New sound immersion processes

The Comfortably Numb Dolby Atmos rendition on BluRay doesn't suck.

All HT is really kind of a mess. The vast majority of buyers of TV’s and music still want zero more speakers or 2. The number of speakers required, extra hardware, wiring, etc. makes it a very unappealing add-in for most homeowners.

I mean, yeah, I have a HT receiver and an integrated in my living room, but of my neighbors 100% of the rest of them have just a TV with TV speakers built in and some portable Bluetooth speakers.

We’ve been through this before with Dolby Pro Logic. There was a rush to convert brands from stereo to 100% HT which ended up being the wrong way to go.  It also became prohibitively expensive, I suspect due to the HDMI licensing and copy protection issues, though HDMI came after HT.  It seems to have paralyzed Theta Digital for a few years.

Don’t get me wrong, I love HT and it’s technology for movies but in terms of 5.1 or more speakers it is an absolutely niche market compared to 2 channel music systems.

@erik_squires 

Atmos sounds fine through two speakers, I don't see why you can't have both? I have a very nice DAC for streaming stereo, I can upmix to Dolby Surround if I want.

I have a very nice processor for Atmos, I can play Atmos mix through two speakers if I want.

BTW, the most immersive system I ever had was a 5.1 and what made it sound like you were absolutely engulfed in the sound field wasn't more speakers but ceiling treatment.

+1 on ceiling treatment, look at the pics in my virtual system, I have absorbers in the front. a combo diffuser/bass trap above the MLP, and an acoustic "cloud" near the back.