum bitrate for DD+ with Atmos.

Technology Dolby Audio Dolby Digital Plus | Dolby Developer

Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC-3) provides up to twice the efficiency of Dolby Digital while adding new features like 7.1-ch audio, support for descriptive video services, and support for Dolby Atmos. Dolby Digital Plus is widely used by streaming and broadcast services to deliver surround sound audio...

developer.dolby.com

 

[codewrangler]

I didn't know this company still was in business...