Dolby Atmos is a surround-sound technology developed by Dolby Laboratories that expands on existing surround sound systems by adding height channels, creating a more immersive and realistic audio experience. It was first developed in 2012 and has since become a significant and impactful technology in home cinema. Dolby Atmos takes traditional 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound setups a step further by adding a third, overhead dimension, allowing audio objects to be placed anywhere in a 3-D space. This means that sound can be placed and moved in a three-dimensional space, creating a more realistic and immersive audio experience.

Dolby Atmos content is authored using compatible digital audio workstation software or a suitably equipped large format audio mixing console. During playback, each theaters Dolby Atmos system renders the audio objects in real-time based on the known locations of the loudspeakers present in the target theater, such that each audio object is heard as originating from its designated set of coordinates. Dolby Atmos can be enjoyed at home through an Atmos-enabled AV receiver and speaker package, an Atmos soundbar, or even an Atmos-capable TV.

Dolby Atmos also has headphone implementations for PCs, the Xbox One, the Xbox Series X/S, and mobile phones, using audio processing algorithms to convert the Atmos object metadata into a binaural 360° output using the usual two headphone speakers. This technique is an improvement on the previous Dolby Headphone technology, allowing infinite channels of sound to be processed into a virtual surround experience.

In summary, Dolby Atmos is a surround-sound technology that creates a more immersive and realistic audio experience by adding height channels and allowing audio objects to be placed anywhere in a 3-D space. It can be enjoyed in theaters, at home, and even through headphones.