Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

The Weekly DT – Dolby Atmos Coming to Blu-Ray

Ryan Waniata
By
weekly dt dolby atmos coming blu ray
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This post originally ran on our brother site, Digital Trends:

Dolby Atmos, the powerful cinematic audio format Dolby calls “all-around sound,” has been stunning audiences in theaters for a couple of years now. But today, the company announced that the system will finally make its home theater debut with the release of Transformers: Age of Extinction on Blu-ray September 30. The release will be the first of a slew of new Dolby Atmos-ready Blu-ray discs from Paramount and Warner Brothers this fall, as well as movies online through a new partnership with Vudu.

Recommended Videos

Today’s news comes on the heels of the recent announcements of several Dolby Atmos-ready receivers from top names in the industry, including Pioneer, Onkyo, Marantz, Integra, Denon, and Yamaha, with several more on the way. Existing Blu-ray players will be able to translate the Dolby Atmos mixes, but users will need to purchase one of the new receivers, and add special Atmos speakers, or in some cases convert current speakers, to take advantage of the new format.

Related: Dolby Atmos for home theaters: Everything you need to know

As one might imagine, Atmos for the home will not be the same experience movie enthusiasts have been treated to in theaters. The professional format is designed around theater configurations able to process up to 128 channels of sound, routed to as many as 64 speakers. That allows audio engineers and sound mixers to place audio effects from objects on the screen in extremely discrete positions, including along the ceiling for what is sometimes called the “voice of god” effect.

Home theaters equipped with Dolby Atmos will not be nearly as complex – but then again, most of us don’t have room for 64 speakers, no matter how much we want to knock out Grandma’s spare bedroom and turn the entire basement into an audio/visual playhouse. The home theater systems that have been released so far include configurations for 7, 9, and 11 channel systems, along with the all-important “.1” low frequency channel.

But what makes the Atmos setups more intriguing than current multi-channel home theater configurations are the aforementioned ceiling speaker channels, which are designed to take advantage of the more complex audio mixes to emit sound from above. Adding the new channels to users’ existing stable of surround sound speakers, Atmos systems are poised to create a more spherical, and theoretically much more realistic surround sound experience. Users can hear effects like rain, aircraft fly-bys, or explosions in space as if they are directly above them.

The extra speakers can be mounted on the ceiling, or for those less inclined to delve into some minor carpentry, the can also be placed on stands or atop tower speakers to shoot sound off the ceiling, and reflect it back to your ears. Manufacturers of speakers specifically designed for the Atmos format include Atlantic Technology, Definitive Technology, KEF, Onkyo, Pioneer USA, Teufel, and Triad Speakers.

Users still curious about the new home theater technology who want to hear it first hand will be able to check out live demonstrations in select stores including hhgregg, Future Shop, Crutchfield, Bjorns, and Best Buy Canada this fall.

Ryan Waniata
Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is an audio engineer, musician, composer, and all-around lover of all things tech, audio, and cinema. Hailing…
Reacher season 3: Everything we know so far
Get up to date on Reacher season 3!
Alan Ritchson in Reacher.

The era of Jack Ryan may be over, but Reacher is carrying on as one of the best shows on Amazon Prime Video. This action thriller is based upon Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels, which previously featured Tom Cruise in the leading role of two different movies. But for Prime Video, Alan Ritchson has stepped into the role of Jack Reacher, a former member of the United States Army Military Police Corps who drifts from town to town and takes justice into his own hands when the local law enforcement isn't enough.

Prime Video didn't waste any time before renewing Reacher for a third season last year. And while new episodes are still several months away, we're sharing everything we know about Reacher season 3.
Which Reacher novel will season 3 be based on?

Read more
The 11 best superhero movies of all time
Here's a short list to start your superhero movie binge
Tom Hardy and Christian Bale in The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Need a break from real life? Here's a list of the best superhero films to binge. Choosing the best superhero films of all time is no easy task. Ask any fan of superheroes, whether it's the comics or films, and you're guaranteed to get a different list every time. Share your list with others, and the responses will include either nods of agreement, raised eyebrows, or blunt responses that you're dead wrong.
In compiling the list of best superhero films of all time, I tried to keep viewers of all ages and devotion to superhero cinema in mind. My original plan was to include Deadpool on the list until I realized there's an entire generation of movie fans still not allowed to watch the film because of its R-rating. The LEGO Batman Movie also appeared in my initial top choices, but the film felt out of place compared to the other films. (I still recommend LEGO Batman to everyone because it's darn hilarious.) Full disclosure: This list might change as we add and subtract films as they premiere and earn their spot on the list.
After much internal debate, I finally drilled down 11 superhero movie choices for both Marvel and D.C. with personal reasons for each selection. While thousands of fans likely won't agree with this list, few will argue that all these films are fantastic and worth multiple viewings. That said, here's my list of the best superhero movies of all time and where to watch them. Many are available on Disney Plus and Amazon Prime for your viewing for your convenience. Spoilers ahead.

11. Black Panther (2018)

Read more
How long should you let new cigars rest in a humidor?
Cigar humidor

Looking at those beautiful, oily cigars you've just unboxed or unwrapped, the calling to light up is real. I get it. I always want to smoke my cigars right away, too. But you shouldn't. Mail day is always exciting after you've ordered a slew of new cigars. When they arrive, the real fun begins. You'll probably need to organize your humidor to make the new sticks fit or arrange them for optimal humidification. As you're handling them, it's difficult to resist the temptation to crack open the cellophane or boxes and smoke one right away. While you can do that in most cases, I would recommend against it. Depending on where those cigars came from, where you live, and how they traveled, they might need a little time to rest in a humidor. They'll need to replenish some humidity and moisture or dry out a little.
How long should you let your new cigars rest?

When you put cigars in a humidor, especially one that's filled, they'll soak up and release humidity over time until they reach the average RH (relative humidity) that you have set inside your humidor. If you have a device like a that does this automatically, it will produce moisture and humidity to keep the levels optimal. You can also achieve the same thing with in smaller humidors, which release and soak up the humidity to match the levels on the label. Boveda packs come in a range of RH levels, from the low to mid-60s to the mid-70s.

Read more