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How to review Dolby Atmos mixes in Pibox

Play Atmos in MP4, open an ADM BWF master from Pro Tools in the 3D view, link the picture and pin comments to sound objects.

Written by Pibox Support

Pibox handles Dolby Atmos in two ways. An Atmos track inside an MP4 plays in the browser where the browser can decode it. An Atmos master exported as ADM BWF (.wav) opens in an interactive 3D view (beta), where you and your clients can see the objects move, link the picture and pin comments to a sound object.

Atmos in MP4 (Dolby Digital Plus / E-AC-3 JOC)

This is the streaming format of Dolby Atmos. What you hear depends on the browser:

  • Safari: the Atmos track plays as is. Safari renders it through Apple's Spatial Audio engine (not Dolby's own renderer), so you hear it spatially on AirPods or another spatial-audio device. The Dolby Atmos badge under the player lights up.

  • Chrome and Firefox: these browsers can't decode Atmos, so Pibox plays a stereo version instead. The badge is dimmed.

  • TrueHD Atmos: no browser decodes it, Safari included, so it plays as stereo.

Hover over the Dolby Atmos badge to see what is playing in your browser.

3D view for an Atmos master (ADM BWF, beta)

Upload an ADM BWF master and Pibox opens it as a 3D room: objects move and pulse with their level, and the 7.1.2 bed speakers light up as they play. Reviewers can pin a comment to an object or a speaker. You can also link an MP4 of the picture from the same folder, and it plays on the screen in the 3D room with an adjustable sync offset.

In the browser, the master itself plays as a simple stereo fold-down for now. If the linked MP4 carries an Atmos (DD+ JOC) mix, Safari can play that track through Apple Spatial Audio instead.

The 3D view is available on the Pro plan and above. On other plans, Atmos masters play as a stereo downmix.

How to set up the 3D view

  1. Export your Atmos master as an ADM BWF (.wav), either from Pro Tools (File → Bounce Mix) or from the Dolby Atmos Renderer.

  2. Upload the .wav and the picture MP4 into the same folder in Pibox. The master needs some processing before the 3D view appears; large masters take longer.

  3. Open the master. In the 3D view, click the film icon (Link a picture to the scene) and choose your MP4. If the menu says No videos in this folder, upload the MP4 to the master's folder first.

  4. Sync the picture. In the same menu, put the playhead where the picture should start and choose Start at playhead. Or type the offset into Picture offset (in seconds, in 0.04 s steps).

  5. To hear the MP4's own audio instead of the downmix (for example its Atmos DD+ mix in Safari), switch on Play picture audio in that menu.

To remove the picture, open the film icon menu and choose Unlink picture.

How to comment on a sound object

  1. In the comment box, click Pin an object (the pin icon).

  2. Click the object or bed speaker in the 3D view.

  3. Write your comment and send it.

When someone clicks the comment, the pin shows on the object and follows it as it moves through the room.
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Share for review

Share a review link as usual. Your client sees the same 3D view, the linked picture and your sync settings, and can pin comments to objects too.

Troubleshooting

  • The 3D view doesn't appear. The master is still processing. Large masters take longer; reopen the file in a few minutes.

  • I only hear stereo. In Chrome and Firefox, or with TrueHD Atmos, stereo is expected. Open the file in Safari to hear an Atmos track in MP4 spatially.

  • The picture is out of sync. Open the film icon menu and adjust Picture offset, or move the playhead to the picture's first frame and choose Start at playhead.

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