Tidal launches Dolby Atmos Music support for TVs, home speakers, and soundbars

‘Real’ Atmos support is finally here

Tidal is vastly expanding its support for Dolby Atmos Music today to include living room set-top boxes, TVs, and speaker systems for subscribers to its $19.99-per-month Tidal HiFi service. Or, depending on how you feel about the mobile version of Atmos, Tidal is launching its first “real” implementation of Dolby Atmos Music today.

Technically, today’s launch marks the second rollout for Atmos on Tidal. The company initially launched the feature back in December for the few Android smartphones and tablets that supported the mobile version of Atmos, but the living room version of the feature (with the far better speaker systems that it offers) will likely offer a much better experience than the mobile one.

In order to actually take advantage of the new feature, you’ll need a few pieces of hardware. First and foremost is a Dolby Atmos-compatible speaker setup, be it a soundbar, sound system, or even your TV’s built-in speakers. You’ll also need a streaming device that both supports Atmos sound and has Tidal. Devices that meet those metrics include the Apple TV 4K, Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Cube, Fire TV Stick (second-gen), Fire TV (third-gen), or the 2019 models of the Nvidia Shield TV or Shield TV Pro. Sony and Philips smart TVs that support Atmos and run Android TV will also work without the need for a set-top box.

Assuming you’ve got all that set up, Tidal will automatically stream the Atmos version of a song or album, assuming there’s one available. Tidal also will label available songs with a “Available in Dolby Atmos” tag, and users can search the phrase “Dolby Atmos” to specifically find compatible tracks. Additionally, Tidal is also curating dedicated “At Home” playlists featuring Atmos tracks.

To celebrate the launch, Tidal is also offering an extended 60-day free trial for new subscribers who are interested in trying out the new Atmos Music for themselves.