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The official Dolby Atmos thread (home theater version) – Check out post 1 first

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#1 · (Edited)
Last update: 02.04.2023



Official Dolby Atmos at home website

Dolby on Atmos for the home
Dolby Atmos Speaker Setup
Ceiling-firing speakers ("Atmos-enabled speakers")
http://www.dolby.com/us/en/technologies/dolby-atmos/dolby-atmos-enabled-speaker-technology.pdf
Speaker installation guidelines
http://www.dolby.com/us/en/technolo...tmos-home-theater-installation-guidelines.pdf
If you're more the visual type of guy here's a good video explaining the basics of placing your Atmos speakers:

Insights from a recording and mixing engineer


Technical specification for studios wishing to employ a 7.1.4 home entertainment Dolby Atmos monitoring setup
Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment Studio
Certification Guide


Blog posts
Dolby Atmos: Coming soon to a living room near you - Lab Notes
Dolby Atmos for home theaters: FAQ - Lab Notes


Dolby Patent Application
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/WO2014036085A1.html


Dolby on Atmos for movie theaters
Wayback Machine

Specifications for movie theaters
Wayback Machine


How Atmos content is created
Wayback Machine


How Atmos is encoded into TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus
https://professional.dolby.com/site...on/dolby-atmos/dolby_atmos_renderer_guide.pdf


avsforum.com Members Atmos & Auro Configuration Spreadsheet (at Google Docs, maintained by user kokishin)


Atmos test tone downloads (E-AC-3 audio in .mp4 container)
https://www.dolby.com/us/en/guide/test-tones.html

Other Dolby trailer downloads
 
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#441 ·
So to be clear; if I want to run a 9.1.2 Dolby Atmos configuration; I need to look at the Onkyo 1030 or 3030 receivers - Correct? (With the 1030 - an additional 2 channel amp is needed for the eleven powered channels)
I think it's too early to answer this question definitively; for one thing, I believe I read that Denon could possibly allow a 9.1.2 configuration on the X7200 or even the X5200 with a future firmware update.
According to the Twice article: "Presumably, the Denon AVR and Marantz preamp processor will also drive the 9.1.2 configuration supported by Dolby Atmos, but D+M was verifying compatibility at post time."

Unless I overlooked some new information, I haven't read that D+M has confirmed its implementation of Atmos can do 9.1.2.
I knew that I had read of the potential for a 9.1.2 Atmos configuration on Denon's new models somewhere but couldn't remember the source. It was this article published on June 23, from which you draw your quote.

I wouldn't infer too much from D+M's lack of confirmation at this point; they really haven't officially released diddly yet regarding detailed specs on the X5200/X7200. Which allows us to continue to deliberate the possibilities, to the exquisite chagrin of some.;)
 
#443 ·
Do you guys have opinion on what type of speakers to use for the ceiling speakers? Any will do? Dipole or quadpole? Or just wait to see what manufactures come up with for Atmos?
I would like to get speakers from the same family as the rest of my speakers. I am running B&W so plan on going with something they make that is timber matched although this may not be 100% necessary I would imagine it would have some benefit. Would think standard front firing speakers would be best as you want to push the sound down from the Ceiling. Notice the speakers in the Atmos theater I go to are regular speakers they are just mounted to the ceiling.
 
#445 ·
Do we have enough information to make any decisions about where the ceiling speakers should go in relation to the seating? Should they go 1/3 of the way from the sides? Any information on multiple rows? What about multiple rows of side surrounds? Do we mach the ceiling speakers with the side surrounds plus two more ceiling speakers forward of the seating?

I've seen the few block diagrams floating around, but they are not particularly detailed. I've also read the Dolby ATMOS specifications white paper for commercial theaters, but I'm not sure how that will translate to smaller home theater space.
 
#446 ·
Simple. Just stick with monopole. Same as your mains.

Coax is even better choice if you have the option.
Some of the literature for the newer Atmos "friendly" professional speakers talk about "wide dispersal" patterns. Models like the Klipsch surrounds use a kind of dual driver/bipolar configured tweeter assembly with a single woofer.
 
#447 ·
if we're patient . .
maybe there will be "suggested" min/max spacing for L/R in each row of ceiling speakers from front to back based of criteria of speaker (monopole/ FR and SPL) , for which there will also be a suggested min/max spacing between a yet to be determined number of rows (based on suggested min/max room sizes) and suggested angles wrt to MLP or rows of seating and the chip can be smart enough to unify and do what we want. (which is WE WANT IT ALL and WE WANT IT NOW!)
the block diagrams are a bare start for the possibilities but as previously stated,
what type of CE driven econo mode/implementtion are we going to get?


when and where is this CEDA (?) going to be? exactly . . .
 
#451 ·
Received my .4 speakers today. Going to wait for more details before installing them.
Nice choice. I'm using the 80F/X-RT's (from the same series) as surrounds and they are fabulous.
 
#453 · (Edited)
Some of the literature for the newer Atmos "friendly" professional speakers talk about "wide dispersal" patterns. Models like the Klipsch surrounds use a kind of dual driver/bipolar configured tweeter assembly with a single woofer.
only the rs-42(II) use 1 woofer, the 52 and 62 use 2 woofers. wide dispersion patterns doesn't neccesarily mean wide radiating. besides that, the placement is in the corners and from bi-polar speakers you get sounds bouncing to the side-walls which to me doesn't benefit the soundfield for atmos and the positional soundfield they need to create.
 
#454 ·
New Blu-ray titles will have the Dolby Atmos. Can the studios also remaster older titles to include Atmos?
If the original audio stems and individual sound elements are still available, sure they can. It's just like a fancier remix. Dolby experimented with the original (and best) "Die Hard" using Atmos.
 
#455 · (Edited)
New Blu-ray titles will have the Dolby Atmos. Can the studios also remaster older titles to include Atmos?
they can but probably won't as it involves a redo of the audio tracks. i think movies that have been in a atmos theater and have a object based master allready will be re-issued in blu-ray format atmos though, ther is a soon to come huge market for them. you can also use the avr's surroundprocessors to create a atmos alike soundfield for older movies.
 
#456 ·
only the rs-42(II) use 1 woofer, the 52 and 62 use 2 woofers. wide dispersion patterns doesn't neccesarily mean wide radiating. besides that, the placement is in the corners and from bi-polar speakers you get sounds bouncing to the side-walls which to me doesn't benefit the soundfield for atmos and the positional soundfield they need to create.
From Klipsch's pro website, the VBAT surround models KPT-8-VB and KPT-12-VB have bipolar-like tweeters that fire in different directions (maybe not as wide a swath as a true bipole) with a single woofer. They say they're designed for the new audio formats like Atmos. There is, however, a much larger three-way KPT-4350-MS for really large auditoriums with dual woofers and dual tweeters.
 
#459 ·
True, but Dolby also specifies what the "recommended" configuration is for commercial environments versus "minimum" So a theater might have a recommendation speaker number of 30 points while having a number of 19 speakers you could conceivably get away with. And I'm sure we'll see some residential processors before too long that go for the 19 number that will certainly be cheaper than a high end one that allows 32.

One other thing about Atmos I've been thinking about. The system will obviously be a boon to customer installers. But not everyone is going to have a setup that will allow Atmos. There's an assumption in every diagram I've seen that says that people all have flat ceilings in their theater rooms. Many of us have vaulted ceilings. That would pose problems for most in-ceiling speaker designs, even for ones that allow some manual direction of the drivers. And reflective speakers on the ground wouldn't work at all.

And I've seen theaters in a couple of friends' McMansions that are located at the top of the house, underneath the main roof gable. The problem here is that often the ceilings are designed to be a pointed gable system too, which is just like having a vaulted ceiling, except you have 2 or 4 vaults to deal with. A solution might be to add a flat ceiling to the design at some point....a barn style ceiling as it were. My bonus room where my theater is has such a ceiling which would make installing ceiling mounted speakers possible. It would be a larger construction job, but if you have the budget, it may make sense for some people.
Speakers mounted on drop tubes, so that the speakers are in the correct position.
 
#460 ·
I'm just wondering.
Currently my set-up is 9.2 (i.e. 7.2 + front height).

If I were to use 5.2.4, does it mean that in future when playing a blu ray movie encoded with 7.1, I'll lose the rear surround effect?

Thanks.
That's the way I understand it. However, per Denon's speaker positioning documents, front height speakers (assuming you're using bookshelves or in-walls on or close to the front wall aimed at the listening position) aren't in the proper location or configuration for Atmos.

I also have a 7.2 setup with two traditional front height speakers. I'm going to install an additional two in-ceiling speakers directly above the MLP. I'll then essentially have two speaker configurations to choose from -- one that uses the traditional 7.2 + front height speakers for DPLIIz/DSX/Neo:X, and one that uses the traditional 7.2 + in-ceiling speakers for Atmos.
 
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