Will Bell’s Crave Support Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision?

crave hero 2023

Bell Media’s Crave streaming service added support for Apple’s Spatial Audio feature last year, essentially theatre-like sound on compatible devices, but for those seeking Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision—will it ever arrive in the Crave app?

When asked if the Crave plans to bring Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision support, a Bell Media spokesperson told iPhone in Canada there are currently “no updates to share.” However, the Crave product team says it is “always looking at ways to enhance our technology and user experience,” said the spokesperson. Take that for what it is.

Dolby Atmos is essentially 3D sound, taking audio beyond regular stereo and surround sound as height channels are supported for a more immersive audio experience. Soundbars such as the excellent Sonos Arc support Dolby Atmos. The image below compares regular surround sound versus Dolby Atmos:

dolby atmos

As for Dolby Vision, it offers more colours, contrast and depth to your viewing experience, as titles get up to 12-bit colour depth with over 68 billion colours on compatible televisions, versus HDR10 and its 10-bit with 1 billion colours. Once you experience Dolby Vision content on something like an LG OLED TV, it’s hard going back to standard televisions.

You can see the image below emphasizing Dolby Vision on the left, with standard picture quality on the right:

dolby vision

As for an update on 4K titles on Crave, which first launched in August 2021 for Apple TV 4K, Bell said they now offer “hundreds of 4K assets” on platforms that support it, with more titles being added regularly. Recent series and movies in 4K include the likes of House of the Dragon, Yellowjackets, The Batman and Elvis.

The Crave app does support 5.1 surround sound on most devices, including Apple devices such as Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV, Roku, consoles such as PlayStation and Xbox and smart TVs from Samsung and LG. But according to the company’s support page, some of these platforms are ” experiencing technical difficulties with 5.1 audio.”

Streaming apps such as Disney+, Netflix and Apple TV+ support Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. Maybe one day the Crave app will too. What do you think of the Crave app so far? Last year there were issues with the debut of House of the Dragon, as the app kept signing people out.

Earlier this week, Bell Media announced an extended multi-year deal for HBO content and more on Crave.

Click here to see what’s new to Crave in May 2023.

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