Listening to Now (In Dolby Atmos)

[bracelis]

I'm not knocking you, but all that you wrote is just an excuse for streaming services to "cheap out" on providing what people want.

I guess you did not read my whole post, where at the end I said I'm hoping that they will be available for download, preferably the lossless version -- that's what I want.

I have all my multi-channel music SACDs, DVD-Audio,BluRay, and a few DTS-CDs and DVDs stored on my drive / PC, so I like everything to be available from one media player (JRiver) -- therefore I don't like streaming (even if it were lossless). And if I move to a different country where Tidal may not be available, I'll still have my music.

Technology is not the limitation, Greed is.

The forum members have mentioned the inconsistency of the mixes/mastering of the Atmos tracks on Tidal, some great, some (many?) terrible.
That's what they need to fix and improve now, not the technology (btw, I still love the above-mentioned DTS-CDs and DVDS despite their lossy codec).
Those terrible mixes/mastering will still be terrible with a lossless codec.

 

[harync]

If one looks across the entire realm of streaming/on-line purchase of music, I would imagine that lossy music accounts for 95% or more of the market. High Fidelity is a niche market, and surround is a niche market in a niche market. I get that a lot of people listen to music while driving, exercising, etc and just can't sit and can't devote the time to listening to stuff in surround. Side note: if I had to drive endless hours for work, I would try to get an Acura with the Elliot Scheiner ELS surround sound system.

The bottom line is that there is not going to be a huge driver to mix a ton of stuff in surround. I admire what Dolby is attempting with Atmos on Tidal and hope it pays dividends. When most people don't care about lossless and even less care about surround, and you add in the cost of storage and bandwidth, there is zero financial incentive. There are also potential technological hurdles to lossless surround unless TrueHD can be streamed as is to all the existing AVRs/TVs/Media Players without security concerns. Given all that, I think we will be stuck with DD+ Atmos for a while.

 

[northernsoul]

If one looks across the entire realm of streaming/on-line purchase of music, I would imagine that lossy music accounts for 95% or more of the market. High Fidelity is a niche market, and surround is a niche market in a niche market. I get that a lot of people listen to music while driving, exercising, etc and just can't sit and can't devote the time to listening to stuff in surround. Side note: if I had to drive endless hours for work, I would try to get an Acura with the Elliot Scheiner ELS surround sound system.

The bottom line is that there is not going to be a huge driver to mix a ton of stuff in surround. I admire what Dolby is attempting with Atmos on Tidal and hope it pays dividends. When most people don't care about lossless and even less care about surround, and you add in the cost of storage and bandwidth, there is zero financial incentive. There are also potential technological hurdles to lossless surround unless TrueHD can be streamed as is to all the existing AVRs/TVs/Media Players without security concerns. Given all that, I think we will be stuck with DD+ Atmos for a while.

They announced the intended target was 10,000 dolby atmos mixes done by the end of THIS year. That is a HUGE amount of songs, do you not think? It would be great.

 

[harync]

They announced the intended target was 10,000 dolby atmos mixes done by the end of THIS year. That is a HUGE amount of songs, do you not think? It would be great.

I completely agree that it would be great to have that huge number of songs, which is why I said I admire what Dolby is trying to do. Another way of putting it is that Dolby is doing this without there being a huge market-based driver to do so. Instead of following trends, they are trying to create a market where none currently exists. I also think they have a goal of becoming the defacto standard surround standard for all time and would like to squash DTS, but that's just my speculation.

 

[humprof]

they are trying to create a market where none currently exists.

I'm sympathetic to what you and @bracelis are saying in these last few posts. I just think that if Dolby are trying to create a market, then they (and/or their partners at Universal, Amazon, and Tidal) are doing a really poor job of it so far. Mixed messaging, unfulfilled expectations, creaky rollout, relative lack of product, etc., etc. I don't see them giving a newer, younger audience any real reason to be curious about Atmos, let alone actively seek it out or spend more money to hear it. And they're alienating us older folks who actually care about good surround mixing (and high fidelity) already.

 

[perzon57]

Alanis Morisette 3 track album on Tidal,then a new one to me,Alesso.The music is so-so,but the mix on these 4 tracks are really good Atmos stuff.

 

[harync]

I'm sympathetic to what you and @bracelis are saying in these last few posts. I just think that if Dolby are trying to create a market, then they (and/or their partners at Universal, Amazon, and Tidal) are doing a really poor job of it so far. Mixed messaging, unfulfilled expectations, creaky rollout, relative lack of product, etc., etc. I don't see them giving a newer, younger audience any real reason to be curious about Atmos, let alone actively seek it out or spend more money to hear it. And they're alienating us older folks who actually care about good surround mixing (and high fidelity) already.

I agree with everything you said. I think a story from Mix Magazine illustrates the point: Universal and Dolby formed a partnership and installed an Atmos suite at Capital Studios. When told of their plans, Steve Genewick said, "Why?" Universal then told Genewick that after the installation was done, he (despite zero immersive music experience) was going to mix REM's Automatic for the People in Atmos, and that he was going to have a month to do it.

Again, I give Dolby credit for trying.

 

[beerking]

Timbaland, Keri Hilson, D.O.E.
The Way I Are

A top notch Atmos mix...

 

[beerking]

Limp Bizkit
Re-Arranged

When it gets going, another fine Atmos mix....

 

[beerking]

Ooh hitting on some really good Atmos tracks tonite....

Jacob Banks
Chainsmoking

 

[perzon57]

beerking,where do you find these songs?I've not seen them in the playlists.

 

[beerking]

Okay, rather than separate posts, here is a list of very good Atmos tracks on Tidal, that I've played tonite...

Keane: Is It Any Wonder?

Keane: Somewhere Only We Know

Jessie Reyez: Figures

Alessia Cara: Ready

Jim James, Teddy Abrams, Louisville Orchestra: Walking In The Snow

Sam Smith: Fire on Fire

Gregory Porter: Mona Lisa

Jonas Brothers: Strangers

Sister Hazel: All For You

Bing Crosby: Let It Snow ( Yes it really is Bing!!)

 

[beerking]

beerking,where do you find these songs?I've not seen them in the playlists.

I found them on my android phones Tidal listing.
It lists all the music options etc including Atmos.
Never have found them otherwise.
Then saved them as favourites, as the fire stick is useless in finding them

 

[MrSmithers]

Video Killed The Radio Star - The Buggles



I’m liking this. Some nice “Oh, a, Ohs” complimenting the heights...

 

[MrSmithers]

beerking,where do you find these songs?I've not seen them in the playlists.

Yeah the streaming App is pretty basic. Hard to find songs or even add them to playlists. But the desktop/mobile app helps to organise.

I put a playlist of some songs I couldn’t find in the playlists. They may have moved onto them now...

Atmos - Not On Playlists?

 

[salsdali]

Did I just have an entire post deleted by the mods?

If so, there's no reason for me to patronize this site.

 

[edisonbaggins]

Atmos for Androids playlist

 

[edisonbaggins]

Donald Byrd
Byrd in Flight
Ambient, but so what? Great music!

 

[perzon57]

I found them on my android phones Tidal listing.
It lists all the music options etc including Atmos.
Never have found them otherwise.
Then saved them as favourites, as the fire stick is useless in finding them

I can't find any single songs on the phone,only playlists.Can it have something to do with me being in Norway?

 

[beerking]

I can't find any single songs on the phone,only playlists.Can it have something to do with me being in Norway?

It shouldn't do...on my Tidal app it states Atmos as a last choice , select it and it lists latest albums, then tracks , which you can expand.
Hope that helps.

Just rechecked:
Playlists
Tracks
Now Available

Is how it goes.