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Netflix expands its spatial audio, number of devices that can download content

Netflix Premium subscribers are getting an enhancement to their service starting today. The streaming company has increased the number of devices that can download content for offline viewing from four to six. It’s also expanding the spatial audio feature it launched in 2022, making spatial audio available on its top 700 titles. The new features are included in the current price of a Premium plan.

Spatial audio on Netflix is similar to Dolby Atmos — it creates a much more immersive, 3D-like audio experience where sounds feel like they’re moving independently of the rest of the soundtrack. However, unlike Dolby Atmos, Netflix’s spatial audio can be experienced on any device that has stereo speakers whether they are Dolby Atmos-capable or not.

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Spatial Audio on Netflix.

Netflix says that while the effect should be noticeable on any stereo device, especially when using headphones, the feature has been primarily optimized for laptops and tablets. Some examples of titles that now use Netflix spatial audio include Stranger Things, The Watcher, Wednesday, and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

Titles that have the feature will display a spatial audio badge on their description pages and in search results. To find titles that use spatial audio, simply type “spatial audio” into the Netflix search bar.

Rishu Arora, director of product management at Netflix says the company will also be adding spatial audio to popular new titles as they’re released, including You, Your Place or Mine, Luther: The Fallen Sun, and Tour de France.

Netflix is available on a wide variety of devices, including streaming media boxes like the Apple TV 4K, smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, and on the web using any modern browser.

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Amazon adds spatial audio to the Echo Studio smart speaker
Amazon Echo Studio.

Along with all of the new devices and services that Amazon announced at its September 28 event, the company said that its Echo Studio smart speaker will be getting an update with new spatial audio processing technology and frequency range extension. The update will initially hit the Echo Studio and Echo Show 15, but it will roll out to other compatible Echo devices in the future.

If you're scratching your head because the Echo Studio already supports Dolby Atmos and Sony's 360 Reality Audio (360RA) formats  -- which are both technically under the spatial audio umbrella term -- here's what Amazon says is new with the update:
Our custom-built spatial audio processing technology is designed to enhance stereo sound, making music and movie soundtracks feel closer to the listener with greater width, clarity, and presence. It mirrors the performance of a hi-fi stereo system, so vocal performances are more present in the center, while the stereo-panned instruments are better defined on the side, creating a more immersive sound experience that reproduces the artist's intent. Additionally, frequency range extension technology delivers better performance, improved midrange clarity, and deeper bass.
Amazon has a full explainer for the new technology on its dedicated Amazon Science site, which provides more insight into what's going on, but be warned, it's very scientific and heavy on jargon. Not exactly light reading.

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Netflix’s ad tier may ditch commercials for some content
Netflix app icon on Apple TV.

Details on Netflix’s upcoming ad-supported tier are continuing to trickle through.

The latest is that folks claiming to have knowledge of the plans told Bloomberg that some content will escape ads, specifically original movies and original children’s content.

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Netflix’s ad tier won’t let you download content for offline viewing
The Netflix logo is displayed on a TV screen while red lights illuminate the wall behind.

Netflix’s ad-supported tier is likely to land early next year, and snippets of information about the offering are continuing to drop.

The latest is that subscribers to Netflix’s ad tier will not be able to download content to their devices for offline viewing, according to a Bloomberg report on Wednesday, August 17.

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