If you're eyeing up the new PS5 as a movie player as well as a games machine, we've got bad news: it seems that it lacks support for both Dolby Vision video and Dolby Atmos sound.
In a seemingly exhaustive new FAQ on the PlayStation Blog, under the question "does PS5 support HDR10?", the answer given is "yes, PS5 will support the HDR10 specification". There's no mention of Dolby Vision here or anywhere else on the page – until you get to the comments section, that is, where lots of readers are bemoaning its apparent absence.
It's a similar story for Dolby Atmos. Under the question "which audio formats does PS5 support?", a number of formats are listed, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, but Dolby Atmos and DTS:X are conspicuously absent.
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We'd be tempted to be optimistic and hope that Sony's chosen simply not to list those 3D audio formats separately as they're carried by other formats that are listed (Dolby Atmos is delivered by Dolby TrueHD or Dolby Digital+, for example), but Sony specifies that all of the formats the PS5 supports max out at either 5.1 or 7.1 channels, seemingly ruling out Atmos and DTS:X altogether.
Of course, the PS5 does have its own solution to 3D audio, powered by the bespoke Tempest Engine, but this requires the use of headphones and, to the best of our knowledge, only works with games. The big loss here is to those planning to use their PS5 for video streaming and playing Blu-rays (although a lack of Atmos for games is also a real disappointment).
It's worth pointing out that the Xbox Series X does support Dolby Vision via streaming services and is due to get it for specific games in 2021, but doesn't currently support it for Blu-rays. Dolby Atmos works across the board, although the free Dolby Access app needs to be downloaded first.
It sounds, then, like the Xbox Series X could be the better choice than the PS5 for those looking for a device to cover all of their entertainment needs, but we'll have to wait for our final PS5 review to be sure.
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