Dolby has introduced its plans for a brand new know-how that can allow customers to position wi-fi audio system round their front room for a personalized spatial audio expertise — it’s referred to as Dolby Atmos FlexConnect and it’s coming first to TCL TVs in 2024.
The best way the know-how works, in accordance with a press launch despatched by Dolby, is that you simply’ll have the ability to purchase wi-fi FlexConnect audio system that can sync as much as a TV’s built-in audio system. These audio system can go wherever within the room and can mechanically be calibrated to fill the room with Atmos sound. Dolby Atmos, for individuals who’ve by no means heard of the know-how earlier than, is a greater model of encompass sound that provides a way of peak and depth to an audio combine.
Not like among the finest soundbars that can flip off the TV’s built-in audio system, FlexConnect will use the TV audio system to enhance the encompass sound. It’s just like what we’ve seen in LG’s WoW Orchestra, Samsung’s Q-Symphony and Sony’s Acoustic Heart Sync know-how, although every of these required an identical soundbar and TV from the identical model.
As soon as it’s rolled out to extra TV fashions, any FlexConnect speaker could be suitable with any FlexConnect-enabled TV — so that you gained’t be locked in to anybody model — and could be obtainable at plenty of value factors.
Evaluation: Wi-fi speaker know-how is the wild west of AV
Whereas interoperable wi-fi Dolby Atmos audio system sound unimaginable, we’re not going to line up on day one to purchase them — FlexConnect is simply the most recent in a protracted line of wi-fi audio applied sciences that promise so much and ship too little.
Different manufacturers which have tried one thing just like this embrace DTS Play-Fi and WiSA, the latter of which feels eerily just like Dolby FlexConnect. The issue with these applied sciences is that they’ve all the time required particular TVs and audio system to work — and understanding which audio system and TVs assist the know-how has been a problem.
To Dolby’s credit score, nevertheless, Atmos is now practically universally supported on new 4K TVs. The know-how is supported on among the finest TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, Hisense and TCL in addition to most of the finest soundbars and AV receivers. In brief, constructing a Dolby Atmos system has by no means been simpler.
If Dolby can get its companions to all assist FlexConnect and get some respectable audio producers on board with the plan, there’s likelihood that within the subsequent few years we’ll all have calibrated wi-fi Dolby Atmos audio system in our houses.
Till it proves that it could get the remainder of the business on board, nevertheless, we’ll follow the very best soundbars just like the Sonos Arc.
