Sony Unveils a Brand-New 3D Audio Format — Introducing ‘360 Reality Audio

[Clint Eastwood]

I'd rather it was The Games People Play

 

[DuncanS]

These Sony MDR-HW700DS Wireless Surround Headphones look interesting especially for BD-As with DTS-HD Master Audio anybody heard them/seen them? £399 in the UK.

 

[beerking]

These Sony MDR-HW700DS Wireless Surround Headphones look interesting especially for BD-As with DTS-HD Master Audio anybody heard them/seen them? £399 in the UK.

Found this on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-MDR-H...-HW700DS+Digital+Surround+Wireless+Headphones

 

[quadtrade]

The only thing good about this is if it gets the kid gamers into surround as a norm. I will never have anything good to say about Sony and their insanity.

 

[jimfisheye]

Yes, by all means lets try to get consumers to install 60+ speaker 3D surround systems!
Don't take small steps and get more people turned onto 5.1 where the speaker array and setup is approachable or anything like that.
Let's go straight for 3D!

But then...
Let's shoot ourselves in the foot and use this only for movie soundtracks! And sell them shitbar fake speakers. And take it 17 steps further and make surround mixes hard to find to begin with and only release them in expensive deluxe editions! Can we get some really screwed up mastering work on those too?

Profit! (Apparently)

 

[DoctorO]

New format is good for humor and humor is good for us! The last pair of Sony "surround" phones I tried was a joke that wasn't funny.

Jon's comment is the best--that handful of titles that's always appearing in another "special" "best ever" iteration! Built up resistance to that gambit long time ago!

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Whoop-de-do, another Atmos clone destined for the dust bin of history. Hey Sony, how's that Betamax workin' out for ya?

Sort of a Knopfler thing, just let the telephone ring... ☎ ... I'm tickety-boo...

 

[MrSmithers]

Some specs for the next gen Playstion 5 have been released by Sony...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-47953213
Interestingly 3D audio is going to be one of the upgrades... Only mentions immersive gaming but you'd think if they were clever they'd market to music as well?! Pretty much cost free to go through some of their back catalogue and a massive marketing opportunity?!

 

[timbre4]

I sense another opportunity to sell me Meatloaf - Bat Out Of Hell. Sorry, need evidence if anything contrary to previous label policy.

 

[HomerJAU]

It’s going to need new hardware, only the Amazon Echo Studio.

https://www.whathifi.com/advice/sony-360-reality-audio-everything-you-need-to-know
Sounds interesting, another set of Artists getting mixed in surround:

Quote:
When Sony 360 Reality Audio arrives this autumn, you’ll be able to stream over 1000 tracks in the format, including tunes from Mark Ronson, Pharrell Williams, Billy Joel and Jeff Beck.

 

[HomerJAU]

https://www.whathifi.com/news/sonys-360-reality-audio-format-to-launch-in-autumn-with-1000-tracks

 

[beerking]

Will there be another format war for Sony to start?
360 v Atmos...humm.

But what is more exciting is the possibility of having more artists in the surrounded category...as long as we can access it with our traditional set ups..and it works!!!!

 

[HomerJAU]

Seems to me Sony has jumped the gun too soon in announcing their system before they have a way to deliver, although I did read a while back their new BD players will support 360 Reality streaming.

Looks like they want to jump Dolby (launch before Atmos music). I just can’t see them earning much with streaming short term, unless they think headphones 360 is the new killer format?

Both Sony and Dolby need to get the traditional surround user base to buy in. Sony don’t have any HiFi solution for us (maybe the new Sony BD players?). Dolby have Atmos in every new AVR designed for last 3+ years, and backward compatibility to TrueHD for all AVRs designed since Blu-ray was released.

Sony need to release a small low cost ‘Set Top Box‘ with a 360 Reality decoder, HDMI out to AVRs and WiFi/Ethernet connectivity to drag us into their world. (HDMI 2.0 can do 32 channel PCM but no AVR can handle that). Maybe they need to license DTS:X encoding for compatibility with current AVRs?

EDIT: A small ‘Set Top Box’ with Sony 360 Reality decoder to DTS:X encoder with HDMI out would do it!! No chance of that I’d guess...

 

[beerking]

Seems to me Sony has jumped the gun too soon in announcing their system before they have a way to deliver, although I did read a while back their new BD players will support 360 Reality streaming.

Looks like they want to jump Dolby (launch before Atmos music). I just can’t see them earning much with streaming short term, unless they think headphones 360 is the new killer format?

Both Sony and Dolby need to get the traditional surround user base to buy in. Sony don’t have any HiFi solution for us (maybe the new Sony BD players?). Dolby have Atmos in every new AVR designed for last 3+ years, and backward compatibility to TrueHD for all AVRs designed since Blu-ray was released.

Sony need to release a small low cost ‘Set Top Box‘ with a 360 Reality decoder, HDMI out to AVRs and WiFi/Ethernet connectivity to drag us into their world. Maybe they need to license DTS:X encoding for compatibility with current AVRs?

Agreed
I wonder though do Sony have access to a larger music base than Dolby?
I guess so.
Its definitely a marketing strategy to outdo Dolby Atmos.
Ere we go again....

Perhaps the traditional, surround music, fan base is too small for them to worry about.
But if it eventually leads to a wider acceptance of music in surround and the hardware is there for the likes of us to enjoy....then bring it on.

By the way I haven't mentioned the world cup rugby score at all!!!

 

[HomerJAU]

Yea, maybe they just want the new gen to stream 360 Reality to their headphones, single speakers and sound bars?

 

[beerking]

Yea, maybe they just want the new gen to stream 360 Reality to their headphones, single speakers and sound bars?

You betcha.

Makes sense for them to flog more products to the unsuspecting masses at a cheaper cost than a full set up, which will not doubt appeal, to our instant, must have society ...even if they don't produce the marketed surround effect.
One thing for sure ….these sure are interesting times.

 

[JonUrban]

Sony never stops. Whenever something new starts to blaze a trail, or makes any kind of inroads, they insist on splitting the market and coming out with their own proprietary spin. They have started and bailed on too many of these "spin"s to remember. (Beta, Memory Stick, Mavica, SACD, Minidisc, UMD, etc)

I am very leery about these surround audio 'formats' that require a special device for playback. First off, the source material can be nothing more than a stereo audio track processed through software like Penteo or SPEC or Involve. If that's the case, and it's played back through a 'magic box' that shoots sound all around the room from a single location, how sure are we that it's in fact REAL surround? We're not. Will the piggies be in the back of the room? Will the footsteps run around the listening area. Will the harmony vocal be in a different location than the lead vocal?

AND............in order to participate, you have to give the source device and that company your email and credit info for the service, and a monthly subscription?

 

[beerking]

Sony never stops. Whenever something new starts to blaze a trail, or makes any kind of inroads, they insist on splitting the market and coming out with their own proprietary spin. They have started and bailed on too many of these "spin"s to remember. (Beta, Memory Stick, Mavica, SACD, Minidisc, UMD, etc)

I am very leary about these surround audio 'formats' that require a special device for playback. First off, the source material can be noting more than a stereo audio track processed through software like Penteo or SPEC or Involve. If that's the case, and it's played back through a 'magic box' that shoots sound all around the room from a single location, how sure are we that it's in fact REAL surround? We're not. Will the piggies be in the back of the room? Will the footsteps run around the listening area. Will the harmony vocal be in a different location than the lead vocal?

AND............in order to participate, you have to give the source device and that company your email and credit info for the service, and a monthly subscription?

Every nail well and truly hit there Jon...
I sincerely hope it's not but like you, I have severe doubts.
Please don't f this up Sony.

 

[aludra]

you are so right Jon.......Dammit when will these effing record companies realize if they just settle on a standard they all would make more money and not have to spend money battling each other over format wars....I am so sick of this shit I cant tell you!!@! Sorry for my rant but this crap pisses me off to no end!!

 

[jamoke]

Is this the future of surround?
The culmination of Atmos, Sony 360, Amazon, Universal....
Ugh.

CNET - Echo Studio