Today, Netflix announced that it is bringing spatial audio to all devices with the aim of improving the listening experience throughout its catalog of original titles. As for now, content that is supported by spatial audio includes such titles as the fourth season of "Stranger Things," "The Adam Project," "Red Notice," "The Witcher," "Locke & Key," and other series and films.
For those who don’t know, spatial audio is designed to provide theater-like sound from a movie or TV show. Whatever it is you’re watching at home, there will be sounds that appear from all around you.
Users can type “Spatial Audio” into Netflix’s search bar to find all the movies and series that support the option. The number of titles compatible with spatial audio will depend on your streaming device.
That means users with devices that do not normally support spatial audio may now use it. Also, all subscribers, regardless of which Netflix subscription plan they have, will now be able to use spatial audio.
Netflix has licensed the Sennheiser AMBEO tech. It promises to deliver spatial audio through any 2-channel stereo hardware, providing three-dimensional positional audio without surround speakers or home theater equipment. The new tech aims to provide an "improved audio experience wherever stereo is delivered today, be it on standard TV sets, stereo systems, headphones, tablets, or laptops," Sennheiser said in a statement.
According to Netflix, it says to users watching on an iPhone, iPad or Apple TV that streaming quality should be set to "High" or "Auto" in order to watch spatial audio-compatible content.
It also deserves a mention here that for those who already have Apple devices compatible with spatial audio — such as third-generation AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max and Beats Fit Pro — nothing will change as spatial audio support has been available.