Netflix Announces “High Quality” Audio for TV Viewers

This morning streaming giant Netflix announced its newest feature focussed on bringing “high-quality audio” to TV viewers all around the world.

The new feature will provide a new audio experience that is “closer to what creators hear in the studio” for TV devices that support either 5.1 or Dolby Atmos. Incorporating higher bitrate to achieve this, Netflix has also stated that the actual bitrate you receive, which will range from 192 kbps up to 640 kbps for 5.1 and 448 kbps to 768 kbps for Dolby Atmos, could vary depending on your bandwidth capabilities. Netflix went on to state that overtime the bitrates will evolve and improve as the company enhances its encoding techniques.

“Today we’re excited to announce a new feature, high-quality audio, which takes our sound quality to another level,” the official announcement reads. “We gave it this straightforward name because it fits: high-quality audio delivers audio that sounds closer to what creators hear in the studio, so every little detail is captured for a richer, more intense experience.”

The company also offered a bit of backstory about how this high-quality audio came to be, thanks to sound-quality issues with Stranger Things 2 back in 2017. Netflix’s sound engineers were obligated to improve the audio after a car chase scene wasn’t sounding up to par. “Often the subtlety of sound may go unnoticed, but it can have a profound impact on the atmosphere of a scene and fundamentally change how a viewer responds to it,” the company wrote in the announcement. “Supporting and delivering on the vision of our creative partners has always been incredibly important to us, and sound is something we’ve been really focused on.”

To hear about how Stranger Things inspired Netflix’s improved sound quality check out the video below. The new audio feature launches today.

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