2/3/2018 How to Upgrade Your Home Theater System for Dolby Atmos - Dolby Signal

How to Upgrade Your Home Theater System for Dolby

Atmos - Dolby Signal

A step-by-step process on upgrading your home theater audio

with Atmos.

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Since its launch in 2012, Dolby Atmos® has given cinema audiences powerfully moving entertainment,
and it’s now brought that moving audio to home theater. If you already have a 5.1- or 7.1-home
theater, you’ve probably been wondering what it takes to upgrade to a Dolby Atmos system. Here’s
what you need to know.

A new AVR or preprocessor

You may need an audio/video receiver (AVR) or preprocessor that can decode Dolby Atmos sound
and send the signal to your speakers. Some existing AVRs can be upgraded to support Dolby Atmos.
Take a look at some examples of Dolby Atmos enabled AVRs and preprocessors on Dolby.com, and
visit your favorite home theater showroom to give them a try.

Dolby Atmos enabled AVRs or preprocessors include the Dolby surround upmixer, which takes
traditional channel-based audio and upmixes it to take full advantage of your Dolby Atmos system,
playing out overhead as well as around you. In fact, many users have raved about how much better
older content sounds when played through all the speakers available in a Dolby Atmos system. And if
you prefer to listen to your older content just the way you’re used to hearing it, you can turn off the
upmixer.

Speakers and overhead sound

You chose your current speakers with care, and if you still love the way they sound, there’s good
news: you may not need to replace them. Dolby Atmos home theater systems build on the foundation
of a traditional 5.1-, 7.1-, or 9.1-system, adding speakers to provide overhead sound.

You can get that overhead sound by using any of three types of speakers:

Speakers that are mounted in or on the ceiling (overhead speakers)

Speakers that integrate upward-firing Dolby Atmos technology with traditional speaker technology
Add-on speaker modules that you place on or near existing speakers

Use two to four overhead speakers to direct sound down to the listening area. For greater precision,
we recommend four overhead speakers. Connect these speakers to your Dolby Atmos capable AVR
or preprocessor via the height outputs at the back of the unit, or use the graphical user interface in
the setup menu to assign the height outputs to the correct speakers. (The Dolby Atmos Home
Theater Installation Guidelines [PDF] provides suggestions on proper speaker placement.)*

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If mounting ceiling speakers won’t suit, you can add Dolby Atmos enabled speaker technology to your
setup with add-on speaker modules or integrated speakers. Both feature upward-firing technology
that directs sound overhead and bounces it off the ceiling. These work best in a room with a flat
ceiling that is between 8 and 14 feet (2.4 to 4.6 meters) high.

Check first to see whether your speaker manufacturer makes Dolby Atmos enabled add-on modules
for your speakers; you’ll find some examples on Dolby.com. Place these add-on speaker modules on
or near your front left and front right speakers, and the rear left and rear right surround speakers, to
get that experience of moving audio all around you.

If you have older speakers or if add-on speaker modules are not available from your preferred
manufacturer, you can choose Dolby Atmos enabled speakers that combine the upward-firing element
with a traditional speaker in a single cabinet. Again, Dolby.com offers suggestions.

Whether you use Dolby Atmos add-on speaker modules or integrated speakers, connect the height
outputs from your AVR or preprocessor to those speakers.

If you’d like a more compact setup, a home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB) system with Dolby Atmos sound
may be best for you. We list options on Dolby.com.

By the way, there’s a new numbering designation for Dolby Atmos sound. You’re familiar with the
terms 5.1 and 7.1, in which the first number refers to the number of front, center, and surround
speakers, and the second number indicates the number of subwoofers. Dolby Atmos for home theater
adds a third number to indicate the number of overhead speakers. For example: a 5.1.2 system has
two speakers that produce sound overhead; a 5.1.4 system has four speakers for overhead sound;
and so on. The Dolby Atmos speaker setup guide illustrates the possibilities. Refer to the installation
guidelines for suggestions on speaker placement.

Finding the best speakers depends on your taste and your budget. Read home theater websites and
forums, and visit home theater showrooms to find the combination that suits you best.

Getting that great Dolby Atmos sound

Once you have your speakers set up for Dolby Atmos sound, you’ll want to calibrate your Dolby
Atmos home theater system. Although many websites offer calibration suggestions, the best guide will
come from the manufacturer of your AVR or preprocessor. Follow the instructions in your owner’s
guide to tune your audio for the best results.

You can play or stream Dolby Atmos content from several different sources. You can play Dolby
Atmos content encoded on a Blu-ray Disc™ through a Blu-ray Disc player that is fully compliant with
Blu-ray™ specifications. And you will be able in the future to stream Dolby Atmos content from a
compatible game console, Blu-ray, or streaming media player.

Set your player to bitstream output and make sure to disable secondary audio functionality. Connect
the source device to your AVR or preprocessor through an HDMI® connection (v1.4 or later) to
properly pass the Dolby Atmos audio to the AVR.

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Happy listening.

* Dolby recommends that any overhead speaker installation be performed by professional installers
with experience in installing overhead speakers.

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