Matthew Chmiel

Conversion.

Giles

The Expendables 3 - will be released as such too.

RocShemp

I guess that will be the last Atmos encoded disc. Since we only got two DTS Neo:X 11.1 releases (Dredd and Expendables 2).

Matthew Chmiel

Dolby has more money to throw around than DTS.

RocShemp

I was joking.

Giles

harhar ... I would assume the next 'Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1' bluray will be Atmos encoded.

RocShemp

I wonder if they'll later re-release movies like Brave that had Atmos mixes in theaters but not on BD.

Matthew Chmiel

In Disney's defense, they gave their films that had Atmos mixes in theaters 7.1 mixes, let it be in DTS HD-MA or Dolby TrueHD.

• Brave
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier
• Frozen
• Iron Man 3
• Monsters University
• Oz: The Great and Powerful
• Planes
• Thor: The Dark World

All released with Atmos theatrically, all given 7.1 mixes on Blu-ray.

From the looks of it, the only Atmos-released films on Blu-ray that do not contain 7.1 mixes are:

• The Amazing Spider-Man 2
• Gravity
• The Heat
• Mama
• Taken 2

Giles

^ Transcendence was an Atmos release and its DCP was 7.1 but its bluray was only 5.1 so was the case with 'I, Frankenstein'. Insidious Chapter 2 and Lucy are two other films that were Atmos mixes derived from 5.1 core mixes. Unless Disney (or any other studio who releases with DTS sound) is going to have to change over to Dolby TrueHD in order to encode blurays with the Atmos mix

RocShemp

I'm not criticizing the current releases. Just wondering if the studios will take the new audio format as an excuses to double dip.

I'm also wondering how long before DTS comes out with their Atmos equivalent and BD players that can decode both are released.

Joe Schmoe

I'm wondering the same thing about a/v receivers. I'd like to get one of the new Dolby Atmos receivers, but it's only as matter of time before DTS comes up with something similar, and then I'd have to replace my new toy with one that can do both formats.

Giles

there's murmurings that Auro 3D sound has something brewing in the near future for home theater systems.

Josh Z

Doing the decoding inside a Blu-ray player is not really practical with Atmos due to the extra number of channels.

If the player decodes to PCM, you'd need a new version of HDMI that can accommodate way more bandwidth, and you'd still need a new A/V receiver that can accept the extra channels over PCM.

If the player decodes and converts to analog, the BD player would need 11.1 or more analog audio outputs. That will require a larger physical design to fit them. Manufacturers are cutting back analog outputs these days, not adding more.

Bitstreaming over HDMI to an Atmos receiver is a much easier solution.

RocShemp

Gotcha. Then I guess only Joe Schmoe's concern is valid. How soon before DTS unveils their own version of Atmos (since they pretty much shelved Neo:X rather quickly)? And how long 'til there are receivers in the market that can decode both (as well as simultaneously apply room correction software like Audyssey MultEQ XT32)?

Josh Z

This is a concern. I know that DTS had been working on its own object-based sound format, and acquired SRS Labs a couple years ago specifically to get the "MDA" format to use as a base.

However, now that Atmos has gotten the jump on them, I don't know that the market will really support a second proprietary object-based sound format. Had they both come out at the same time, I could see them competing for a while, but as it is now, DTS may have missed its window.

Giles

it didn't help that there wasn't really studio support for DTS NEO X - what? they only released two titles in 11.1

RocShemp

And DTS Neo:X wasn't innovative at all. Audyssey beat them to the punch with DSX and that system worked flawlessly with the two Neo:X encoded Blu-rays (Expendables 2 and Dredd).

Josh Z

Widescreen Review is convinced that receivers next year will incorporate two new surround formats: DTS-UHD and Auro 3D.

RocShemp

I see. I'll stick with my TX-NR5010. In a few years I'll think about upgrading.

Josh Z

Auro-3D is definitely in the works. The company has announced some proprietary standalone processors, as well as partnerships with boutique manufacturers Trinnov, StormAudio and Steinway Lyngdorf. Whether Auro-3D decoders will make their way to mainstream receivers remains to be seen.

Honestly, I'm not too concerned about that one. Auro is an also-ran format in theaters, and I don't expect it to gain any traction on home video.

DTS is a bigger concern (in that a new Atmos receiver purchased today may not be able to support DTS-UHD in a year). However, I still think that DTS may have missed its window for introducing a new object-based sound format to Blu-ray. I just don't think the market needs another one of those now that Atmos has such a big lead.

Perhaps DTS is planning to introduce DTS-UHD on the upcoming 4k Blu-ray format?

Matthew Chmiel

EASY THERE.

Step Up Revolution also had a Neo:X encode.

RocShemp

Wasn't aware. Since that film let me down (due to some horrid editing choices), I never bothered to get the BD.

RocShemp

If I had the money, I'd rest easy owning the Trinnov Altitude 32. If I understood the info on their website correctly, even the hardware is upgradable.

Joe Schmoe

Wow. That really does seem like the all-in-one solution. I couldn't find a price. Did you? I'm sure the likes of Bill Gates and Michael Bay already have it in their homes.

RocShemp

I've read that it's around $46K. But I dunno if that's including all the bells and whistles or just for the "basic" model.