Super Bowl LIX is shaping up to be quite the spectacle. For the first time ever, when the Kansas City Chiefs defend the Super Bowl title against the Philadelphia Eagles on February 9, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, some viewers will be able to watch the game with both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
Comcast and Dolby are bringing the game with both technologies to Xfinity TV customers on the Fox broadcast. It’s a part of Comcast’s Enhanced 4K on Xfinity X1. We first saw this level of presentation with the Paris Olympics last summer, with an ultra-low latency allowing for a delay of only a few seconds. Comcast says the Super Bowl will have a similar lag of only a few seconds behind the game action.
The addition of Dolby Atmos to the broadcast has the potential of adding another level of realism and immersiveness to the Super Bowl experience. The spatial audio technology incorporates the use of height audio information to fully surround the listener. Dolby Vision is a dynamic HDR format that adjusts the picture on a scene-by-scene or frame-by-frame basis.
“The Super Bowl is another example of how Xfinity is redefining the sports viewing experience through innovations in our network and with the latest innovations from partners like Dolby,” said Vito Forlenza, Vice President, Sports Entertainment, Comcast. “With the clearest picture quality and the most realistic audio possible, we’re offering customers a viewing experience they can’t get anywhere else for the biggest live sporting event of the year. Plus, we’re delivering it as fast as possible over our state-of-the-art network so customers can feel like they’re witnessing every exciting moment at the same time as the fans in the Superdome.”
In order to watch the Super Bowl with both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, you’ll need a few things. First off, a Comcast Xfinity subscription is an obvious necessity, as well as Comcast hardware — specifically the Xi6 set top box. The XG1v4 also supports Enhanced 4K from Comcast, but with only Dolby Atmos. Not Dolby Vision. In addition, you’ll need a TV that supports Dolby Vision (TCL has some incredible deals right now to get you ready for the Super Bowl), and a sound system that can decode a Dolby Atmos signal — if you can’t have a discrete speaker system, we recommend a Dolby Atmos soundbar.
There’s also the option to watch the 4K broadcast with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos through the Xfinity Stream app on compatible Dolby-enabled streaming devices and TVs.
