A historic launch for Eclipsa Audio in Las Vegas will change a lot

The novelty presented in January 2025 at the Consumer Electronics Show is best described by the quote below:

Watch your back, Dolby Atmos: Google’s Eclipsa Audio is coming for you. A partnership of organizations including Google, Samsung, Arm, and the Alliance for Open Media (AOM) just announced an open source alternative to Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive surround sound. It’s called Eclipsa Audio and it’s based on the open-source audio standard IAMF (Immersive Audio Model and Formats). THX also announced that they had joined the AOM to assist in developing the new format and THX reps were present at the launch event. They provided an all new Eclipsa-encoded updated version of the iconic “Deep Note” trailer to help roll out the new format.

In an apparent attempt to offer height-enabled immersive surround sound without having to pay license fees to Dolby or Xperi/DTS, Google and its partners unveiled the new format using existing TVs and soundbars from Samsung, TCL and LG. Reps from the member companies explained that TVs and other devices can decode this new immersive sound format using existing hardware, with just a software update to the source device. And because the TV or source is decoding the format to multi-channel PCM sound, most existing soundbars and receivers should be able to play back content in the new format as long as the soundbar or receiver is connected to the TV using HDMI with eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel).

The limitation with this approach is that the height channel information may be missing as there is currently no reliable way to pass height channel metadata with a PCM audio stream. But other than that, the demos of the new format went well, using existing gear.

The group demonstrated Eclipsa Audio using the YouTube app on existing 2024 model-year TVs with software updates. The immersive audio tracks were played back using existing surround-enabled soundbar systems such as the TCL Q85H 7.1.4-channel soundbar and the LG S95TR 9.1.5-channel soundbar. Demo videos of K-Pop bands and the Deep Note trailer sounded suitably expansive, with sound coming from all around us in the hotel suite used for the demo. But in this short demo, using soundbars with reflective height speakers, I cannot confirm that the bars were getting any of the height channel sound, so this was likely not the “complete” Eclipsa Audio experience.

The format is going to get a huge boost right out of the gates as it will soon be available on YouTube where no other immersive surround format is supported. With no license fees for encoding or decoding, we may see other streaming services and studios adopt the format in the future. And hopefully we’ll see native Eclipsa Audio decoders in soundbars and A/V receivers so we can get the full height-enabled immersive sound that the format is capable of. 

In the prestigious magazine "What hifi" John Archer published on March 21, 2025 the text "Eclipsa Audio: everything you need to know about Samsung’s new Dolby Atmos rival". The author wanted to enchant readers with his own knowledge and that is why he wrote at the beginning: "Oh, great, another format war! That’s just what we want!" said no AV fan ever", because he overlooked that this time the matter had a different meaning.

The war was declared by the world giants because Dolby's offer did not fit in the modern world at all. Never before has there been such a concentration of financial potential and competence for the needs of sound. The list of Steering Committee and Promoter members in the Alliance for Open Media is impressive. It is clear that this is not just an initiative of manufacturers of home audiovisual equipment. For example, the presence of Nvidia with its unique position as a world leader is very important. There will certainly be sensational solutions for sound in various graphic systems for mobile phones, through audiovisual equipment for the home, and also computers.

 Samsung, which has been the world's largest TV manufacturer for years, is the most active, which will have beneficial effects for users. For example, they have a small and relatively inexpensive TV that has a 40 W audio amplifier ( 20 for the subwoofer nad 10 for the left and right) and does a pretty decent job of driving the speakers built into the curved screen. Expanding it with 2 extra speakers and their appropriate amplifiers is a small investment for this manufacturer, and for consumers it will give an audible improvement in sound, and especially in surround sound, which ultimately means more faithful reproduction of the sound from the recording.

This TV manufacturer is also, through its subsidiary Harman International Industries, the owner of the legendary JBL brand with which they have built a strong position in probably the most popular segment of the audio market today and will be strengthening it even more with their soundbar offer. Eclipsa Audio will therefore certainly appear in the next version replacing the flagship JBL L75ms, whose rear panel is visible in the photo above. At the same time, we should expect a flood of models with the JBL brand and the new solution for 3D sound in various price ranges.

Yamaha Pro Audio is not a member of the Alliance for Open Media, or even a TV manufacturer, but it does offer soundbars with Dolby Atmos support, such as the flagship YSP-5600 Digital Sound Processor presented in the video above, and they enjoy a good reputation in the trade with better quality home audio equipment. With the competition on the market in mind and the text in "What hi-fi", it seems interesting whether there will be proposals from this Japanese manufacturer in the field of Eclipsa Audio, but there are many indications that they will soon have some proposal expanding their range of stereo soundbars with Atmos. 

Yamaha's offer should soon include Eclipsa Audio in home cinema equipment, although this Japanese manufacturer already has very advanced solutions for various Dolby formats. The most obvious indication of this is the All In One Yamaha 5.2 YTH4960 home cinema set, which supports both Dolby Vision and the competing HDR 10+, which was created by Samsung, so why not Atmos and Eclipsa in the newer model? Many manufacturers of high-end audio equipment for home cinema will probably follow this path.

Samsung introduced HDR10+ with Amazon Video. Then HDR10+ Technologies LLC was formed with Panasonic and 20th Century Fox. Warner Bros pledged its support. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment entered a technology partnership to release mastered recordings, and Panasonic was the first to offer Ultra HD Blu-ray players with HDR10+ support. The new proposal for 3D audio was created in cooperation on a much larger scale.

The sketch above shows an exclusive soundbar from the Italian manufacturer. It is offered as a portable speaker, but this design is ideal for hanging from the ceiling above the TV and extended with advanced Eclipsa Audio support can be much more attractive for the home and at a lower price.

However, investing in the American soundbar system McIntosh RS250 Wireless Loudspeaker System  with or without Eclipsa Audio support is a completely different type of decision. Nevertheless, such offers affect the overall improvement in quality, which can be provided in a lower price range with, for example, a soundbar design. 

Eclipsa Audio will certainly appear in a wide range of equipment in this American offer. It includes, for example, the MHT300 Home Theater Receiver, whose marketing labeling emphasizes only Dollby Vision compatibility, and supports HDR10+. The possibilities will increase even further with a new solution for 3D sound. This particular device is offered with the very well-proven Dirac correction for the possibility of optimal listening with specific speakers in the room in which they are placed

 New 3D audio capabilities will make even the most exclusive speaker offers sound even better

 

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