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It’s called Eclipsa Audio, and it’s a collaborative effort fromGoogleand Samsung.
But is it any better thanDolby Atmos, or even all that different?
What is 3D or spatial audio?
Spatial audio is the logical next step after traditional surround sound.
3D audio not only plays sound around you, but alsoaboveyou.
Unfortunately, creating a sound bubble isn’t necessarilythatsimple.
Eclipsa Audio vs Dolby Atmos
Samsung has a somewhat complicated relationship with Dolby.
Generally, Dolby Vision is considered to be better than HDR10+, plus more content supports Dolby Vision.
The actualtechnologybehind Eclipsa Audio is likely to be at least similar to Atmos.
The format also supports using sound reflections to imitate a three-dimensional location for sounds, just like Dolby Atmos.
How soon can you get Eclipsa Audio in your home theater?
At the time, however, it was under the name Immersive Audio Model and Formats (IAMF).
Yeah, not quite as snappy but you have to respect how literal it is.
Google and Samsung also announced that Eclipsa would be added to every Android phone that can still get updates.
Of course, to actually play Eclipsa Audio content, youll need hardware that supports it.
Thats where Samsung comes in.
Content really is the last piece of the puzzle here, and its perhaps the biggest question mark.
Can Atmos and Eclipsa coexist peacefully?
Competing standards could, in turn, help push audio technologies forward.
But the back-room decisions on audio formats wont have amassiveimpact on consumers in and of themselves.
Whatwillimpact the rest of us is if hardware manufacturers take a stance, and choose one over the other.
That, however, isnt true for Samsung TVs.
Until then, there’s room for both in our hearts and, more importantly, our home theaters.
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