Disney+ gets Dolby Atmos spatial audio on Apple TV 4K and HomePod

The Disney+ app has received support for Dolby Atmos spatial audio on Apple TV 4K and HomePod when streaming in-app shows.

• What is happening? Disney+ has updated its app to directly handle Dolby Atmos in compatible shows and play spatial audio through the Apple TV 4K and original HomePod when set as the default speaker for streaming.
• Why care? Instead of streaming 5.1 audio to the Apple TV operating system like before, Disney+ now handles Dolby Atmos on an in-app streaming service, which should provide a more immersive soundscape.
• What to do? Update your copy of Disney+ in the tvOSApp store. If you have an original full-sized HomePod, set it as the default speaker for your Apple TV 4K. Those with two HomePods can use them as a stereo pair for better separation of vocals, dialogue, and sound effects. No HomePods? Use any supported AirPods or Beats headphones to experience spatial audio on Disney+.

Disney+ Spatial Sound Available for Apple TV 4K and HomePod

You need Disney+ for iOS version 2.9.5 [ App Store link ] or higher to enjoy proper spatial audio support when streaming in-app shows, as noted on Reddit. So far, as FlatpanlesHD explains. the app simply streamed 5.1 audio to Apple’s spatial audio system, despite its support for Dolby Atmos on other devices.

“The limitation was most likely related to the Disney custom video player on the Apple TV 4K,”the site notes. But now you can finally enjoy Dolby Atmos spatial audio on Disney+ through Apple TV 4K on AirPods or a connected HomePod. And if your Apple TV is connected via HDMI to a Hi-Fi receiver connected to a proper 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound speaker system, your Apple TV will stream Dolby Atmos audio to the Hi-Fi receiver, which will process it from there.

Disney+ breaks Dolby Atmos on Android TV

According to another Reddit post, the Disney+ update appears to have broken Dolby Atmos audio playback on some Android TV and Google TV media streamers, with version 2.9.1 apparently to blame. At the time of writing, affected users were unable to stream Disney+ with Dolby Atmos to their Nvidia Shield consoles, Chromecast devices, and Android TVs from Sony, TCL, and Hisense.

But as it turns out, this was a temporary jump because subsequent social media posts indicate that a server-side fix has re-enabled Dolby Atmos on Google-powered platforms. Read: How to View and Delete Google Search History

What is Apple Spatial Sound? How it works?

The Appel Spatial Audio System can accept multi-channel audio from a 5.1, 7.1 or Dolby Atmos source and create an artificial 3D “sound around you”soundscape that you can enjoy with compatible headphones such as AirPods 3rd Generation, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max and select products Beats.

You can also enjoy spatial audio through a full-sized HomePod if it’s set as the default audio output on your Apple TV 4K. If you have two HomePods, you can set them up as a stereo pair for an even more immersive experience. To create an artificial 3D soundscape, Spatial Sound applies various sound filters and effects to the original sound.