Apple to support Dolby Atmos

[FooBarFoo]

Maybe an Apple Music / Apple TV area topic area? I can imagine multiple threads below that for 5.1 and Atmos discussions.

It would be great to have a setup, questions, and troubleshooting thread. This is where we can help new folks get on board, talk about settings, hdmi cables (lol), etc. Also discuss results. I'm not against this being a joint discussion of Dolby Audio (5.1) and Dolby Atmos configurations, but it could be split out as well.

An issues thread. If we find a problem, share it here. If we all submit feedback to Apple, we make it visible.

and

A thread to discuss Atmos new releases and content.

A thread to discuss Dolby Audio new releases and content.

and

A thread for Atmos headphone playback?

I know there are more topics I've missed, but it's a start.

 

[fredblue]

Maybe an Apple Music / Apple TV area topic area? I can imagine multiple threads below that for 5.1 and Atmos discussions.

It would be great to have a setup, questions, and troubleshooting thread. This is where we can help new folks get on board, talk about settings, hdmi cables (lol), etc. Also discuss results. I'm not against this being a joint discussion of Dolby Audio (5.1) and Dolby Atmos configurations, but it could be split out as well.

An issues thread. If we find a problem, share it here. If we all submit feedback to Apple, we make it visible.

and

A thread to discuss Atmos new releases and content.

A thread to discuss Dolby Audio new releases and content.

and

A thread for Atmos headphone playback?

I know there are more topics I've missed, but it's a start.

great idea for a dedicated Apple section here

i wonder, has anybody reached out to Apple, to say "hi we're QQ, we are all about Spatial Audio! we could be good for each other!"..?

 

[beerking]

great idea for a dedicated Apple section here

i wonder, has anybody reached out to Apple, to say "hi we're QQ, we are all about Spatial Audio! we could be good for each other!"..?

I couldn't agree more Adam...on both counts.
Now how do we go about setting up an Apple section and getting the existing threads transferred?
Especially as more members are starting to show an interest in Dolby Atmos Music/Audio.

 

[FooBarFoo]

great idea for a dedicated Apple section here

i wonder, has anybody reached out to Apple, to say "hi we're QQ, we are all about Spatial Audio! we could be good for each other!"..?

Honestly, I think we have already done that- when we all put in bug reports to fix Dolby Audio playback, lol. I'm assuming if something else creeps up, we can easily gain further visibility through our reputation.

I volunteer to answer anything I can on Atmos setup. I have fixed about two dozen setups so far and I can't tell you the number of folks who think it sounds terrible at first but end up amazed at how different the results were once dialed in.

Like my mom taught me, timing (speaker distance) is everything...

Also, I've seen a lot of folks struggle with hdmi by missing the hidden hdmi menus in receivers from Yamaha, Denon and Marantz. In most cases, you can set the hdmi compatibility of the input, and it makes a difference if the input is set for hdmi 1.4 and the Apple TV wants hdmi 2.0 (for video)

In addition, modern Denon and Marantz models have a hdmi cable tester built into the receiver as well- handy for cable troubleshooting and a godsend when running long cables (test BEFORE you run!!!)-
Also available from the hdmi setup service menu

https://www.homecinema-fr.com/wp-co...stics-and-Troubleshooting-2020_ENG_IM_v00.pdf

 

[fredblue]

Honestly, I think we have already done that- when we all put in bug reports to fix Dolby Audio playback, lol. I'm assuming if something else creeps up, we can easily gain further visibility through our reputation.

I volunteer to answer anything I can on Atmos setup. I have fixed about two dozen setups so far and I can't tell you the number of folks who think it sounds terrible at first but end up amazed at how different the results were once dialed in.

Like my mom taught me, timing (speaker distance) is everything...

Also, I've seen a lot of folks struggle with hdmi by missing the hidden hdmi menus in receivers from Yamaha, Denon and Marantz. In most cases, you can set the hdmi compatibility of the input, and it makes a difference if the input is set for hdmi 1.4 and the Apple TV wants hdmi 2.0 (for video)

In addition, modern Denon and Marantz models have a hdmi cable tester built into the receiver as well- handy for cable troubleshooting and a godsend when running long cables (test BEFORE you run!!!)-
Also available from the hdmi setup service menu

https://www.homecinema-fr.com/wp-co...stics-and-Troubleshooting-2020_ENG_IM_v00.pdf

haha.. i was thinking more a formal introduction to QQ from Jon, or one of the Mods or something along those lines rather than the attention being brought about by a load of us whinging (as usual ) but fair enough!

cool! i could probably do with your help! i'm not totally thrilled with some Atmos stuff on the ATV at the moment (Rocket Man just doesn't click on my system like the old SACD! )

 

[FooBarFoo]

cool! i could probably do with your help! i'm not totally thrilled with some Atmos stuff on the ATV at the moment (Rocket Man just doesn't click on my system like the old SACD! )

Let me know what's going on and I'll do my best. I can't fix mixes though, but we can start by diagnosing if there are any issues with the setup. Atmos speakers can sound lousy if the configuration is off.

Can you share your setup and your room dimensions? Are you using height, ceiling, or bounce speakers?

 

[paligap]

I would just like to know if/when it's safe for me to update from 14.7 without introducing the Atmos bug. I read some posts in the other thread about beta versions and such, but there was lots of back and forth about exactly how to do that. I'm reluctant to do anything that might inadvertently introduce the bug.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

I would just like to know if/when it's safe for me to update from 14.7 without introducing the Atmos bug. I read some posts in the other thread about beta versions and such, but there was lots of back and forth about exactly how to do that. I'm reluctant to do anything that might inadvertently introduce the bug.

I'm not budging from 14.7 until there're multiple confirmations and some time has passed, I just don't have any incentive to change at this point.

 

[humprof]

I would just like to know if/when it's safe for me to update from 14.7 without introducing the Atmos bug. I read some posts in the other thread about beta versions and such, but there was lots of back and forth about exactly how to do that. I'm reluctant to do anything that might inadvertently introduce the bug.

I was being cautious, too, and waiting for the full release of 15.2. But last night I finally got fed up, installed the latest beta (15.2 beta 3), and have had no problems.

Here's the FAQ:
https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/faq
Once you enroll your Apple TV in the Apple Beta Software Program, an option to install beta versions will appear in the System > Software Updates section of your Apple TV settings. Pretty straightforward from there.

 

[EricKalet]

I'm not budging from 14.7 until there're multiple confirmations and some time has passed, I just don't have any incentive to change at this point.

Beta version 15.2 (19K5043b) takes care of all issues, I haven't had any playback left channel only issues since updating to this latest software.

 

[fredblue]

Let me know what's going on and I'll do my best. I can't fix mixes though, but we can start by diagnosing if there are any issues with the setup. Atmos speakers can sound lousy if the configuration is off.

Can you share your setup and your room dimensions? Are you using height, ceiling, or bounce speakers?

great! thanks!

the room is approx 5m long x 3m deep, where the layout has LCR and the Front Heights arranged in a line along the 5m wall and the Surrounds on the opposite longer wall effectively either side of the main listening position.

distances calculated by YPAO
(Single point measurement);

Front L = 1.95m, Front R = 2.15m (Fronts are 2.3m apart), Centre 1.40m, Rears approx 2.5m from the main listening position and 2m off the floor up on shelves (YPAO reports them as, SR = 4.90m & SL = 5.30m). Front Heights are 2.5m from main listening position and 1.5m up off the floor on shelves (YPAO calcs; FHL = 2.30m, FHR = 2.55m). Sub = 2.30m.

levels calculated by YPAO;
(single measurement)

Front L = 0.0dB, Front R = + 2.0dB, C = -1.0dB, SL = +1.0dB, SR = +2.0dB, FHL = -2.0dB, FHR = +1.5dB, Sub = +6.0dB.

the AVR is a Yamaha RX-A2A.
Speakers are Monitor Audio Bronze BX 5.0
(BX5 Floorstanding Fronts, BX2 Bookshelf Rears, BX Centre).
Sub is a Tannoy SW150 and for the time being i'm using a pair of old KEF Q Series Compact 1's for the Front Heights.

the Front Heights have a tapered/bevelled cabinet and are on their sides angled upwards. they are on top of shelves (Kallax units) about 1.5m up, so they're kinda makeshift "bounce heights", i guess?

source for Atmos Music is 4K Apple TV.

edit: there is one thing i should add, YPAO always sets all the Speakers to Large.

however i prefer things as YPAO sets it, together with its Flat EQ and if i manually set the Speakers to Small and manually adjust the crossover to 80Hz on each speaker pair and the Centre, i tend not to prefer the sound as much.

i honestly think the Sub isn't upto snuff (Sub volume control set at 12 o'clock and crossover at maximum before running YPAO calibration, as Sub manufacturers advise btw) but as its a small room and i seldom crank the master volume.. and i listen to much more MultiCh Music on this setup than i do movies, i'm not sure it really matters that much.. but i'm open to and grateful for any and all suggestions!

 

[FooBarFoo]

the room is approx 5m long x 3m deep

Front Heights have a tapered/bevelled cabinet and are on their sides angled upwards. they are on top of shelves (Kallax units) about 1.5m up, so they're kinda makeshift "bounce heights", i guess?

. but i'm open to and grateful for any and all suggestions!

Ok, great info, thx! I need to know the ceiling height.

First recommendation is to have all the base speakers (not Atmos) close to listener height as possible. 2m up for the surrounds is really high. Think of a horizontal plane where L C R SL and SR is close to ear level. This is important for Atmos, because the FHL and FHR handle the overhead object data. When they are below the surrounds, the height perception is lost.

For the height speakers being used as bounce speakers- if you are going to keep this setup, as is, make sure they are set up as Atmos speakers (Bounce) vs Height speakers. This is because when set to Atmos vs height, the YPAO should take into account the distances with sound bouncing off the ceiling (and hopefully should ask for a ceiling measurement during setup). An Atmos bounce speaker needs a minimum of 2m from the speaker face to the ceiling, and iirc recommended no more than 4m max.

For better performance, consider moving the FHL and FHR UP the wall and direct firing. Make sure to set them as height speakers. There's nothing wrong with them, other than they may be incorrectly assigned (bounce vs height) and the current placement is likely impacting performance.

If experience is the goal, then try and ditch the compromises. Take those speakers up the wall and point them direct firing toward your listening position. If you can do this, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[fredblue]

Ok, great info, thx! I need to know the ceiling height.

First recommendation is to have all the base speakers (not Atmos) close to listener height as possible. 2m up for the surrounds is really high. Think of a horizontal plane where L C R SL and SR is close to ear level. This is important for Atmos, because the FHL and FHR handle the overhead object data. When they are below the surrounds, the height perception is lost.

For the height speakers being used as bounce speakers- if you are going to keep this setup, as is, make sure they are set up as Atmos speakers (Bounce) vs Height speakers. This is because when set to Atmos vs height, the YPAO should take into account the distances with sound bouncing off the ceiling (and hopefully should ask for a ceiling measurement during setup). An Atmos bounce speaker needs a minimum of 2m from the speaker face to the ceiling, and iirc recommended no more than 4m max.

For better performance, consider moving the FHL and FHR UP the wall and direct firing. Make sure to set them as height speakers. There's nothing wrong with them, other than they may be incorrectly assigned (bounce vs height) and the current placement is likely impacting performance.

If experience is the goal, then try and ditch the compromises. Take those speakers up the wall and point them direct firing toward your listening position. If you can do this, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

ah!! i'm already getting a "Eureka!" moment! thank you for taking the time and trouble to go into all this!

ceiling height is only 2.3m (i'm in a basement) so the bounce config i currently have it setup as is no good i guess as the ceiling is too low and i have the bounce speakers only about 1m away from the ceiling they are pointing at!

YPAO doesn't ask for a ceiling height measurement but it does ask what type of speaker the Front Heights are (are they Front Heights or Dolby Enabled) before you run YPAO and i set them to Dolby Enabled, which i now know was a mistake!

fwiw i always used to have the Surrounds on stands so they were at ear height but the room i am in now just doesn't have anywhere to accommodate them that way so i've had to reluctantly put them up on shelves. they don't feel like they are out of balance with the LCR (and i have tried all my usual discs with mixes with round the room pans which do so smoothly enough) but as you suggest it could well be the reason why the Atmos effect upfront is kinda underwhelming.

well now i have some layout rethinking and possible speaker shifting to do this weekend!

thank you once again, you've been most generous with your time and knowledge and extremely helpful.

 

[whatsmyname4]

i wonder, has anybody reached out to Apple, to say "hi we're QQ, we are all about Spatial Audio! we could be good for each other!"..?

I was in communication via email and phone for a few weeks with someone from Apple about the Atmos issues with the Apple TV 4K updates. I had mentioned that the issues I was having were not isolated and were being reported elsewhere on this forum, but the person didn't seem too interested in following up on that information, or following up at all for that matter, as it turns out.

(EDIT: I should clarify my above post, because I was thinking back to my phone calls with Apple after posting my comment and I don't think I ever actually mentioned the name of the forum I was on when I had spoken to Apple. I think I just said it was "a surround forum". I realized after posting my comment that it might have been odd for them to ask what forum it was. That's probably a privacy issue for them to get into. Also, they seem to be fixing the issue with the latest beta update, so I should cut them some slack. The below experience was pretty lame though, so I guess I'll leave that part of my comment alone. )

The Apple rep walked me through some steps to upload some data from my Apple TV and even asked I send a video demonstrating the issue, so they could review it, which I did. We had a couple of follow up phones calls over a couple of weeks with amicable conversations, but with no issues resolved. Then the Apple rep just stopped communications. The last email I received from the Apple rep was saying they may have an update and asking when they could call me and I replied shortly after with the days I was available for the upcoming week to talk, but I never received a reply. The last message I received from Apple was on November 1st. I did a second follow up email on November 15th to see if they received my earlier reply and then another on November 30th, but have still received no response. I think that's pretty shoddy customer service to just stop replying to a customer inquiry like that when you've been in communication about the issue.

Good to know that the issues seems to have disappeared with the current beta though. Hopefully we will all be getting that update offered soon after it passes the beta stage.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

I was in communication via email and phone for a few weeks with someone from Apple about the Atmos issues with the Apple TV 4K updates. I had mentioned that the issues I was having were not isolated and were being reported elsewhere on this forum, but the person didn't seem too interested in following up on that information, or following up at all for that matter, as it turns out.

The Apple rep walked me through some steps to upload some data from my Apple TV and even asked I send a video demonstrating the issue, so they could review it, which I did. We had a couple of follow up phones calls over a couple of weeks with amicable conversations, but with no issues resolved. Then the Apple rep just stopped communications. The last email I received from the Apple rep was saying they may have an update and asking when they could call me and I replied shortly after with the days I was available for the upcoming week to talk, but I never received a reply. The last message I received from Apple was on November 1st. I did a second follow up email on November 15th to see if they received my earlier reply and then another on November 30th, but have still received no response. I think that's pretty shoddy customer service to just stop replying to a customer inquiry like that when you've been in communication about the issue.

Good to know that the issues seems to have disappeared with the current beta though. Hopefully we will all be getting that update offered soon after it passes the beta stage.

I hate to be Ghosted!!!

Maybe the thread name should be changed to "Apple offering a crippled Atmos experience"

Still on 14.7

 

[marcb]

I hate to be Ghosted!!!

Maybe the thread name should be changed to "Apple offering a crippled Atmos experience"

Still on 14.7

For what it’s worth I enrolled in the beta program and I’ve been running tvOS 15.2 for maybe a week or so.

The glitch is gone for me for both Dolby Atmos and Dolby Audio material.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

For what it’s worth I enrolled in the beta program and I’ve been running tvOS 15.2 for maybe a week or so.

The glitch is gone for me for both Dolby Atmos and Dolby Audio material.

fabulous Thanks!

anyone else bug free on the tvOS 15.2 out there?

 

[humprof]

fabulous Thanks!

anyone else bug free on the tvOS 15.2 out there?

Yep: been running beta 3 error-free for a week or so now.

 

[Tornado Red]

fabulous Thanks!

anyone else bug free on the tvOS 15.2 out there?

Also bug free on 15.2 beta

 

[fredblue]

that's odd.. i could've sworn i updated the ATV again the other day (already had it on the latest Beta OS) but it still says its running on 15.2..!? anyway.. Dolby Audio & Atmos Spatial Audio contents all in its rightful place afaik so wotevurrrrrrrr