Samsung’s 2025 TVs and soundbars are not coming with Dolby Atmos

For years, Dolby Atmos has long been the gold standard for immersive audio, delivering cinematic soundscapes to living rooms and cinemas worldwide. As of April 2023, there were over 7,800 cinema screens, across 105 countries, which supported or were committed to support Dolby Atmos, per data from Dolby.

According to Samsung, all Samsung 2024 Neo QLED 8K & 4K, OLED TVs, the Q80D and 55” and above The Frame are Dolby Atmos compatible, while all Q-Series Soundbars, S800D/S801D, S700D/S701D, S60D/S61D and Music Frame offer Dolby Atmos.

Now, Samsung is replacing Dolby Atmos with Eclipsa Audio, a royalty-free spatial audio format that’s set to debut in Samsung’s 2025 TVs and soundbars.

The new format promises to deliver immersive 3D sound without the licensing fees that have made Dolby the reigning standard. Samsung says the format will support vertical sound positioning, making audio feel like it’s coming from above or below the listener—a hallmark of Dolby Atmos.

Expected to be unveiled this week at CES 2025, it will mark the culmination of a project originally slated for 2024 after the two companies announced their partnership in 2023, but delayed for final refinements. It has since been rebranded from a less catchy name "IAMF" (Immersive Audio Model and Formats).

The tech giant is positioning Eclipsa Audio as an open-source alternative that could upend the home entertainment industry. Unlike Dolby Atmos, which requires companies to pay for licensing, Eclipsa is expected to be completely free to use and modify. For manufacturers navigating razor-thin profit margins, this could be highly appealing. By bypassing Dolby’s fees, Samsung and Google hope to create a more competitive market for immersive audio technologies.

But Dolby’s dominance won’t be easy to shake. The new format faces significant hurdles, starting with industry adoption.

So far, YouTube is the only major platform that has committed to backing the format and plans to enable Eclipsa Audio for creators to upload immersive content, no other streaming platforms have committed to Eclipsa. Also, Eclipsa-compatible devices are limited to Samsung’s 2025 lineup, a small fraction of the market compared to Dolby Atmos-equipped devices.

Without widespread industry support, Eclipsa could struggle to match Dolby’s ubiquity. For now, Eclipsa’s adoption is expected to start modestly.

Despite the odds stacked against it, Samsung is optimistic. With its strong market presence—particularly in the over-75-inch TV segment—the company believes it can bring Eclipsa Audio to a wide audience. However, the real test lies in whether production studios and streaming services embrace the format for their content.

As CES 2025 unfolds, Samsung and Google’s push to disrupt Dolby’s dominance could mark a turning point in home entertainment. While Eclipsa Audio faces an uphill battle, it might just open the door to a new era of accessible, immersive sound.