Apple Joining the Atmos streaming game!

QuadraphonicQuad

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Like all multichannel formats that have come before, the quality and discreteness of mixes will vary greatly. I would not be shocked if some Atmos mixes will be a software-based “upmix.”

I don’t believe for a second, that Apple will be approaching producers / engineers for new mixes, for their vast number of artists, due to two reasons, time & money.
Surely, this is softwear -based “upmix”, as you say & for titles that have already been released in a surround format, 5.1, Dolby Atmos, e.t.c. that work has already been done for them. ( I’m puzzled why releases like Steven Wilson’s, “The Future Bites” is not in Dolby Atmos, for all the songs ?? )
Hopefully, I’ll be able to listen to the results today, through speakers, but I can’t help being sceptical at this point ? That it may be a bit of a gimmick ?? I’m hoping my thoughts will be proved wrong, because we need a format to take off & be accepted by all music lovers, not just a niche surround music market.
 
I’ve been converting my MCH FLAC to 5.1 MP4 that play on my iPhone as Music Videos in spatial audio on my air pods pro. It’s not close to to the original FLACs thru the big machine.
 
I've just read that the newest recording by John Luther Adams, Arctic Dreams, is streaming in Atmos on Apple Music.
https://www.facebook.com/DubwayStud...-luther-adams-arctic-dreams/4080224362044627/I'd appreciate hearing any reports--and hearing whether Tidal also has it. Nathaniel Reichman's previous Atmos mixes of JLA's work have been quite wonderful.
It's there, but I don't see Atmos.
1623751755546.png

This is the only one that I noticed in Atmos.
1623751698863.png
 
It is not a very active mix. Could have done better.

Well, finally got my Apple box & set up, after ringing Apple support.

I had to put Coldplay on first, but have been in & out of room, doing jobs. Will try & relax & listen, first impressions very good. I DON’t think it’s the kind of album to be a very active mix, but no mistaking the higher resolution. For me it’s all about the music, foremost. Any added enjoyment about the mix is a bonus !
Higher Power, sounded great. Whatever happens with releases, I think I’m going to enjoy this “new bow” added to my listening experience.
 
Well, finally got my Apple box & set up, after ringing Apple support.

I had to put Coldplay on first, but have been in & out of room, doing jobs. Will try & relax & listen, first impressions very good. I DON’t think it’s the kind of album to be a very active mix, but no mistaking the higher resolution. For me it’s all about the music, foremost. Any added enjoyment about the mix is a bonus !
Higher Power, sounded great. Whatever happens with releases, I think I’m going to enjoy this “new bow” added to my listening experience.
What was your problem in setting up the box?
Mine was a crappy ethernet connection and it just got locked in a sign on loop.
Wi Fi, it breezed through that.
Again, after Apple 🍎support help.

Cold Play hasn't got the Atmos mix to really show off what it can do.

Yello and Kraftwerk are superb.

As are a lot of modern releases.

Bands, singers I've never heard of until now.

Enjoy the new toy!! :rocks :cool:
 
What was your problem in setting up the box?
Mine was a crappy ethernet connection and it just got locked in a sign on loop.
Wi Fi, it breezed through that.
Again, after Apple 🍎support help.

Cold Play hasn't got the Atmos mix to really show off what it can do.

Yello and Kraftwerk are superb.

As are a lot of modern releases.

Bands, singers I've never heard of until now.

Enjoy the new toy!! :rocks :cool:

It kept saying “verification failed” & I’d typed in the right information. Was finally given another verification code & it worked.
So I’d got my Apple TV working & asked the guy about setting up Apple Music, through surround speakers, but he just gave up & I did ! ( but sorted it when I came off the phone. )
My iPad multi port adapter has turned up too, so hopefully will be having a wired headphone listen connected to my Sony TA-ZH1ES headphone amp / dad, sometime today.
I’ve only got 3 Dolby Atmos music discs & I don’t get the same sense of surround as I do from my SACD / DVD-A discs. That’s one of two reasons….quality & position of my Dolby Atmos speakers, or that my brain cannot process overhead sound ?? I can’t see / process 3D image. I suffer from severe M.E. so this is probably the reason ?
Anyway, I digress, I will obviously be checking out the albums you suggest….& a lot more ! ( I appear to have a moving screen saver, don’t know if that’s my TV or Apple ? ) So, that should help with screen burn. Saying that, just reverted back to Apple TV, asking to try out Dolby Vision & it says assume something about bandwidth being too low, if I’ve understood the brief messge & now have a constant flickering screen ?? Hope I’m not ringing technical support again ! ?? Anyway, back to the music…..enjoy yours, too ! :cool:
 
Houston, we do have a problem !!!

Of course, this constant flickering is now with playback of music ! This only happened when I clicked, “try Dolby Vision”.

Do I need to check HDMI cable, which is brand new or is it to do with wireless router wi-fi ?? Or non of this ??
 
Houston, we do have a problem !!!

Of course, this constant flickering is now with playback of music ! This only happened when I clicked, “try Dolby Vision”.

Do I need to check HDMI cable, which is brand new or is it to do with wireless router wi-fi ?? Or non of this ??
I haven't got TV with Dolby Vision and dont suffer any on screen flicker.
Perhaps disable it.

Then can look at other possibilities.

I had 2 hours of frustration setting mine up!!

But it sure is worth it.
I have a standard HDMI lead from the box to the Dolby capable Marantz amp , which uses a common HDMI feed to the Sony TV.

I don't use ARC or EARC.
 
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I haven't got TV with Dolby Vision and dont suffer any on screen flicker.
Perhaps disable it.

Then can look at other possibilities.

I had 2 hours of frustration setting mine up!!

But it sure is worth it.
I have a standard HDMI leaf from the box to the Dolby capable Marantz amp , which uses a common HDMI feed to the Sony TV.

I don't use ARC or EARC.

I couldn’t be more pissed off now & being so tired too !

It’s just flickering on & off, constantly ! I’ve just gone into the Dolby settings to see if I can disable, can’t see an option ??
I do use eARC. Never had a problem with that before. It was fine till I stopped the music & it reverts back to TV, skink to try Dolby Vision, but I’d tried out the APPLE TV first & it was fine then, for the brief period I tried it.
I’ve just got one cable going into “video 1” on my AVR & of course, TV out cable into e ARC, left as it is.
I can see I’m going to ring Apple again ! Anyway, thanks for suggestions…..there was I thinking I was going to have a relaxing afternoon, with my new toy.
 
I couldn’t be more pissed off now & being so tired too !

It’s just flickering on & off, constantly ! I’ve just gone into the Dolby settings to see if I can disable, can’t see an option ??
I do use eARC. Never had a problem with that before. It was fine till I stopped the music & it reverts back to TV, skink to try Dolby Vision, but I’d tried out the APPLE TV first & it was fine then, for the brief period I tried it.
I’ve just got one cable going into “video 1” on my AVR & of course, TV out cable into e ARC, left as it is.
I can see I’m going to ring Apple again ! Anyway, thanks for suggestions…..there was I thinking I was going to have a relaxing afternoon, with my new toy.
I had also the problem. Be sure you have a compatible HMDI cable
 
Houston, we do have a problem !!!

Of course, this constant flickering is now with playback of music ! This only happened when I clicked, “try Dolby Vision”.

Do I need to check HDMI cable, which is brand new or is it to do with wireless router wi-fi ?? Or non of this ??
Make sure your settings are per this awesome video:

And audio setting should be to Atmos enabled best quality
 
I’ve only got 3 Dolby Atmos music discs & I don’t get the same sense of surround as I do from my SACD / DVD-A discs. That’s one of two reasons….quality & position of my Dolby Atmos speakers, or that my brain cannot process overhead sound ?? I can’t see / process 3D image. I suffer from severe M.E. so this is probably the reason ?
There are other Atmos threads on QQ that go into or debate this. I think there are a few reasons why Atmos (discs, streaming, etc) don't have the same experience as 5.1 (SACD/DVD-A, BD-A):
1. Dolby Atmos and 5.1 have different intentions. Atmos is trying to create a "dome of sound" with discrete objects within the dome. 5.1 is trying to create directional sound with discrete speakers.
2. Atmos is very dependent on the AVR's settings and deals with a large variety of room set-ups. You could have the minimum of 5.1.2 or a maximum of 9.1.6. In addition, you need as much separation between the heights and the floor speakers as possible (the old system of having the surrounds or back speakers higher than the FR-FC-FL is a bit of detriment). Assuming some kind of room optimization has occurred, it's up to the AVR to use the Atmos metadata to place the object correctly. In contrast, when mixing in 5.1, everybody has the same basic set-up.
3. Engineers are still learning how to mix in Atmos, while 5.1 has been around for 30 years. Because Atmos depends on a "Bed" and "objects" and the AVR to use meta data to place everything correctly, it's possible for an engineer in a 9.1.6 suite to create a mix that will be far less discrete in a 5.1.2 home system. There are definitely some adventurous mixes out there (e.g., Yello's Point) that are the Atmos equivalent of the Flaming Lips "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" (Although I bet that's the first and last time a mix ever gets that crazy).
 
I went to apple.com to checkout the Apple TV 4k device and I noticed this in the fine print:
Eligible devices activated July 1, 2021 or later will qualify for offers of 3 months free Apple TV+. Eligible devices activated on June 30, 2021 or earlier will qualify for offers of 12 months free Apple TV+. $4.99/month after free trial. One offer per Family Sharing group. Offer good for 3 months after eligible device activation. Plan automatically renews until cancelled. Restrictions and other terms apply.
 
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