Page 23 - Stuff - September 2017 UK

H O T S T U F F

DECIPHER

ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN…

#25 DOLBY ATMOS

Verity Burns
Think movie magic is all
in the looking? Well, while
Potted PA your eyes are busy ogling,
JAM VOICE your ears are doing more
work filling in the detail.
Not a fan of Amazon’s low-lying disc of domestic smarts, the Echo Take that scampering muskrat. You didn’t
Dot? Short of cracking out the enamel paints and going at it with your see it snuffling around behind you – you
neatest brush strokes, Jam Audio’s new Voice speaker might just hit heard it. But standard surround sound
the spot. Equipped with the same voice-controlled cleverness as the doesn’t really cut it any more, not when
Dot, this chubby little number can do music streaming, traffic updates you’ve got 4K and HDR handling the big
and device control – all without lifting a paint-covered finger. Better screen images… which is where the Dolby
yet, treat yourself to a whole bevy of Jams and you’ll have the option Atmos sound system comes in.
to link up to eight of them – perfect for when you host art club A 3D audio format, Atmos is already
and things spill out of the shed. Chances are it’ll sound decent too, making big news with its integration
judging by Jam’s prior audio form. into cinemas and nightclubs, and Netflix
£50 / jamaudio.com support now means it’s only getting
bigger. Instead of a traditional 5.1 or 7.1
setup, where speakers are placed around
your viewing position, Atmos can handle
up to a whopping 64 speakers in a cinema
setting – or an equally immersive 11
separates at home.
What do the extra speakers do? They
add height. Where surround sound wraps
you like the pastry on a sausage roll, Atmos

WHERE SURROUND
SOUND WRAPS YOU
LIKE THE PASTRY ON A
SAUSAGE ROLL, ATMOS
ADDS A PIELIKE LID

adds an audio lid. Like a pie. Essentially, it
drops you into the sound so you’re among
Smart guard it – from every angle.
MACATE GENIO It also changes the whole process of
how sound is split across your speakers.
Being held to ransom over your obsession with cat memes is just Instead of directing chunks to different
one of the terrifying risks that comes with having your smartphone places, each individual sound can be made
hacked. Defending your tech against such tragedy has generally into an object which can then be placed to
carried a pretty hefty price tag – but not for much longer. Silicon suit the director’s whim.
Valley’s security expert Macate has unveiled Genio, a mid-range For the best results, the additional
smartphone for the cyber-secure. It’ll do for globetrotters too, noise boxes are stuck in your ceiling. If
thanks to automatic tracking that delivers the highest grade of you can’t go ripping into the roof, though,
encryption legally allowed in the country you’re in. At £249 it’s a good a few upward-firing models exist which
deal cheaper than something like the Boeing Black, leaving you and bounce waves off the top of the room to
your browser history in reasonably affordable peace. achieve a similar effect.
£249 / macate.com

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