Since macOS Sequoia it is possible to send the original Dolby Atmos audio signal and other Dolby Audio divisions to an affiliated AV receiver or soundbar. This allows you to enjoy audio over multiple channels from your Mac.
This can be very useful if you don’t have Apple TV 4K and your Mac sometimes connects to a TV with soundbar to watch movies and series that are equipped with Dolby Atmos. Dolby Atmos is an advanced audio technology that creates three -dimensional sound, so that sounds seem to be not only around you, but also above your head.
The Apple TV, QuickTime and the Music app under MacOS Sequoia have been given the opportunity to send the Dolby Atmos Audios signal directly via an HDMI port to AV equipment via a new HDMI passage function. The software audio processing is passed by the Mac itself.
The HDMI passage function under macOS supports bitstreams of the following types:
- Dolby Digital (AC-3)
- Dolby Digital Plus (EAC-3)
- Dolby Atmos (EAC-3 JOC).
To make use of this function you need a Mac with Apple Silicon and a built-in HDMI port or a supported USB-C-to-HDMI adapter.
Activate HDMI Persecution for Dolby Atmos
The new HDMI passage function option is available in the Apple TV and Apple Music apps under MacOS Sequoia and Nieuwer. You can activate the new function as follows in macOS:
- Open the Apple TV or Music app.
- Select Settings in the menu bar
- Select the Play tab
- In the middle of the screen you see the heading ‘Spatial Audio’ Here you can adjust the setting under HDMI passage. This function is set by default. Change this to preferably HDMI passage to send Dolby Atmos and other Dolby Audio divisions using HDMI Passthrough to connected AV device.