mac_128

GeorgeBMac said:

lkrupp said:

I’ve read some stupid shit on AI but this article takes the cake.

So, how was it stupid?

I have heard many claim that the HomePod can replace home stereo.

This article points out that, while it can, you will lose something.  It simply added an objective test/comparison to prove the obvious.

No, this was a good article and it was needed to clear up the confusion left by claims the HomePod produced High Fideleity audio.   It does but, not as well as a dedicated home theater system.

A “home stereo” can’t even replace a home theater system, with multichannel surround sound.

lorin schultz said:

Atmos will not allow a soundbar or other simple setup to magically emulate a multi-speaker theatre array. For Atmos to provide any benefit, the playback system, including speakers, has to be configured to take advantage of it.

The benefit of Atmos is that it changes the way the filmmaker describes where sounds are supposed to be located in physical space. Instead of assigning a specific sound to a particular channel, the mix engineer simply assigns a location for each sound. Atmos then automatically scales to the system on which it's being played. If you have a stereo playback system you'll still get stereo, even with Atmos.

On a typical 5.1 speaker system, Atmos won't sound a lot different than the "traditional" 5.1 surround mix. Where it begins to shine is in setups with additional speakers for side fill, overhead and front elevation. These systems provide Atmos the flexibility to steer sounds into additional physical placements, including height. That can be a definite benefit, but only if you have speakers in places that take advantage of it.

Unless you have more speakers around your room than a standard 5.1 setup, don't expect Atmos to revolutionize your listening experience.

Thanks for the info. 

After doing some some research it appears as though the HP is not likely to even emulate a simple ATMOS capable sound bar, to the extent that’s even a desirable option. What is clear to me, is that if Apple makes a HP with an upfiring speaker, their AirPlay 2 solution with a multiple HP setup will be easier than ever to setup a reliable, high quality, home theater ATMOS environment. Just plug in four HPs around the room, tie them together in sync with the picture, and it should be an immersive experience.

MacPro said:

claire1 said:

Will HomePod 2 be Atmos ready? Do you think it could have top firing speakers?

With two HomePods working together and their beam forming technology I suspect there could easily be at the very least a pseudo ATMOS surround sound effect created  when used with an TV 4K if not the real thing.

It would seem that ATMOS requires at least an overhead speaker. Without that, I’m not sure how effective the HomePod would be. It’s should be able to do a decent job emulating 5.1 surround, as it can use the walls as reflective surfaces for side and rear imaging. The question is, does it?

1983 said:

mac_128 said:

ttollerton said:

Appreciate all of the info in this piece on Atmos!  Hard to get context from the video, but I should probably get a sound bar.    

Since ATMOS can be experienced with a simple sound bar, shouldn’t ATMOS come to the HomePod? I would think with the dynamically adjusting speakers it would be a simple thing to create an ATMOS experience on the HomePod? Or will HomePod customers have to buy HP Series 1 (assuming the current model is S0), in order to upgrade to ATMOS?

ATMOS speakers need to be able to fire upwards reflecting sound off the ceiling. Or have compatible speakers installed in the ceiling to produce the required effect. Very few current sound bars are able to produce ATMOS sound effects. Only some recent official ATMOS compatible models with said upfiring speakers built in are eligible. As for the HomePod, I believe that incorporates an upfiring speaker, so theoretically might be compatible with the standard after a future firmware upgrade. Though it’s upfiring speaker is predominantly for bass. ATMOS upfiring speakers work in the mid to high frequency ranges I believe, so not actually sure if the HomePod is capable or not.

Based on feedback I’ve gotten here and elsewhere, it would seem we’ll need an HP 2.0 to get a speaker physically designed to have top firing speakers for ceiling bounced sound.

i was under the mistakes impression that the tweeters on the HP were directional, rather than fixed. I had imagined some of them swiveling to point upward when receiving an ATMOS signal. But that’s not the case.

The HomePod only has a downfiring speaker not an upfiring one. So we’ll have to wait until Apple gives us one for ATMOS. Considering the current design, we might have a long wait — from the soundbars I’ve seen, the top firing speakers rely on a very specific placement so that the angled speakers get the correct ceiling bounce from directional speakers in relation to the picture. That kind of specific orientation would be very difficult to get good results, unless Apple does put all of their speakers on servo motors that can auto adjust the speakers to the correct position, regardless of the customer placement.

macxpress said:

mac_128 said:

ttollerton said:

Appreciate all of the info in this piece on Atmos!  Hard to get context from the video, but I should probably get a sound bar.    

Since ATMOS can be experienced with a simple sound bar, shouldn’t ATMOS come to the HomePod? I would think with the dynamically adjusting speakers it would be a simple thing to create an ATMOS experience on the HomePod? Or will HomePod customers have to buy HP Series 1 (assuming the current model is S0), in order to upgrade to ATMOS?

Who ever said it won't? That is more of a software thing than a hardware thing. I don't see why it can't be added in a future firmware update. Does AirPlay 2 support Dolby Atmos?

Perhaps by the time tvOS is out in the fall HomePod will support it, or at least shortly afterwards. 

I don’t recall anybody said it would or wouldn’t. It just occurred to me that Apple announced ATMOS was coming to the ATV, and the HomePods should handle ATMOS extremely well, given their design.

Agreed it should just be a firmware thing. I don’t know why AP2 would even be a consideration since it’s just a digital stream that’s sent to the speaker.

I’m just surprised if support were coming for the HP, that it wasn’t likewise announced alongside the ATV support. It would certainly be a selling point.

Perhaps, if the ATV is decoding for ATMOS, the HP will simply output ATMOS sound without necessarily needing any special updates, so it’s a moot point? Maybe it’s a BT issue, since the speaker otherwise won’t support ATMOS from a third party BT device. Saying it supports ATMOS would be misleading if it’s not actually decoding it itself. Or maybe it actually is a licensing/hardware issue, requiring a chip to decode it in the HP.

Either way I don’t see it as negative, since HPs aren’t necessarily being sold as sound systems for an ATV. 

ttollerton said:

Appreciate all of the info in this piece on Atmos!  Hard to get context from the video, but I should probably get a sound bar.    

Since ATMOS can be experienced with a simple sound bar, shouldn’t ATMOS come to the HomePod? I would think with the dynamically adjusting speakers it would be a simple thing to create an ATMOS experience on the HomePod? Or will HomePod customers have to buy HP Series 1 (assuming the current model is S0), in order to upgrade to ATMOS?