Optimize your home theater audio without stressing over placement or hardware capabilities

No more stringent home theater speaker layoutsput your wireless speakers wherever you want, and let FlexConnect take care of the rest.

An upgrade is on the way for Dolby Atmos that promises a more immersive compact surround sound experience, regardless of your setup.

A number of modern electronics have embracedDolby Atmosfrom smartphones to home theater systemsbut the simplified (and sometimes simulated) surround sound format is still growing.

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect illustration

Dolby

Now Dolby plans to make Atmos adapt to your wireless speaker setup on its own, with a new feature calledDolby Atmos FlexConnect.

Dolby

FlexConnect is headed to next year’sTCLTVs to start, though it’s implied that we’ll likely see it pop up on other sets and devices in the future.

Regardless, when you land access to a TV offering FlexConnect, Dolby claims you won’t have to worry about figuring out optimal speaker placement anymoreno matter how many (or few) you own.

Two remotes pointed at wall-mounted TV surrounded by multiple speakers

Dennis Fischer Photography / Getty Images

So rather than requiring a more precise (sometimes untenable or unsightly) speaker arrangement, Dolby says you’ve got the option to place them anywhere and let the system figure it out.

Dennis Fischer Photography / Getty Images

Microphones built into the TV set are the key, with Dolby using them to create an “acoustic map” of each connected wireless speaker.

And once all of the speakers are mapped out, FlexConnect will optimize audio output based on location as well as individual speaker performance.

So, even if you use a hodgepodge of wireless speaker models from a variety of manufacturers, your home theater audio should still come through strong.

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect will make its first public appearance as part of TCL’s 2024 TV lineup, though the details on which models will support it have not been revealed yet.

Dolby also expects a line of TCL wireless speakers made specifically for those FlexConnect-compatible TVs to launch sometime in 2024, but again, no specifics have been made available.