Surround sound and spatial audio?
Q
I read that Netflix is introducing spatial audio. However, when I tried to find out what this means, I just ended up getting confused. Everyone seems to have a different idea of what it is. Can you help me understand it in your usual clear way? How does it differ from surround sound? Tony Barclay
A
Any answer to this question is likely to be a bit of a headspinner – in more ways than one – but we’ll try to keep things as simple as possible!
Originally, surround sound placed you in the middle of a circle of sound, so that audio seemed to be coming at you on a two-dimensional plane – from the front, the sides and behind you. Later, with the introduction of standards such as Dolby Atmos, surround sound entered the third dimension. With a compatible setup – typically a set-top box to serve up the TV pictures, and a set of speakers – audio can hit you from all directions. This means not just from the front, sides and rear but also from above and below. Conceptually, you’re in the centre of a sphere of sound.
Spatial audio takes the idea of 3D audio even further by changing what you hear as you move your head. With the right equipment – which for Netflix means a newer iphone or ipad running IOS 14 or ipados 14 and a pair of Apple’s Airpods Pro or Airpods Max headphones (pictured) – the technology allows audio to respond to the position of your head in 3D space and the direction you’re facing.
Imagine you’re watching a movie scene where a car is in the centre screen, revving its engine. With spatial audio, if you move or turn your head left or right, even though the image remains in the centre of the screen, the direction of the engine’s sound will appear to shift a little – as if you were moving your head in front of a real car.
Want to know the difference between technical terms? Email noproblem@ computeractive.co.uk