Netflix now supports way higher bitrates for improved “studio quality” audio

Netflix is elevating your sound sense alongside higher bitrates “to hand yous a cinematic sense at home”, alongside upwardly to 768 kb/s sound bitrate available on devices Apple TV 4K together with other streamers which back upwardly 5.1 surround sound.

Netflix today announced it had flipped on higher-quality sound for customers who ain devices that back upwardly 5.1 surround sound or Dolby Atmos.

A Netflix-capable device alongside either Dolby Atmos back upwardly or a connectedness to an sound organization supporting 5.1 surround sound is required to current high-quality audio.

Depending on your device together with bandwidth capabilities, the bitrate yous have may vary:

• 5.1: From 192 kbps (good) upwardly to 640 kbps
• Dolby Atmos: From 448 kbps upwardly to 768 kbps

Over time, these bitrates volition evolve every bit Netflix gets to a greater extent than efficient alongside its encoding techniques. The fellowship likewise published a post alongside an in-depth technical human face at how it implemented improved sound quality.c

In belatedly 2017, nosotros were reviewing ‘Stranger Things 2’ alongside the Duffer brothers inwards a living room surroundings thus they could sympathize how viewers would sense it. At 1 betoken inwards the rootage episode, at that topographic point was a motorcar chase scene that didn’t sound every bit crisp every bit it did on the mixing stage.

We forthwith got our sound practiced involved, spun upwardly the engineering teams together with were determined to arrive right, no affair how much endeavor it was going to take.

Fortunately, nosotros were able to address the occupation for ‘Stranger Things 2’ yesteryear delivering a higher bitrate for the audio, together with since thus conduct keep been working diligently to scroll out improved sound to a greater extent than broadly.

Here’s precisely what Netflix agency yesteryear “studio quality” sound:

If you’ve always been inwards a professional person recording studio, you’ve likely noted the departure inwards how things sound. One argue for that is the files used inwards mastering sessions are 24-bit 48 kHz alongside a bitrate of approximately 1 Mbps per channel. Studio mixes are uncompressed, which is why nosotros regard them to endure the ‘master’ version.

Noteworthy, these masters conduct keep higher sound resolution than CDs.

Our high-quality sound characteristic is non lossless, just it is perceptually transparent. That agency that spell the sound is compressed, it is indistinguishable from the original source.

Really? Any scientific discipline to dorsum upwardly that claim?

Based on internal listening tests, listening exam results provided yesteryear Dolby, together with scientific studies, nosotros determined that for Dolby Digital Plus at together with inwards a higher identify 640 kbps, the sound coding lineament is perceptually transparent.

Beyond that, nosotros would endure sending yous files that conduct keep a higher bitrate (and accept upwardly to a greater extent than bandwidth) without bringing whatever additional value to the listening experience.

OK, you’ve convinced me.

In add-on to deciding 640 kbps — a 10:1 compression ratio when compared to a 24-bit 5.1 channel studio master — was the perceptually transparent threshold for audio, nosotros gear upwardly a bitrate ladder for 5.1-channel sound ranging from 192 upwardly to 640 kbps.

This ranges from ‘good’ sound to ‘transparent’ — there aren’t whatever bad sound experiences when yous stream. At the same time, nosotros revisited our Dolby Atmos bitrates together with increased the highest offering to 768 kbps. We hold off these bitrates to evolve over fourth dimension every bit nosotros larn to a greater extent than efficient alongside our encoding techniques.

Both Dolby Atmos together with 5.1 surround sound are supported yesteryear the Apple TV 4K set-top box. The fine print: you’ll require a Netflix Premium subscription to savor improved Dolby Atmos audio.

Improved sound lineament is available on virtually titles that include 5.1 surround sound or Dolby Atmos, every bit denoted yesteryear the icons side yesteryear side to their description.

The fellowship notes that non every episode or flavor of a TV demo that supports 5.1 surround or Dolby Atmos volition conduct keep these higher-quality sound available. “Additionally, non every TV demo or painting demo supports 5.1 surround or Dolby Atmos inwards every language,” reads the FAQ.

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