Tidal now lets you stream Dolby Atmos music through your home cinema system
Cinematic sound for your favorite songs
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Tidalhas announced that its partnership withDolby Atmoshas expanded to includedhome cinema setups, meaning you can now stream your music in glorious spatial audio through your Atmos-enabled set-top box, TV, or speaker system.
You’ll need to have a $19.99 / £19.99 / AU$23.99 per month Tidal HiFi account to take advantage of this new feature, as well as the right kit to properly experience the Dolby Atmos effect.
Compatible devices includeApple TV 4K(running tvOS 13 or later), andAmazon’s Fire TV devices, including theFire TV Stick 4K,Fire TV Stick, and the first and second-genFire TV Cubes.
It will also run on theNvidia Shield TVandShield TV Proas well as through the Tidal app on Dolby Atmos-enabledAndroid TVsfromSonyand Philips.
Of course, to experience true Atmos sound, you’ll need aDolby Atmos speakersetup, whether that’s asoundbar, a full Hi-Fi system, or a standalonesmart speakerlike theAmazon Echo Studio.
Compatible tracks will have the tag ‘Available in Dolby Atmos’, and Tidal is offering an extended60-day free trialfor anyone who wants to try before they buy.
Revealing what was lost
It’s not the first time that Dolby Atmos has come to Tidal – in fact, the immersive audio format has been available on someAndroid phonesand tablets since December.
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However, that required users to listen throughheadphones, which only delivers an approximation of Dolby Atmos sound. For true Dolby Atmos, you need upfiring speakers that can bounce sound off of your ceilings and back down to your ears, creating the illusion of sound coming at you from all angles.
This can be extremely effective in cinema when combined with visuals that are equally immersive, making you feel like you’re really in the action of the film. When Dolby Atmos is applied to pure audio, however, the effect will be a little different.
Tidal says that “Dolby Atmos Music allows people to connect with their favorite music in a whole new way, pulling them into a song and revealing what was lost with stereo recordings.”
The company also claims that “listeners can discover hidden details and subtleties with unparalleled clarity”, as “Dolby Atmos gives music more space and the freedom to unleash every detail and emotion as the artist intended.”
The availability of Dolby Atmos tracks is yet another way Tidal is able to differentiate itself from its biggest competitor, Spotify. At present, Spotify doesn’t even offer lossless orHi-Res Audio– though its easy-to-use interface and free (albeit ad-driven) streaming tier means that it’s still the most popularmusic streaming platformtoday.
Need to refine your setup? Check out the best Dolby Atmos speaker deals we’ve found today?
ViaThe Verge
Olivia was previously TechRadar’s Senior Editor - Home Entertainment, covering everything from headphones to TVs. Based in London, she’s a popular music graduate who worked in the music industry before finding her calling in journalism. She’s previously been interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live on the subject of multi-room audio, chaired panel discussions on diversity in music festival lineups, and her bylines include T3, Stereoboard, What to Watch, Top Ten Reviews, Creative Bloq, and Croco Magazine. Olivia now has a career in PR.
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