The Apple TV app on LG Electronics’ latest Smart TVs now offers native support for Dolby Atmos following a new update.
Dolby Atmos is a surround-sound technology that was first released in 2012. It expands upon 5.1 and 7.1 surround-sound set-ups, adding surround channels that come from overhead. In traditional surround sound setups, speakers can be placed along walls, at all heights, and even behind the screen itself, but Dolby Atmos allows users to place speakers in the ceiling too, enveloping the room in sound that comes from every direction.
Previously, the only way to play Dolby Atmos titles from the Apple TV+ catalogue was with an Apple TV 4K streamer. Now the Apple TV app can natively decode Dolby Atmos content by itself, 9to5Mac, which first spotted the update, reported.
The update makes good on a promise that Apple and LG made earlier this year to add support for Dolby Atmos, after users complained about the missing feature following the app’s launch in February.
9to5mac also said Dolby Atmos is also supported over Apple’s AirPlay 2 wireless protocol, which means that users can play Atmos-enabled content on an iPhone or iPad and then stream it to their LG TV.
The update should be most welcome as Apple TV+ is home to numerous titles that support Dolby Atmos soundtracks. In addition, the Apple TV apps also serves as a gateway to Apple’s TV streaming service and its pay-as-you-go film titles, thereby offering one of the biggest collections of Dolby Atmos content available.
It isn’t clear exactly which LG TVs have received the update, but 9to5mac says it’s likely to be included in every model that can support Apple TV+. Those include LG’s OLED TVs from 2019 and 2020, the LG NanoCell SM9X series and the LG NanoCell SM85 series and above from 2019, and also the LG NanoCell SM83 series, also from 2019.
With the update, LG’s smart TVs are the first from any manufacturer to support Dolby Atmos natively via the Apple TV app. The app is also available on Samsung Smart TVs, but those do not currently support the feature. Sony and Vizio TVs are also due to get access to the Apple TV app later this year, so it may well be that those will also get Dolby Atmos compatibility when it arrives.
Apple TV+ is also available on Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices.
