▷ How to configure Dolby Atmos spatial sound in Windows 10

It has parcheado on Windows 10 con Creators Update, You'll be glad to hear that you have added support for Dolby Atmos. Windows 10 he is a little late to the party, since Xbox One and PlayStation 4 adopted this sound technology from the beginning. Although you have to invest a lot of money in hardware with Atmos to get the best of this technology, you can also take the cheapest route and try a piece of spatial sound based on Dolby Atmos objects for free. The best part about this free alternative is that you can try it on any PC and with almost all headphones..

What is Dolby Atmos?

Dolby Atmos is a new 3D surround sound technology marketed as spatial sound. Considered the successor to traditional surround sound (5.1 Y 7.1), Atmos is so much smarter when it comes to sending sounds to your speaker or headphone system.

While traditional surround sound technologies use 5 O 7 separate channels to distribute sounds, Atmos does not use any channel. Instead, creates an immersive effect by mapping sounds to virtual places in three-dimensional space, which also adds height to the entire envelope equation. That's why all high-end sound systems with Atmos support include a ceiling-mounted speaker. (or a floorstanding speaker that bounces sound off the ceiling). All of this makes surround sound smoother and more realistic., what would otherwise be impossible with the traditional channel-based approach.

However, if you want to harness the full power of Atmos, Windows compatibility 10 is not sufficient. You will need to purchase an Atmos compatible receiver capable of placing these sounds in 3D space. Besides that, your PC must be able to output via HDMI.

Dolby Atmos for headphones

Windows update 10 Creators also added a separate Dolby Atmos feature called Dolby Atmos for Headphones.. Instead of using an Atmos-compatible receiver and special speaker setup, Dolby Atmos for headphones uses a digital signal processor (DSP). In other words, takes sounds from your PC and mixes them digitally to enhance spatial sound.

While this does not achieve the sound quality of leading Dolby Atmos technology (through receiver), compensates for a better positional sound experience with each earbud, earphone or headphones. It is extremely useful for games because it makes it easy to find the source of sounds.

How to enable Dolby Atmos in Windows 10

If you decide to try Dolby Atmos, you will first need to download a dedicated app from the Windows Store. If you already have an Atmos-enabled home theater system or if you want to try our Dolby Atmos for headphones, you will need to download Dolby Access first.

You can do it by accessing the store link (here) or by right-clicking on the sound icon in the lower right section of the taskbar and going to Spatial Sound> Dolby Atmos for headphones.

Both methods will take you to the same listing in the Dolby Acess store. Once there, press the Get button to download Dolby Acess on your system. When the download is complete, follow the guide below to set up an Atmos enabled home theater system (if you already have the appropriate equipment). If you want to try a piece of Atmos for free, follow the second guide to configure Dolby Atmos for your headphones.

How to set up a Dolby Atmos home theater system in Windows 10

Unlike Dolby Atmos for headphones, you won't need to buy a subscription or opt for a trial to set up your home theater with Atmos; it is “enough” to buy the hardware. If you have the right hardware (receptor Atmos + PC with HDMI output), follow the guide below to enable Dolby Atmos for a home theater system in Windows 10:

1. Open the Dolby Access app and click the With my home theater box.
   

2. Then press the Continue button in the first message and proceed to connect the HDMI cable from the home theater system to the PC.

3. Therefore, we need to make sure the Atmos enabled system is the default device. For it, right click on the sound icon (Lower right corner) and select Playback devices.

   

4. Check if the Atmos HDMI playback device is set as default. If that is not the case, select it and click the Set as default button.

   

5. Once you've set the Atmos-powered theater as the default, Go back to the Dolby Access app and click Configure PC Settings.

   

6. Later, use the drop down menu under Spatial Sound Format to select Dolby Atmos for home theater and hit Apply to confirm.

   Note: If you don't see a Dolby Atmos option for home theater, make sure your sound system supports Dolby Atmos. If you have it, check the HDMI connection. If required, unplug and repeat steps 3 Y 4.

7. Finally, return to the Dolby Access app. Once the spatial sound in Windows 10 is configured correctly, Dolby Access should automatically ask you to calibrate your system.

   Note: Please note that the calibration steps are highly dependent on your home theater setup. After following the on-screen calibration steps, Dolby Atmos will be enabled on Windows 10.

How to set up a Dolby Atmos for headphones in Windows 10

If you decide to try the cheap version of Dolby Atmos, you should now that technology is not free. Well, actually it is, but only for 30 days. After the trial period, must spend $ 15 to get the technology indefinitely. It is not clear why Microsoft chooses to integrate this technology with Windows. 10, considering the fact that they released Sonic for headphones at the same time, a technology almost identical to Dolby Atmos for headphones.

Whatever the reasons, it is clear that Microsoft did not pay for the full licenses of the Dolby headphones, so Windows users cannot use the technology for free. As a result, you can try Dolby Atmos for headphones for free only for a limited period of time (test 30 days). But the good news is that the test of 30 days does not require you to enter your credit card details.

If you decide to try, follow the guide below to set up Dolby Atmos for headphones in Windows 10:

1. Open the Dolby Access app and click the With my headphones box.

   

2. Later, plug in the headphones and select them from the menu on the right of the screen and click the Continue button. When you press continue, the application “will search” compatibility issues between your headphones and Dolby Atmos. But as some have pointed out, this has nothing to do with your headphones: This Atmos feature requires certain sound drivers that Windows 10 has by default. As long as you have Windows 10, all headphones will be supported, but the sound quality, obviously, will be different.

   Note: If headphones are not yet the default playback option, you will need to right click on the sound icon in the taskbar (Lower right corner) and select Playback Devices. Once there, make sure it's the default option. If that is not the case, select it and press the button Set as default.

   

3. In the Dolby Access app, click the test button 30. You can also choose to buy it indefinitely.

   Note: If the test button 30 days is not available, you have already used the Dolby Access trial with this particular Microsoft account.

4. If you opt for the test of 30 days, you will be presented with a Microsoft Store window. Press Get to accept the ToS.
   from Microsoft
   Note: This will not automatically withdraw money from your credit card at the end of the trial period.

5. When you return to the Dolby Access window, you will be prompted to download additional content for the app. Press OK and wait for the download to complete.

   Note: If you are not asked to install new content in the Dolby Access app, restart your computer and open Dolby Access again.

6. When the download is complete, you should see a new Configure PC Settings button appear. Click on it to open Speaker Properties.

   

7. In Speaker Properties on the Spatial Sound tab, use the drop-down menu under Spatial Sound Format to select Dolby Atmos for headphones. Press Apply to save the changes.

   Note: You can also check the box next to Enable virtual surround sound 7.1. But be aware that it has the potential to create additional static noise, depending on the medium you are listening to.

Namely, Dolby Atmos is now configured for your headphones. You can go back to the Dolby Access app to experience a list of selected videos, encoded with Atmos technology.

Note: note that not all multimedia content will see an improvement while this option is enabled. To witness the improvements with the new positional recognition feature, try playing a game or watching a video that is configured to work with Dolby Atmos.

If you decide to disable Dolby Atmos for headphones while the test is running, just right click on the sound icon (Lower right corner) y configure Spatial Sound en Off.

Microsoft's free alternative

Along with Dolby Atmos support, Microsoft also implemented a built-in alternative to Dolby Atmos for headphones in Creator Update. From a technological point of view, Windows Sonic for Headphones does pretty much the same thing as Atmos, but some argue that it is somewhat inferior to the Dolby alternative. But since audio quality can be very subjective, we will not jump the fence and designate a clear winner in the DSP department.

To enable Windows Sonic for headsets, go to the lower right section of the taskbar and right click on the sound icon. From there, go to Spatial Sound and click on Windows Sonic for Headphones.