It was big news when, in July 2022, Netflix teamed up with audio behemoth Sennheiser to bring Spatial Audio support to a handful of the former’s original movies and TV shows for customers on its premium plan, without the need for specialist headphones that support it. At the time of announcement, that support was limited to tentpole projects like Stranger Things, The Adam Project and The Witcher – but now, Netflix has announced plans to expand spatial audio compatibility to over 700 existing and upcoming titles. In essence, this kind of Spatial Audio converts regular stereo output into expansive, three-dimensional sound that aims to mimic the experience of watching movies in a theater. Headphones that work with Dolby Atmos, such as Apple AirPods Pro 2, could already do Spatial Audio from Netflix – but this new system improves the quality of sound emitted from any of the best headphones, as well as from laptop or standard TV speakers.
On February 1, Netflix announced two new features for Premium members — Spatial Audio and a bump of download devices from a limit of four to six. Netflix’s spatial audio brings an immersive sound experience to any device with no additional equipment needed. Whether watching on the TV, computer, phone, or tablet, spatial audio is enabled automatically on compatible titles to enhance audio for stereo speakers.
Starting this month, over 700 of the platform’s most-watched titles including Stranger Things, Wednesday, and Knives Out: Glass Onion will receive the cinematic sound upgrade. While the spatial audio feature utilizes Sennheiser‘s Ambeo 2-Channel Spatial Audio tech, 5.1 surround sound as well as Dolby Atmos and other features will still be available for home theater systems. For a list of compatible titles, users can enter “Spatial Audio” in the search bar or look for the new icon next to each title’s description.
