Samsung and Google will release a free Dolby Atmos replacement this year

Samsung and Google intend to promote Eclipsa Audio spatial audio technology on their own. Later this year, support for this format will appear in some YouTube videos, and will also be implemented in all Samsung soundbars and TVs in 2025.

Image source: Samsung

Eclipsa Audio is an advanced spatial audio technology that allows you to create realistic and immersive sound, and also allows content creators to customize key parameters, including the location of sound in space, its intensity, etc. Ultimately, Eclipsa Audio could become a free alternative to Dolby Atmos technology , for the use of which manufacturers have to pay licensing fees.

Samsung and Google have announced a partnership to develop new 3D audio technology in 2023. Initially, this project was called Immersive Audio Model and Formats (IAMF) and even then it was announced that the basis of development would be open source code. The IAMF specification has also been adopted by the Alliance for Open Media, which has been developing and implementing open video formats since 2015 and includes Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, Samsung and Google.

The report also said that Samsung and Google are working with the Telecommunications Technology Association to create a certification program to “ensure consistent audio quality” on all devices using the new format. More detailed information about Eclipsa Audio technology may appear in the coming days, since the annual CES 2025 exhibition will begin on January 7 in Los Angeles, during which Samsung will present new products.