Dolby Labs Introduces Atmos FlexConnect To Make It Easier To Use Wireless Speaker

Dolby living room
(Image credit: Dolby)

SAN FRANCISCO—Dolby Laboratories has unveiled Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, a new Atmos feature that seamlessly pairs a television’s sound system with wireless speakers to make it easier for consumers to enjoy an immersive audio experience. TV manufacturer TCL will be the first to add the new feature to its 2024 TV lineup, Dolby said.

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect intelligently optimizes the sound for any room layout and speaker setup to ensure the best performance. TCL also will launch a line of wireless speakers designed to complement its 2024 TVs with Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, the company said.

“Consumers shouldn’t have to move their furniture to experience better audio, but rather audio should adapt to them,” said John Couling, senior vice president of entertainment at Dolby. “Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is an entirely new category of experience that offers consumers the freedom and flexibility to choose how they want to arrange their devices while still getting a great immersive Dolby Atmos experience.”

Calling Dolby Atmos FlexConnect “a significant step forward” on the road to immersive audio, Frédéric Langin, chief commercial officer of TCL Europe, said the new feature is consistent with TCL’s mission to deliver “great experiences for our customers.”

“With Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, users can unlock incredible immersive sound no matter how they arrange their audio devices. We can’t wait to introduce the world to this new tailored sound experience with our upcoming lineup of TVs and accessory wireless speakers,” he said.

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect enables consumers to place one or more wireless speakers anywhere in a room without having to worry about whether they are placed perfectly. It is also easily adaptable when more device types are added, Dolby said.

Once calibrated, the system combines each accessory device with the TV’s speakers to unlock the best sound performance and deliver a Dolby Atmos sound experience tailored to the consumer’s home.

Dolby and TCL will show Dolby Atmos FlexConnect at IFA 2023 in Berlin. The demonstration will be powered by MediaTek’s Pentonic Smart TV series chipset.

More information about the collaboration on the launch of Dolby Atmos FlexConnect will be available on YouTube (@TCLElectronics), Aug. 29 at 8 a.m. EDT.

More information is available on the Dolby and TCL websites.

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Phil Kurz

Phil Kurz is a contributing editor to TV Tech. He has written about TV and video technology for more than 30 years and served as editor of three leading industry magazines. He earned a Bachelor of Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism.