Netflix quadruples audio bit rate to its streaming service bringing ‘Studio Quality’ to 5.1 and Dolby Atmos capable devices. The upgraded service is adaptive and will deliver the best audio match for the device and/or bandwidth available in a similar way that Netflix streams its video content. Netflix has quadrupled the 5.1 audio bit rate to 640 kbps and increased the Dolby Atmos bit rate by 70% to 768 kbps.
In a video announcement (see below) the company describes how it wanted to match the improvements it had made in video streaming like 4K, HDR and Dolby Atmos to provide the best possible audio experience.
Netflix audio streaming quality
Most TV devices that support 5.1 or Dolby Atmos are capable of receiving better sound. Depending on your device and bandwidth capabilities, the bitrate you receive may vary (the sound quality descriptions are as described by Netflix)
- 5.1 – from 192 kbps (good) up to 640 kbps (great/perceptually transparent)
- Dolby Atmos – from 448 kbps up to 768 kbps (Dolby Atmos is available for Netflix subscribers on the Premium plan)
Additional information on how to get the enhanced audio quality on the Netflix Help Center. For those who want a more technical look at how Netflix implemented high-quality audio and how it’s delivered to Netflix members around the world see their tech blog article, Engineering a Studio Quality Experience With High-Quality Audio at Netflix.
Netflix states in their tech blog that, “Our high-quality sound feature is not lossless, but it is perceptually transparent. That means that while the audio is compressed, it is indistinguishable from the original source. Based on internal listening tests, listening test results provided by Dolby, and scientific studies, we determined that for Dolby Digital Plus at and above 640 kbps, the audio coding quality is perceptually transparent. Beyond that, we would be sending you files that have a higher bitrate (and take up more bandwidth) without bringing any additional value to the listening experience.”
