Netflix today announced that it is partnering with Sennheiser for a new spatial audio experience that will be available for the Netflix content catalog.
Using Sennheiser AMBEO technology, stereo audio will be enhanced with an immersive surround sound experience that is compatible with all devices, all streaming plans, and that does not require surround sound speakers or home theater equipment.
This feature will enable spatial audio on devices (including Apple devices) that do not normally support it. It is separate technology from the spatial audio support that has been available on spatial audio-compatible Apple hardware since August 2021, and it is designed for those who do not have devices that already support the spatial audio feature.
Netflix says that subscribers who do not have surround sound speakers or devices that work with the traditional spatial audio feature will see spatial audio enabled automatically when watching a compatible TV show or movie.
For those unfamiliar, spatial audio is designed to provide theater-like sound from a movie, video, or TV show that you're watching, offering a sound experience that sounds like it's coming from all around you.
According to Netflix, spatial audio is in the process of rolling out across the Netflix content catalog starting today, and users can find shows and movies that support spatial audio by typing "spatial audio" into the search bar.
To be clear, for those who have spatial audio-compatible Apple devices, nothing will be changing as spatial audio support has already been available. Compatible Apple headphones include the third-generation AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, and Beats Fit Pro.
Compatible Apple devices include the iPhone 7 or later, iPad Air third-generation and later, iPad mini fifth-generation and later, iPad Pro third-generation or later, and Apple TV 4K. The iPhones and iPads must be running iOS 15.1 or above and the Apple TV 4K must be running tvOS 15 or above.
