LG Electronics announced at its CES press conference that it will support the audio streaming format “IMAX Enhanced” in the future. This is a new 3D audio compression process from the DTS company, which, together with the IMAX cinema chain, launched the “IMAX Enhanced” program.
Some may have come across the “IMAX Enhanced” logo on some Marvel films on the Disney+ video streaming service or on Pixar’s film “Lightyear”. So far, however, this only refers to the image, as c’t described in detail in an earlier article that can be accessed free of charge. The new “IMAX Enhanced” audio codec should be introduced as early as 2022, now it is due to be launched this year. According to DTS, the new streaming codec should be significantly superior in sound to the competing format Dolby Atmos.
Since the IMAX Enhanced streaming codec is brand new, current AV receivers do not support it, according to unanimous manufacturer statements. This also applies to models that are “IMAX Enhanced” certified, since this certification refers to the 3D codec that was used for Ultra HD Blu-rays in the so-called “IMAX Enhanced” format. However, this was only a variant of the well-known 3D sound format DTS:X.
Unlike the competition
Some time ago, Sony, Philips and Sharp announced their support for IMAX Enhanced. However, the competitors rely on a hardware platform called “DTS:X for TV”, including a transcoder chip that converts the IMAX Enhanced data into DTS:X. The televisions from Sony, Philips and Sharp then output this via the eARC audio return channel via HDMI.
However, LG announced that its 2023 TVs will output the new audio codec themselves via HDMI-eARC without processing it first – possibly because “DTS:X for TV” is not used as a hardware platform, but the support of wanted to launch IMAX Enhanced. At c’t’s explicit request, the TV manufacturer confirmed that no transcoding was done. LG also added that the company’s soundbars with the IMAX Enhanced logo also have a suitable decoder for the new compression process on board. This also applies to the soundbar models with IMAX Enhanced support from LG, which are already available.
Frustration seems inevitable
Since the current AV receivers do not support the new streaming codec, this would be a heavy blow for their manufacturers. One industry representative, who asked not to be named, confirmed that when his models were fed HDMI audio in the codec unknown to the device, it would only mute its speaker outputs. Until now, receiver manufacturers had therefore assumed that the new codec would always be transcoded before it was output via HDMI.
If the information from LG is confirmed, this should also cause confusion and even more resentment among customers. After all, AV receivers with IMAX Enhanced certification have been sold for a number of years now, which, in combination with LG TVs, would fail of all things when Disney+ delivers sound in “IMAX Enhanced” format.
(nij)
