Imagine watching your favorite TV show or movie without the sounds that truly moved you and made you feel the impact of each moment. In creating an immersive atmosphere, sound is just as important, if not more important, than the picture itself. It is a critical tool to extend the storytelling beyond the screen and draw audiences into the narrative. I’m pleased to announce the addition of Dolby Atmos® support on Netflix beginning with Okja, a critically praised film directed by Bong Joon Ho that recently debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, and is available globally on Netflix starting today.

Much like how 4K and HDR bring more stunning and realistic visuals to the screen, Dolby Atmos delivers captivating sound that places and moves audio anywhere in the room, including overhead, to bring entertainment to life all around you, all in the comfort of your own living room. Imagine being surrounded by the sounds of the scene you’re watching - an airplane passing overhead, or the subtlety of the wind rustling tree leaves all around you. Having the extra dimension of immersive audio is a game changer for experiencing the realism of a story, and feeling like you’re a part of it.

We’re happy to begin providing this cutting-edge experience to our members and to the artists we work with, providing another creative tool to help them bring their vision to life in a more meaningful way for viewers. To better explain this concept from a creative point of view, here are a few words from Director Bong after he heard the Dolby Atmos mix for Okja:

In addition to Okja, Dolby Atmos support will also be available for a select number of titles coming soon. We expect the catalog to grow over time. The initial set of titles we plan to offer in this format include:

Many of these titles will also be available in 4K and HDR, delivering spectacular visuals to complement the immersive sound.

Today, Dolby Atmos streaming is supported on Microsoft’s Xbox One, One S and 2017 LG OLED TVs. On the Xbox, you can get this experience when your console is connected to a Dolby Atmos enabled home theater system, TV or soundbar, or via headphones using the new Dolby Atmos for headphones feature available for purchase through the Dolby Access app in the Xbox Store. The LG OLED TVs have built-in Dolby Atmos capabilities that create a 360° sound field around you without the need to connect an external sound system.

Over time, we plan to add support to more devices, making the experience more accessible to Netflix members everywhere. For more information on Dolby Atmos requirements on Netflix, see here.

I’m excited for Netflix members all over the world to be able to get a theater-quality experience in the comfort of their own homes while watching Okja and the other excellent titles to come.

--Greg

Greg Peters is the Chief Product Officer at Netflix