On September 30, Paramount Pictures will release the first Blu-ray to feature a Dolby Atmos soundtrack; others will soon follow.
Dolby Laboratories announced today that Paramount Pictures will release the Blu-ray of Transformers: Age of Extinction on September 30 with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, making it the first such title available to consumers. Other movies from Paramount and Warner Bros. will soon follow on Blu-ray and via streaming from Vudu, though no other titles were announced today.
Also in the announcement is news that several North American retailers will be demonstrating Dolby Atmos home-theater products starting this fall, including selected locations of Magnolia, hhgregg, Future Shop, and Best Buy Canada as well as regional outlets such as Crutchfield and Bjorn's. Beyond North America, demos will be available at retailers such as Sevenoaks Sound & Vision (UK), AVAC Corporation (Japan), and BIC Camera (Japan), with others expected throughout the year.
This is critically important, as Michael Crane, Senior Director of Merchandising for Magnolia, understands. "With Dolby Atmos, hearing is believing," he says. "You have to experience it to understand how captivating it is." I couldn't agree more.
Many manufacturers have already announced Atmos-equipped AV receivers and pre/pros, including Denon, Integra, Marantz, Onkyo, Pioneer, Steinway Lyngdorf, Trinnov Audio, and Yamaha. Manufacturers developing Atmos-enabled speakers and add-on modules include Atlantic Technology, Definitive Technology, KEF, Onkyo, Pioneer USA, Teufel, and Triad. Onkyo has also announced an Atmos-equipped home theater in a box (HTIB) system.
I'm looking forward to auditioning many of these products at the upcoming CEDIA Expo this week. It's certainly an exciting time to be a home-theater geek!
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