Earlier than CES 2025 kicked off in Las Vegas, Samsung introduced that its spatial audio collaboration with Google could be accessible on its 2025 TVs and soundbars. Finer particulars on the platform have been noticeably absent from that announcement, with the corporate solely noting that the 3D Eclipsa Audio could be accessible this 12 months for YouTube content material creators. There was additionally the overall rationalization that the platform would allow creators “to adjust audio data such as the location and intensity of sounds, along with spatial reflections, to create an immersive three-dimensional sound experience,” in line with the press launch.
If that feels like Dolby Atmos to you, that is what I assume Samsung and Google are attempting to copy right here. And if that is the case, if Samsung actually desires its personal immersive audio normal, there is a backstory price revisiting right here. In 2023, Samsung and Google first revealed their spatial audio ambitions. On the time, Samsung mentioned its analysis division had been engaged on 3D audio since 2020 and the primary fruits of the collaboration was the open-source Immersive Audio Mannequin and Codecs (IAMF) adopted by the Alliance for Open Media (AOM) in October 2023.
There’s additionally the truth that Samsung would not provide Dolby Imaginative and prescient on its TVs. As an alternative, the corporate makes use of HDR10+, an open-source and royalty-free platform for encoding HDR metadata. And in that 2023 audio announcement, Samsung Analysis’s WooHyun Nam defined that 3D sound expertise wanted to be open to everybody too. “Offering an entire open-source framework for 3D audio, from creation to supply and playback, will permit for much more numerous audio content material experiences sooner or later,” he said.
Samsung currently supports Dolby Atmos on its soundbars, including its flagship Q990 series and the newly announced QS700F. It sounds like the company no longer wants to pay to license Atmos from Dolby. And in order to still offer immersive 3D audio on its products, this collaboration with Google aims to build the alternative. It’s worth noting that AOM counts Amazon, Apple and Netflix among its members, in addition to Google, Samsung and others. The group’s AV1 video format was introduced in 2018 and is now used across Netflix, YouTube, Twitch and other sites.
The bizarre thing about all of this is that no one from Samsung wants to talk about Eclipsa Audio. I attended multiple events and product demos that the company hosted this week and the response when I asked about it was either “we have not been instructed something” or “let me see if I can discover somebody who can speak about it.” The latter, of course, never manifested a “somebody” or a follow-up. I even asked for a rep to tell me if the company wasn’t ready to discuss details and never heard back on that either.
The most detailed explanation I’ve seen this week came from Arm, which is apparently also working on the development of Eclipsa Audio alongside Samsung and Google. The chip designer said that Eclipsa is a multi-channel audio surround sound format that’s built on IMAF. Vertical and horizontal channels will create the immersive sound, with the goal of making movies, music and television shows more compelling in your living room. Again, that’s exactly what Dolby Atmos already does.
Arm further explained that Eclipsa Audio can automatically adjust sound based on the scene and that there will be a degree of customization for users. The bitstream can contain up to 28 input channels that can be fixed (instruments or microphones) or dynamic (vehicles in movie scenes), with support for LPCM, AAC, FLAC and Opus codecs. Binaural rendering is also available for earbuds and headphones, and the new tech will be available to content creators using consumer devices in their workflow.
So far, Samsung and Google have only listed YouTube as the platform or service where Eclipsa Audio content will be available. If the duo truly wants to compete with Dolby Atmos, that list needs to expand quickly. Plus, Dolby already has the brand recognition and wide adoption in both the audio and home theater categories for Atmos. It’s even available in cars.
Samsung said in its pre-CES announcement that it and Google would work with the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) to develop a certification program for devices that support Eclipsa Audio. So, it seems like serious groundwork has been laid to get this technology on devices, starting with Samsung’s own 2025 TVs and soundbars. But, as we saw with Sony 360 Actuality Audio and the early days of Dolby Atmos Music, it may take time to construct out a compelling library of content material. Meaning Samsung will doubtless need to hold reminding us that Eclipsa Audio is a factor, even when it would not have rather more to say.
