Tech Questions? Get the Answers: 3/29/2023

Q: What is Dolby Atmos?

A: American engineer and inventor, Ray Dolby developed Dolby Laboratories and the Noise Reduction system in 1965. In the 1970s Dolby Stereo was invented which created surround sound by using four speakers. Dolby Laboratories released Dolby Digital in 1992 which utilized six channels instead of the four used in Dolby Stereo. This is often referred to as 5.1 surround sound. The “5” indicates the number of standard speakers which includes a center, left, and right for the front of the viewing area, and two rear speakers for the surround. The “point 1” refers to a subwoofer that gives music and movies the lows found in a bass drum or awesome explosion. A 5.1 system allows sound designers, yes…that’s an actual job in cinema... to create an auditory experience that matches the movie. As a car drives by, you can hear it start far to your right side of the screen, the sound follows the image of the car when it drives across the screen and continues to your left. This was later upgraded to a 7.1 system that has the left, center, and right, two speakers on the left and right walls, in addition to two speakers in the left and right rear corners.

Dolby Atmos is the next evolution in surround sound integrating overhead speakers to create a three-dimensional sound experience. With a 5.1 or even a 7.1 system, the sound can only move laterally around the space, at the level of the screen and speakers. By putting speakers in the ceiling, the sound can now move up overhead. Imagine watching Top Gun and hearing Maverick’s jet zoom to your left and then over your head. An alternative to speakers in the ceiling is to have speakers pointed up so the sound reflects off the ceiling giving the impression that the sound is coming from above. The sound design software for Atmos is object-based allowing editors to control where each sound source is in the theater or viewing space in all three dimensions.

Dolby Atmos was introduced to movie theaters in 2012 with Pixar’s movie Brave. Two years later, Dolby Atmos for home theaters was released. Seeing a blockbuster movie in a theater equipped with a Dolby Atmos system is an incredible experience, however, you can bring that excitement home and have an Atmos system installed in your living room. For more information contact your local audio/video installer.

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