The cheapest UHD Blu-ray player is about to become even better. With an update, Microsoft will add support for bitstream audio, including Dolby Atmos. It will work with Blu-ray discs and compatible games.

Better audio on Xbox One
Today, both Xbox One and Xbox One S insist on decoding audio in the machine before passing it on. With an upcoming update, the consoles will get support for bitstream audio to enable pass-through to for example a receiver. 

- “Yes bitstreaming and Atmos will work on all Xbox One products not just Xbox One S, for both video and games that support it,“ said Mike Ybarra, Xbox engineering lead.


Support for bitstream audio will also make it possible to pass-through Dolby Atmos, which is Dolby’s object-based sound technology, in addition to Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio. All audio formats will be supported for both video and games but it obviously requires that the content was mastered in the desirable audio format.

The update is good news for especially owners of the Xbox One S console, which has a built-in UHD Blu-ray drive. Xbox One S was already the cheapest UHD Blu-ray player but some users missed support for high-end audio.

With the update the console will become a better alternative to dedicated players such as Panasonic UB900 and Samsung K8500 that sell for $699 and $320, respectively. Xbox One S sells for $299.

Microsoft has not confirmed when the update will be released other than to say that it is “coming soon”.