All Xbox One Consoles to Get Dolby Atmos Upmixing

GordoSan

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Sep 14, 2013
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This is a big deal for me, as I use Hulu Live and sometimes Spotify through my Xbox, and I kind of miss the way my receiver would handle 5.1 to Atmos conversion through the generically named "Dolby Surround" feature on the receiver. Currently, once Atmos is enabled, everything comes through to my receiver as Atmos, but the channels are locked at whatever is native. This locks out my receiver to process it any other way. 5.1 stays 5.1, etc. There is already some processing going on because Spotify comes out as 5.1, which it does do well. It's just not quite as good as the Dolby Surround Upmix.

Also, I totally expected more games in native Dolby Atmos by now, so this is a welcome feature for games, as well. Since game audio is shaped in real time, I can't believe that Atmos isn't just the default for games, by now. It must be a licensing thing.

Anyway:

https://www.techradar.com/news/all-xbox-one-consoles-to-get-dolby-atmos-audio-upmixing
 
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This is a big deal for me, as I use Hulu Live and sometimes Spotify through my Xbox, and I kind of miss the way my receiver would handle 5.1 to Atmos conversion through the generically named "Dolby Surround" feature on the receiver. Currently, once Atmos is enabled, everything comes through to my receiver as Atmos, but the channels are locked at whatever is native. This locks out my receiver to process it any other way. 5.1 stays 5.1, etc. There is already some processing going on because Spotify comes out as 5.1, which it does do well. It's just not quite as good as the Dolby Surround Upmix.

Also, I totally expected more games in native Dolby Atmos by now, so this is a welcome feature for games, as well. Since game audio is shaped in real time, I can't believe that Atmos isn't just the default for games, by now. It must be a licensing thing.

Anyway:

https://www.techradar.com/news/all-xbox-one-consoles-to-get-dolby-atmos-audio-upmixing
Not sure if its worth mentioning for Hulu.

In 7.1 games it will be good.
 
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So basically Pro Logic for Atmos.
It's actually just called just Dolby Surround now, but yeah. It basically upscales everything up to Atmos. I've missed this feature a lot, since the last update basically cancelled it out from my receiver.
 
Not sure if its worth mentioning for Hulu.

In 7.1 games it will be good.
Why would it not be worth mentioning for Hulu? That makes no sense. It's been my live TV programming since I cut out Comcast last fall.
 
You will not notice it much.
Gotcha. I understand that. I don't expect it to be like native Atmos, either. I do notice that cable sounded better before with the Dolby Surround upmix though. I cannot get that anymore. Hulu Live is only on Xbox for consoles, so it's my only choice. I could pick 5.1 or 7.1 audio and let my receiver do the upmix, but then I'd miss out on any native Atmos games or streaming content. I think that they chose the Atmos lock before because the console has a problem switching back and forth. They only currently have the option for native sound in Blu-ray. When you select Atmos for the system, it currently locks everything into native 5.1, 7.1 etc, but pumps it through a locked Atmos setting. I just don't like that for everything. I think that this approach will be much better for me, as well as most people who have Dolby Atmos... As long as Dolby has a hand in the processing, it'll be fine. Nobody should expect native Atmos, either. Still, everything else should sound noticeably better... including almost every game.
 
Gotcha. I understand that. I don't expect it to be like native Atmos, either. I do notice that cable sounded better before with the Dolby Surround upmix though. I cannot get that anymore. Hulu Live is only on Xbox for consoles, so it's my only choice. I could pick 5.1 or 7.1 audio and let my receiver do the upmix, but then I'd miss out on any native Atmos games or streaming content. I think that they chose the Atmos lock before because the console has a problem switching back and forth. They only currently have the option for native sound in Blu-ray. When you select Atmos for the system, it currently locks everything into native 5.1, 7.1 etc, but pumps it through a locked Atmos setting. I just don't like that for everything. I think that this approach will be much better for me, as well as most people who have Dolby Atmos... As long as Dolby has a hand in the processing, it'll be fine. Nobody should expect native Atmos, either. Still, everything else should sound noticeably better... including almost every game.
FYI A good AVR can do the same thing as well. But yeah you would miss out on native Atmos.
Mine is a simple button press.
 
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FYI A good AVR can do the same thing as well. But yeah you would miss out on native Atmos.
Mine is a simple button press.
Well duh! I mean, I've already said that I could just put everything back to 5.1 or 7.1 and let my receiver do the Dolby Surround. I just wanted one single setting. I don't want to think "hey, this game is Atmos, I should go to my Xbox settings and turn that feature back on". I don't think I should have to research what game has native Atmos, either.... If it's going to lock everything in Atmos, then it needs to offer the upscaling for everything that's not! That's my whole point! 😀
 
Well duh! I mean, I've already said that I could just put everything back to 5.1 or 7.1 and let my receiver do the Dolby Surround. I just wanted one single setting. I don't want to think "hey, this game is Atmos, I should go to my Xbox settings and turn that feature back on". I don't think I should have to research what game has native Atmos, either.... If it's going to lock everything in Atmos, then it needs to offer the upscaling for everything that's not! That's my whole point! 😀
Yeah I was agreeing but I do the switch on the AVR not the xb settings :)
 
Yeah I was agreeing but I do the switch on the AVR not the xb settings :)
Hmm. Well, I'm not sure I follow you. Do you mean to say that you leave the Xbox in 5.1 or 7.1 then?

Edit:...or maybe you are saying that you always have Atmos on from the Xbox, and collapse that down on your receiver??
 
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Hmm. Well, I'm not sure I follow you. Do you mean to say that you leave the Xbox in 5.1 or 7.1 then?

Edit:...or maybe you are saying that you always have Atmos on from the Xbox, and collapse that down on your receiver??
Yes always on and when/if needed I make the switch on the avr..
 
Yes always on and when/if needed I make the switch on the avr..
Ok, so now I'm really lost as to what you are implying. Lol. Since the last fall dashboard update, when you select Atmos on the Xbox, everything is locked at Atmos (except Blu-ray). The height channels are 100% inactive for 99% of content (which is not native Atmos). I have personally tested this since the early access of the current dashboard build. Maybe you have an old dashboard update version??? So you are saying that you then have your AV receiver downmix that Atmos to 5.1 or 7.1 when you don't want Atmos then, right? Keep in mind that I'm trying to upmix everything to an Atmos approximation... I don't think your solution can do what I am wanting to do. I would much rather change the settings in the Xbox to uncompressed 7.1, and let my receiver handle the mixing to 5.1.2 through Dolby Surround (Atmos approx) or DTS: Neural X (DTS X approx)... I just don't want to have to turn Atmos back on on the Xbox for native Atmos content... because you do need to have it turned on for that. You cannot just tell your receiver to make it up, for true Atmos. There seems to be no way to do either option through just the receiver. I am sure as hell not having my receiver downmix and upmix again. That would be way too much processing.
 
Ok, so now I'm really lost as to what you are implying. Lol. Since the last fall dashboard update, when you select Atmos on the Xbox, everything is locked at Atmos (except Blu-ray). The height channels are 100% inactive for 99% of content (which is not native Atmos). I have personally tested this since the early access of the current dashboard build. Maybe you have an old dashboard update version??? So you are saying that you then have your AV receiver downmix that Atmos to 5.1 or 7.1 when you don't want Atmos then, right? Keep in mind that I'm trying to upmix everything to an Atmos approximation... I don't think your solution can do what I am wanting to do. I would much rather change the settings in the Xbox to uncompressed 7.1, and let my receiver handle the mixing to 5.1.2 through Dolby Surround (Atmos approx) or DTS: Neural X (DTS X approx)... I just don't want to have to turn Atmos back on on the Xbox for native Atmos content... because you do need to have it turned on for that. You cannot just tell your receiver to make it up, for true Atmos. There seems to be no way to do either option through just the receiver. I am sure as hell not having my receiver downmix and upmix again. That would be way too much processing.
I have the X set to Atmos.
When wanting to simulate non Atmos things on the X...I turn on Atmos/DTS X simulation on my receiver.
 
I have the X set to Atmos.
When wanting to simulate non Atmos things on the X...I turn on Atmos/DTS X simulation on my receiver.

Sorry man, what you're saying here simply cannot be done when selecting "Atmos" on the X. GordoSan is correct, to apply Dolby Surround or dts:x you must manually switch the console to output multichannel 5.1/7.1. You will get zero height mixing(the whole point of atmos) on non native atmos content with your current configuration. What's your speaker layout? How many height channels? This issue cannot be corrected on the receivers end with "a simple button press".

It's good to see Microsoft finally address this.
 
Sorry man, what you're saying here simply cannot be done when selecting "Atmos" on the X. GordoSan is correct, to apply Dolby Surround or dts:x you must manually switch the console to output multichannel 5.1/7.1. You will get zero height mixing(the whole point of atmos) on non native atmos content with your current configuration. What's your speaker layout? How many height channels? This issue cannot be corrected on the receivers end with "a simple button press".

It's good to see Microsoft finally address this.
What? Have you read all of the posts?
X is going to simulate Atmos to non Atmos sources and yes i can do a "simple" button on my remote that enables all channels.
Also Atmos does not work by selecting 7.1.
 
What? Have you read all of the posts?
X is going to simulate Atmos to non Atmos sources and yes i can do a "simple" button on my remote that enables all channels.
Also Atmos does not work by selecting 7.1.

I don't know how to explain it any simpler terms...the xbox currently DOESN'T "simulate Atmos to non Atmos sources", as you put it. There's zero spatial sound being directed to the height speakers. There is zero upmixing taking place when the X is set to Atmos. Thankfully this is going to be rectified, and is the very reason the OP started this thread to begin with.

Again, the work around for those of us with Atmos has been to set the X to 5.1 or 7.1(whatever your base configuration consists of) and then applying our preferred upmixer to make use of our height speakers.

Naturally we set the X back to Atmos for those few games that natively support it. Make sense?
 
I don't know how to explain it any simpler terms...the xbox currently DOESN'T "simulate Atmos to non Atmos sources", as you put it. There's zero spatial sound being directed to the height speakers. There is zero upmixing taking place when the X is set to Atmos. Thankfully this is going to be rectified, and is the very reason the OP started this thread to begin with.

Again, the work around for those of us with Atmos has been to set the X to 5.1 or 7.1(whatever your base configuration consists of) and then applying our preferred upmixer to make use of our height speakers.

Naturally we set the X back to Atmos for those few games that natively support it. Make sense?
The OP says its going to... and that's what I meant by X is going to simulate Atmos as in not yet.
Setting X to Atmos AND setting the Atmos/DTS X/7.1|2/9.2 simulation on my AVR should work wonders when X gets that update.
 
I don't know how to explain it any simpler terms...the xbox currently DOESN'T "simulate Atmos to non Atmos sources", as you put it. There's zero spatial sound being directed to the height speakers. There is zero upmixing taking place when the X is set to Atmos. Thankfully this is going to be rectified, and is the very reason the OP started this thread to begin with.

Again, the work around for those of us with Atmos has been to set the X to 5.1 or 7.1(whatever your base configuration consists of) and then applying our preferred upmixer to make use of our height speakers.

Naturally we set the X back to Atmos for those few games that natively support it. Make sense?
Thank you, thank you, thank you!:bownew:

I kept feeling like I was going on circles there! That's EXACTLY what I was saying. I wasn't sure if maybe other people just weren't aware of the problem with a "one size fits all" approach to Atmos, unless you actually upscale everything else that isn't native.

Their little fix will be great btw, but I thought of another little issue that does kind of bug me a little... there will never actually be a prompt telling you when anything is actually native Atmos. It's not really a big deal, but kind of an interesting problem, actually. They could maybe make a prompt in the future, but again, maybe it's just not that big of deal.
 
Just a heads up for anybody with Atmos and an Xbox One S or X! The Dolby app updated for me yesterday and kicked Atmos completely until I went through the new setup process over again. They make you do the same for Atmos for headphone.

What was added? It looks like they added Dolby Vision right into the app. They also added the Atmos upmix box right into the Atmos part of the app, and supposedly now allow further tweaking of the spatial sound over headphone, but I haven't seen that screen yet.

Again, if this app updated for you, you have probably been booted from these services until you follow the setup again!