Dolby Atmos on streaming will finally sound as good as 4K Blu-ray, based on these blind test results of audio engineers — but this still won’t cause collectors to switch from physical media
- Dolby AC-4 was the preferred codec of multiple audio pros
- Better than existing Atmos audio without high bandwidth requirements
- Peacock is upgrading but other streamers haven't announced any plans
One of the biggest differences between streamed movies and 4K Blu-ray is the sound quality: even the most expensive streaming tiers deliver compressed audio with a clear reduction in dynamic range and clarity compared to disc-based playback.
But that might change thanks to a new version of Dolby's sound technology that audio experts apparently can't tell apart from uncompressed PCM, but that works at streaming bitrates.
The new technology is called Dolby AC-4, and it's a codec: an encoder/decoder for compressing audio. It's designed to deliver much higher audio quality than current streaming soundtracks, and can do so without requiring lots of bandwidth.
With a bit of help from the New York section of the Audio Engineering Society and Engine Room...
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