On a slow summer evening in Chennai some years ago I decided to watch a movie by myself, not because I was particularly bored or particularly interested in the movie that was playing, but because I was standing right outside one of the very few cinemas in southern India that featured Dolby Atmos. The logo was bright and shiny and it called to me.
I’d already read up plenty about Atmos by then to know it was too good an opportunity to pass up. It’s Dolby’s most recent surround sound technology which builds on traditional 5.1/7.1-channel setups to create up to 128 channels using as many as 64 speakers. Frankly, I wasn’t left impressed after the experience. The sound felt just the same as a traditional 7.1-channel setup or maybe even duller somehow. However, I gave it the benefit of the doubt and assumed the movie I watched—the third instalment of Night at the Museum—had no spectacular sound effects in it.
I’ve just tried Atmos again; I’ve just watched Black Panther, the latest action superhero film from the Marvel universe, and I must say: it’s still rather underwhelming. The sound isn’t particularly clearer or even better spread-out. Even when I consciously strained my attention towards the direction of the sound, it was hard to tell if any of the overhead speakers were firing at all. Atmos also makes the sound feel more attenuated. I was frequently left wanting more loudness and a clearer distinction between the low, mid, and high frequencies.
Sigh! Perhaps Dolby Atmos will wow me someday soon, but at the moment I can’t say I feel any difference. I think I’ll stick with the good old 7.1s than pay an extra hundred rupees for that bright shiny logo.
Until next time...
Vignesh
