New audio experience now streaming on Netflix
Atmos Studio Music Mix Setup in New Delhi
Sennheiser AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio adds exciting sound for viewers without the need for a
surround system and gives full control to the re-recording mixer
Netflix and audio specialist Sennheiser have announced a massive audio improvement for all viewers
that access streaming (OTT) content with standard stereo equipment: AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio is
now streaming on Netflix and delivers an incredibly immersive audio experience with standard stereo
speakers. The AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio renderer translates original immersive mixes into
2-channel audio with a spatial experience far beyond stereo. During development, Sennheiser worked
with Netflix and other industry partners to fine-tune the system, which is now available to license
from Sennheiser. Netflix is the first streaming platform to deliver this significantly improved
experience for select titles.
Surveys among viewers have shown that OTT customers often access content with standard stereo
equipment - be it on a mobile while traveling, when casually watching via a tablet, or because the
home listening space does not allow for a full surround sound set-up. While in the past these
viewers were unable to benefit from the growing amount of music and films produced in Dolby Atmos
or MPEG-H Audio, the AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio feature has now changed this.
Netflix's Stranger Things Season 4 benefits from new audio experience
AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio is a two-channel rendering of an immersive mix that is a drop-in
replacement for stereo. It provides an improved audio experience wherever stereo is delivered today,
be it standard TV sets, stereo systems, headphones, tablets, or laptops. Netflix is the first
streaming platform to deliver this significantly improved experience: On select titles, like Season
4 of Stranger Things, Netflix has made AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio the default stream for any
two-channel usage. Netflix viewers watching on a stereo system will automatically receive an
improved and enhanced spatial experience - no user changes required.
Netflix goes the extra mile for its viewers - the OTT provider is the world's
first to offer AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio to its customers. The first title to benefit from this
enhanced spatial audio experience is Season 4 of Stranger Things. Poster courtesy of Netflix.
"Sennheiser firmly believes in the immersive future of audio," says Dr Renato Pellegrini of
Sennheiser's AMBEO team. "Creators all over the globe have been using our tools to create
outstanding immersive works, pushing the boundaries of music and film production. With AMBEO
2-Channel Spatial Audio, we are now taking the next step - making this new audio reality accessible
to everyone."
Drawing on Sennheiser's decades of research and innovation in immersive sound, AMBEO 2-Channel
Spatial Audio provides immersion far beyond what two-channel speaker systems can normally deliver,
but without impacting the mix or tonal balance.
According to Scott Kramer, Manager for Sound Technology at Netflix, "We feel AMBEO Spatial Audio
offers a meaningful improvement for Netflix members. Re-recording mixers often tell me that it
better translates their detailed immersive mix work to stereo. Crucially, this process preserves the
original sound mix and respects creative intent with a remarkably clean sound."
From standard stereo mixdown (left) to full AMBEO effect (right): re-recording
mixers can fully control and fine-tune the spatialization
Options for fine-tuning
"What sets Sennheiser apart from other solutions is that the AMBEO rendering respects the original
mix, tonal balance and dialog integrity, which is exactly what the re-recording mixer is looking
for," explains Pellegrini. "The processing is in line with Sennheiser's reputation to deliver tools
that are 'transparent' and do not interfere with the original sound. In a nutshell: Sennheiser
2-Channel Spatial Audio seeks to translate mixer intent, not to overpower it."
The rendering software runs in the streaming service's cloud-based encoding pipelines and produces
AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio from existing ADM or IAB files, both industry-standard, open formats.
It does not require another separate mix. A preview tool enables the re-recording mixer to compare
stereo to AMBEO during postproduction and adjust the rendering settings by stems/groups. The
renderer offers patented granular control of the spatialization, ranging from full AMBEO effect to
standard stereo mixdown, while specific channels can be excluded from modification. For example,
dialog can be preserved 100%, or modified slightly to match neighboring immersive scenes.
The preview tool of the AMBEO 2-Channel Spatial Audio rendering software. The
Object Viewer window at the bottom right shows fixed loudspeaker positions at the edges and
individual renderings as blue dots. Pale dots are elevated sound sources
Total loudness is preserved, too, and a music mix can be kept for left and right channels while
adding the immersive AMBEO rendering to all other channels. Naturally, all signals are properly
time-aligned to match the original content.
For an up-to-date list of content available in AMBEO Spatial Audio, simply enter "Spatial Audio" in
the Netflix search field.
Learn more at www.sennheiser.com/ambeo-spatial-audio