Netflix Upgrades Allow You To Enjoy Spatial Audio Without Having A Surround Sound System
Despite swings in its business and subscriber counts, Netflix is still the king of video streaming. Smartphones are most likely the platform's main audience, but the number of devices it supports has expanded to almost any screen you may have at home. While those screens handle the visual element of the service, audio varies more considerably depending on your equipment. Unfortunately, most Netflix users are limited to the speakers on their phones, headphones, or TVs, few of which provide immersive surround sound. In order to level the playing field a little, Netflix and Sennheiser have collaborated to offer a new type of spatial audio for all devices with stereo speakers that does not require additional equipment.
Spatial audio has been a popular trend in entertainment, although it is more formally defined by an Apple technology of the same name. In other words, this is a type of 360-degree surround sound that emulates the cinema experience with sounds coming from distinct directions. Because it is able to replicate more faithfully the behavior of noises in the real world, which don't always originate from only one or two points of origin, this is considered a more immersive and cinematic experience.
Obviously, this sort of audio experience also necessitates the use of additional equipment, which is why surround sound systems commonly include several speakers positioned throughout a space. There have been recent advancements that allow for the replication of that same effect using only headphones, such as Apple's Spatial Audio. In contrast, Sennheiser's technology transforms any device with stereo speakers into a personal cinema without magic.
How does Sennheiser AMBEO-2 audio tech works?
Sennheiser's AMBEO-2 Channel Spatial Audio is transforming existing immersive mixes into a two-channel rendering that works with any stereo system. For example, phones with stereo speakers, regular earbuds, and even laptop speakers can enable users to enjoy spatial audio instantly without having to do anything on their end, much less buy new hardware or accessories.
AMBEO-2 also works with existing mixes and audio configurations, so content producers don't have to. There is special remixing software that Netflix has to use in order to fine-tune the audio, but the goal is to preserve the creators' original intent. It's yet to be seen — or rather heard — whether it can live up to its promise of preserving the creators' intentions; on devices, underperforming speakers may prevent it from doing so. Nonetheless, it will almost certainly provide a significant improvement for people without a surround sound system. Those with the appropriate hardware or accessories can continue to enjoy their 5.1 surround sound or Dolby Atmos content as before.
However, because Netflix has to make some behind-the-scenes changes, AMBEO-2 does not occur automatically for all content on the platform. The list of supported titles is presently quite limited, with only the likes of "Stranger Things 4" and "The Witcher" being allowed to join that exclusive club. Netflix hasn't released a complete list yet, and subscribers will have to do their own search to discover which shows have the Spatial Audio tag.