author: Bart Swiatek
PS5: Dolby Corrects False Info From Road to PS5
Dolby, a well-known sound technology company, has decided to correct one of Mark Cerny's statements from Road to PS5 about the capabilities of Dolby Atmos.
IN A NUTSHELL:
- According to Dolby, Mark Cerny gave false data about the capabilities of the Dolby Atmos technology;
- This standard can support much more sound sources than it was suggested by Sony's designer, but their number is deliberately limited;
- Dolby is pleased, however, that Sony wants to pay more attention to the sound.
Sony has recently introduced the specs of PlayStation 5. One of the topics of the presentation was the advanced sound chipset that will be used in the console - the Tempest Audio Engine. Mark Cerny, the system's chief designer, praised the many advantages of this technology, suggesting that it will be able to simulate much more sound sources than current solutions, including Dolby Atmos. The creators of the latter technology decided to address the engineer's words and point out a mistake.
"As a technology, Dolby Atmos can support hundreds of simultaneous objects. That being said, we fall back on sage advice from developers of some of the first Atmos games: Objects are a fantastic tool, but restraint should be shown with respect to the number of objects active at any time. Too many objects in motion can create a confusing soundscape," Dolby experts say.
It seems that the Tempest Audio Engine may not be that different from other 3D audio processing standards, and the advantages presented during the presentation will not necessarily have a real impact on the games - Dolby experts claim that using too many audio sources can be counterproductive. Of course, it can't be ruled out that Sony has found a way around the problem, and the technology developed by the company for the PS5 will offer better quality than solutions available on the market.
It should also be emphasized that Dolby is satisfied with the fact that Sony wants to focus more on using 3D sound in games.
"Similar to Microsoft's Windows Sonic Spatial Audio Platform, audio teams will rejoice that they have a powerful 3D audio platform to deliver their craft on PS5. We think this is a crucial milestone for game studios. We are excited to hear that Sony has committed to an evolution of its audio by establishing a bona-fide 3D audio platform for PS5. "Tempest" is not only a great name, but a great reference to one of our favorite arcade classics, as well," we read.
There is also a probability that Mark Cerny's mistake wasn't deliberate. He may have simply received inaccurate information.