If you’re operating at the higher end of the home cinema spectrum, a Dolby Atmos system is about as well as you can do these days.
However, as if affording the speakers, installing some of them in the ceiling and perfectly optimising it for your room wasn’t hard enough, content that supports your set-up isn’t exactly commonplace yet.
Thankfully, Sky Q is boosting its line-up by adding Dolby Atmos to some on-demand 4K movies, which will give UHD Blu-ray a run for its money.
Related: What is Dolby Atmos?
Savvy AV journo and occasional TrustedReviews contributor Steve May, spotted it while downloading all 14.3GB of Ghost in the Shell.
4K Blu-ray beware! Sky is now offering Dolby Atmos audio on UHD movies. pic.twitter.com/aK9fKR2aNn
— Steve May (@SteveMay_UK) January 30, 2018
It seems Sky isn’t going out of its way to point out with which films offer Atmos support, instead listing it in individual movie descriptions.
Perhaps the broadcaster will consider adding an icon to make things clearer it clearer in future?
The addition of on-demand movies comes after Sky rolled out Atmos support in time for the start of the Premier League season back in August.
It’s all about the Atmos
Dolby Atmos has been around since 2012, but until recently was most common in the cinema. Its 3D sound experience is achieved by placing speakers around the room to create the enveloping experience.
While the truest form of the tech features ceiling speakers as part of a 7.1 (or greater) array, many sound bars offer compatibility by bouncing the audio off the ceiling.
At CES 2018, we tried the Sennheiser Ambeo 3D Soundbar prototype, which takes the Dolby Atmos codec and adds Ambeo 3D processing to create a more immersive experience.
Users need an Atmos compatible AV receiver capable of decoding the signals, but many users are glad to realise their existing speakers can also be used in the set up.
Have you installed a Dolby Atmos system in your home? Let us know how it’s changed the movie experiences in your home @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
