Dolby has been doing its bit to revolutionise the home cinema sound experience since it introduced surround sound in the home in 1982. Now it has unveiled its latest innovation in immersive audio, Dolby Atmos FlexConnect.
Building on the spatial audio format ofDolby Atmos, which uses object-based sound to place effects across a 360-degree soundscape, Dolby Atmos FlexConnect will help home cinema users to build on that experience in as convenient way as possible.
But what is it, how does it work and how can you get it? Keep reading for all the details.
What is Dolby Atmos FlexConnect?
Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is a new technology that will pair a TV’s sound system with compatible wireless speakers that can be placed around the room, wherever suits the room best. The FlexConnect system will then intelligently optimise the sound to the room layout and individual speaker setup, making it much more flexible than traditional surround sound setups.
This means that no matter the size of your room, whether you have certain furniture that you need your speakers to work around, or want to consider things like power outlet locations or even just what looks best - there is no “optimal” location that they need to be placed at in order to sound their best.
How does it work?
Dolby’s acoustic mapping technology leverages microphones within a compatible TV to understand where every FlexConnect speaker is in the room. After a quick calibration process, audio will then be intelligently and dynamically balanced between the TV and the speakers in the room, bolstering the Atmos experience and placing sounds more accurately around a 360-degree soundscape.
What do I need to get it?
You will need a compatible TV and speakers - but other than that, Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is as flexible as it sounds. You can place just one speaker, or several, around the room and the system will work with whatever you have.
Even better, it will continuously adapt if you want to grow your system and add more speakers to improve your system in the future.
Which TVs are compatible?
Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is first launching with TCL’s Dolby Atmos-enabled TVs in 2024, powered by MediaTek’s Pentonic chipset. I would expect more TV manufacturers to follow suit after the tech debuts atIFA 2023. We’ll bring you more on the technology as we have it, including some first impressions on how it all sounds in practice.
