You might already have experienced Dolby Atmos in the cinema. With Samsung’s new HW-K950 soundbar you can bring the Dolby Atmos experience into the living room.
Dolby Atmos sound in the living room
The first soundbar with Dolby Atmos was launched by Yamaha and Samsung is now expanding the market with its new HW-K950 soundbar.
Dolby Atmos is an object based technology that can place audio “objects” in a room by utilizing advanced algorithms. Movie theatres are already using the technology and some receivers support Atmos but Samsung and Dolby clearly believe that the Atmos experience can be delivered by a soundbar, too.
- “Samsung’s new Soundbar with Dolby Atmos technology, delivers the ultimate in cinematic home entertainment, especially when paired with Samsung’s new SUHD TVs.” said John JY Kim, Vice President for Visual Products at Samsung.
However, the soundbar cannot stand alone. It requires two wireless rear speakers and a wireless subwoofer. These are bundled in the box. The actual soundbar uses three forward-facing and two upwards-facing speakers. Still, it measures only 5.1 cm in height.
Samsung refers to it as 5.1.4 channel audio and says that it can deliver “3D audio” without the user having to install a lot of speakers in the living room.
Dolby adds:
- “Dolby Atmos has received overwhelming support from major studios and continues to expand into other form factors, including the new Samsung HW-K950 Soundbar, which allows more consumers to bring an unrivaled sound experience into their homes. “Consumers can experience sound that comes alive from all directions, including overhead, to fill their home theaters with astonishing clarity, power, detail and depth.”
Samsung HW-K950 will be showcased for the first time at CES 2016 in a couple of days.
