Dolby may be losing its grip on TV audio thanks to Google

Summary

• Google TV Streamer supports several Dolby audio formats, including the immersive Dolby Atmos.
• Google and Samsung have developed an open-source audio format, Eclipsa Audio, to rival Dolby and DTS.
• Samsung TVs resist Dolby audio due to licensing fees, opting for open-source, creating a worthy rival.

Last September, the Google TV Streamer was introduced to consumers as a long-awaited update to the Chromecast and a potential alternative to the top streaming devices by Apple and Roku. The results were somewhat mixed. While it provides a fair amount of customization within a popular operating system, its price tag is fairly high. The design is great, but it struggles to stand out unless you’re someone who enjoys a vast interconnected smart home filled with Google products.

The TV Streamer has received a couple of updates since its release, and the latest changes have unnerved some audio enthusiasts because of apparent limitations when it comes to sound formats. Here’s what to know about Google’s evolving relationship with both Dolby and Samsung, and what it means for the future of sound.

Google TV Streamer audio format options

Plenty available, with some exceptions

Google TV Streamer provides support for Dolby Digital, a basic audio format, as well as top higher-tier options in Dolby Digital+ and the immersive format Dolby Atmos. Notably, when the device first bowed, it could detect two other formats: Dolby TrueHD and DTS:HD. The former offers lossless audio through a seven-channel system, while the DTS option also provides 7.1channel sound, albeit slightly compressed. While neither offers the spatial quality of Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, both provide high-quality audio for mid-range systems.

Apparently the detection was a bug, however. It doesn’t seem Google intended to support these formats, and in a recent update, they were removed. These formats join DTS:HD MA and DTS:X as unavailable options by Google. With the update, Google didn’t remove any available formats, but the timing does draw some attention to what it’s doing with audio because of a January proceeding.

Google and Samsung look to rival Dolby Atmos

A new format may change the sound landscape

It’s not entirely clear why the change occurred, but Google has been making news about its audio endeavors that indicate its future plans. Google and Samsung previously partnered to work on what they were called Immersive Audio Models and Formats that would provide three-dimensional sound. The new format was recently revealed: it is called Eclipsa Audio, and it’s open-source royalty-free.

It’s immediately positioned as a competitor to Dolby Atmos and DTS: X, both of which require licensing fees for companies to use. Eclipsa, like these two formats, stands out for its object-tracking ability, allowing creators to position sound in space for an immersive audio experience. However, because it is open-source, it will be free to use. It would make sense that Samsung would drop Dolby audio formats on its TV in favor of a format it’s creating, in part because of the fee associated with Dolby.

Samsung TVs forgo Dolby for its own creations

The manufacturer resists licensing fees

This feels like a bit of history repeating, and if so, then the future seems pretty clear. Dolby Vision, a top-tier High Dynamic Range (HDR) format, provides quality color accuracy, color depth, and contrast. However, because it’s a Dolby product, it comes with a licensing fee, and it’s paid by the likes of LG, Hisense, and others so that they can provide it on their smart TVs. Dolby Vision is supported by a bunch of popular streaming services, including Netflix and Disney+, so it makes sense that many manufacturers want to provide it on their TVs.

Samsung TVs famously opt out of Dolby Vision as a video format; it doesn’t want to pay up. Instead, Samsung worked to develop an open-source competitor in HDR 10+. While it’s a bit less precise than Dolby Vision, it’s becoming a popular alternative, one found on several different TVs as well as streaming services, including Prime Video. It seems that most differences between the two formats are subtle for most users, and that Samsung has created a worthy HDR format to rival Dolby.

Samsung 2025 TVs will offer Eclipsa Audio, and the company looks to be mirroring its HDR10+ plan: create an open-source alternative, make it available on Samsung TVs, and trust that it will start to catch on while saving money in the process.

How does Eclipsa audio benefit Google?

The company is positioning itself for the future

Looking at Google’s ecosystem, it really wants YouTube to triumph as the go-to live-streaming service for cord-cutters. And if it is going to reign supreme, it needs a quality audio format to provide spatial sound for folks who are serious about their entertainment setups. It makes sense that it would seek to create its own high-quality format to use on its vast network of devices and services.

There is nothing to suggest Dolby will be completely removed from Google TV Streamers any time soon, but with its own format hopefully catching it, it could mean changes in the future. If the audio format proves popular, some companies may latch on as a way to save money. It also looks to continue to drive innovation in a saturated industry that is constantly evolving how people experience audio and video. It’s a fun time to be a consumer.