Spatial Audio
A recent article in The New York Times about Dolby Atmos caught my attention because it puts Apple's new generation of Spatial Audio products into a broader context.
The story by Bob Mehr opens with an explanation of how a new category of sound design technology - the next one after mono, stereo, quadraphonic, and 5.1 surround - is enabling engineers to create immersive directional experiences that feel like they come from all around the listener.
Specifically, Dolby Atmos expands the number of channels available in the mix (and adds in height) so a three-dimensional space can place sounds in front of, behind, alongside, or above the listener.
A dynamic variant of this, which involves head tracking, or what Apple calls Personalized Spatial Audio, even allows them to move the entire sound space as a listener changes their facing direction.
The initial Dolby Atmos concept was proven at large scale, in movie theaters, but it has been getting miniaturized and activated with head tracking to fit into devices as small as AirPods.
To accelerate the content market, Apple has been paying incentives to music labels to convert their back catalogs and to deliver new material in Dolby Atmos format.
They are betting the public will come to expect it, and in turn, it will differentiate and drive new revenue from Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple listening accessories like EarPods, AirPods, HomePods and Beats.
For audiophiles, the updated experience is described as very similar to what musicians hear when performing. And currently it DOES differentiate Apple's music ecosystem, which has a big head start on Spotify on this.
Specific to television, Apple TV also offers content in Dolby Atmos but their streaming competitors - Disney +, Netflix, Max, Hulu - do also, so it's not much of a differentiator there.
Switching gears, an unexpected category where 3D sound is expected to accelerate quickly is automotive. Many new cars now come with 12 speakers built in, standard. They are a natural environment for immersive audio. Mercedes Benz and Volvo already have public plans to put Dolby Atmos into their vehicles.
Until now these new directions have been kept a little quiet while in testing, but one can expect the volume to get turned up as they prove-out and start to achieve critical mass.
More here ...
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/21/arts/music/dolby-atmos.html
