Netflix adds support for Dolby Atmos
Netflix has started supporting Dolby Atmos. The first movie with a Dolby Atmos track is Okja, which is about a genetically modified super pig. The film will be available worldwide on the video platform from Wednesday.
Okja is the first title offered by Netflix with support for Dolby Atmos, but Dolby Laboratories says more titles that support the audio format will be available soon. Netflix would like to continue to expand the number of titles that support this surround format. The anime series Blame!, Death Note and the movie Bright will also soon be available on Netflix with Dolby Atmos. The Dolby Atmos counterpart, DTS:X, is not supported.
Users who want to experience the 360-degree sound experience of Dolby Atmos will need an Xbox One and a receiver or soundbar that can decode the Dolby Atmos format. Windows 10 systems that have implemented the Creators Update will likely also be able to access the Dolby Atmos-enabled titles on Netflix via the Dolby Access app. Finally, an update has been released for LG OLED TVs from 2017 so that owners of these TVs also support Dolby Atmos content on Netflix.
Netflix has been offering a selection of films and series in 4k resolution and with support for the HDR technology Dolby Vision for some time, but as far as sound is concerned, it remained with the relatively outdated support for Dolby Digital 5.1. The Dolby Atmos format has been supported since 2015 with certain video streams from Vudu, an American video platform that offers movies.
In April, Microsoft released an update for the Xbox One, which supported Dolby Atmos. Bitstream pass-through was then added. With this technology, digital audio signals are passed to amplifiers unchanged. The technology is basically a pre-recorded data stream that is digitally forwarded 1-to-1 to another device. The console then no longer has to process the sound.
Dolby Atmos is a surround format that has been around for some time in cinemas. The format is characterized by a very precise positioning of sound effects in the room; the sound comes not only from the side and behind, but also from above the listening position. By using in-ceiling speakers or soundbars that reflect sound off the ceiling, this spatial sound experience is also available to consumers.