First 7.1 Surround Sound Mix Available Via Online Streaming
One of the biggest reasons I am not a fan of many only streaming services is the lack of true surround sound, and high quality, high bit rate video. While I still subscribe to Netflix merely for the convenience factor for my kids, I honestly hardly ever use the service to watch movies myself.
Earlier this week Dolby Laboratories and Vudu started streaming Walt Disney Pictures’ Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides with a Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 audio track the first ever movie available with true 7.1 audio streaming over the internet. This is some great news and hopefully signs that things are changing and we soon will see everything streaming in at least 5.1 audio.
Dolby Laboratories, Inc., just enabled the first 7.1-channel surround sound entertainment experience available to streaming media using Dolby Digital Plus audio. VUDU’s video-on-demand movie service began streaming Walt Disney Pictures’ Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 audio.To date, more than 30 films have been mixed in 7.1 for theatrical release. Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 allows content providers to enable these amazing 7.1 surround sound mixes created for the movie theater to be experienced in the home via streamed media.
Let me guess, you have to
Let me guess, you have to have some sort of box (ie not a computer) to make this happen?
If you have a PS3 you can try
If you have a PS3 you can try out Vudu, or there are tons of STB Blu-ray players, and HDTV’s that have Vudu built in. The PC, MAC and iPad client is SD only.
Go here for a full list of Vudu clients: http://www.vudu.com/devices.html
-Josh
VUDU has been streaming Dolby
VUDU has been streaming Dolby Digital Plus for a long time now. The only thing new here is the additional 2 channels.
Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC-3) is not TrueHD which is a lossless format. E-AC-3 is an improvement over traditional Dolby Digital (AC-3) even though it is still a lossy codec.
I’d take an improved lossy
I’d take an improved lossy 5.1/7.1 surround sound for streaming vs the crappy two channel you get with Netflix now.
-Josh