Update 2/10/20: Infuse now supports Dolby Atmos when using E-AC3 audio tracks.
Dolby Atmos support has been announced at WWDC for tvOS 12!
Unfortunately, the current implementation is only useful for VOD services like iTunes, Netflix, and Vudu. Enabling Atmos for (most) local content is a change that needs to come from Apple, and as the old saying goes “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” So…we’re asking you to be as squeaky as possible…within reason of course.
Encourage other people you know to do one of the above
A good template of the details to include with your request can be found below.
Dolby Atmos is now supported on Apple TV, which is great! However, the options provided for Atmos are rather limited and not very useful for those who wish to play their own local Atmos content.
Please allow tvOS applications (e.g., Infuse, Plex, DS Video, etc.) to provide more flexible audio options to their users either through the use of Dolby MAT v2.0 or full bitstream audio passthrough.
Devices like NVIDIA SHIELD, Dune 4K, and many other Android-based media players support this feature, and it would be fantastic if the Apple TV would as well.
*Steps for submitting a suggestion through Feedback Assistant
Click the Compose New Feedback icon in top nav bar
Select tvOS
Enter the following on the feedback form
– Descriptive title: Support Passthrough Audio for Video File Playback
– Which area are you seeing an issue with?: Audio
– What type of feedback are you reporting?: Suggestion
– What is the audio output?: Other
Hopefully! But Atmos support might not mean that it works via passthrough. It could just be Atmos metadata with the DD+ audio and could just be limited to Netflix and the iTunes Store for movies. Hopefully not, though! Fingers crossed for passthrough up to TrueHD and DTS MA.
Atmos requires an understanding of how your sound system is set up to figure out what sounds go to which speakers. I’m sure that apps like Infuse could technically decode it, but then passing it to receiver would result in 0 benefit over traditional PCM, non-atmos output.
Yes, but as other have speculated, it would not be a surprise if Apple lock the Atmos ability to certain apps (e.g. iTunes, Netflix, etc)
Will have to keep our fingers crossed that that is NOT the case!
Totally! My biggest fear is that Atmos will only apply to iTunes Movies and won’t be open to 3rd party apps (like Netflix can on Xbox).
That would be very much like Apple to do.
Currently, Dolby Vision is available for developers to implement in their video apps, it’s just that it only applies to single-layer Dolby Vision, which is a very uncommon type of video and there isn’t content available in that format currently (outside of iTunes).
It seems that Atmos will also be available to developers as the introductory text for tvOS 12 on Apple’s Dev Portal says “Your tvOS apps can deliver amazing experiences […] and immersive sound through Dolby Atmos.”
But it seems Atmos is not implemented on the first beta, according to James; so we’ll have to wait until beta 2 hopefully.
EDIT: Also, Apple is to provide more information on implementing the new tvOS 12 APIs and technologies in a Session hosted tomorrow at WWDC, so that’ll be useful.
It seems that Atmos will also be available to developers as the introductory text for tvOS 12 on Apple’s Dev Portal says “Your tvOS apps can deliver amazing experiences […] and immersive sound through Dolby Atmos.”
EDIT: Also, Apple is to provide more information on implementing the new tvOS 12 APIs and technologies in a Session hosted tomorrow at WWDC, so that’ll be useful.
I will be sooooo hanging out for this confirmation tomorrow. FINGERS CROSSED
