The Future of Audio: Understanding I.A.M.F. and its Potential Impact on TVs and Soundbars

So, with the basics of I.A.M.F. understood, when is it coming, if it's coming? And could it work on existing TVs and soundbars, or will it only be available on new stuff—perhaps stuff coming out in 2025? Well, last we heard, it was hoped that I.A.M.F. would make its debut late in 2024, which, by my watch, is right about now, or at least just right around the corner.

Now, that doesn't mean that your Samsung TV or soundbar will necessarily be able to take advantage of I.A.M.F. later this year, though that is possible. But I imagine a big firmware and software update could allow existing Samsung devices to accept it soon. Without firm confirmation from Samsung that that is the case, I wouldn't put money on that idea.

I do think, however, that if I.A.M.F. has been progressing well behind the scenes, Samsung would launch it and make a very big deal about it at CES 2025. But I have a lot of concerns, and folks, let me be clear here—everything I'm about to say is based purely on speculation. I'm just wondering out loud here, okay? If I.A.M.F. gets launched, how long will we have to wait until there's content to enjoy? I just don't see Netflix, Disney Plus, or Max adopting it right away. Maybe Amazon would? Amazon was quick to jump on the HDR Plus train, so I can see Amazon being a launch partner with Samsung on this—maybe.

Here's another concern. Dolby Atmos is all over the place now. A lot of big industry players are heavily invested in Dolby Atmos production, and maybe they would add on I.A.M.F. to their workflow, but I don't think they're going to ditch Dolby Atmos—at least not anytime soon. I actually think where I.A.M.F. could grab the greatest foothold is through content providers that don't currently do Dolby Atmos at all. I'm thinking YouTube—that would be the big one. Pluto—you know, streaming services that just do basic stereo sound right now. So, maybe that's what it looks like when it comes out.

I'll say this, though, and I realize I'm going out on a limb here—I personally wouldn't let I.A.M.F. in any way shape a purchase decision right now, so I'm not going to recommend anyone else do that. This is just one area in which I don't see FOMO coming into play—and I'm talking about actual FOMO, not this character.

So, Norman, I don't know how much that helps you, but I will add this: if you want to wait and see, just know that we should know more after CES, and Samsung's 2024 TVs and soundbars will still be available at that time, likely at their lowest prices. So, if you can be patient, you can probably wait and see without missing out on anything at all.

Next Up: Shout-out to Ratings.com

This next one is not a question; it's more of a shout-out to Ratings.com, which responded to a call-out I made in a prior episode of You Asked. In that video, I addressed some questions that I got about an issue of green tint on the LG C4 OLED when viewed at an angle. I detailed my experience with the LG C4 that I got, contrasted that with Ratings.com's narrative, and because I wasn't sure what the tenor and tone around Ratings' narrative actually was, I asked that they hop in the comments and clarify.

Well, that's exactly what they did.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enOn today's episode of You Asked, Panasonic is back. So, what comes next? Ratings.com weighs  in on the LG C4 and shows us what respect and integrity look like. And remember that  Samsung and Google partnership designed to take on Dolby Atmos—what's up with that?Welcome back, everyone! I'm Caleb Denison, and this is episode 58 of You Asked, the show  where I answer questions you asked in hopes that I can help you and others with similar  tech questions. If you've got a question for me, please email it to youasked@digitaltrends.com,  and we'll see if your question gets picked to be answered on the show.Hey, before I get into the questions, a quick announcement for you. We have  launched memberships, and I just could not be more excited! To learn more,  just click the Join button down below. Now, that doesn't mean you're automatically joined up,  but there you will find a little video that I've made explaining what tiers  we have and what kind of perks membership gets you. Then, you can decide from there.Okay, let's kick things off with an email from Norman, who wants more info on the Samsung and  Google partnership that aims to take on Dolby Atmos with what has been called I.A.M.F.,  or Immersive Audio Model and Formats. Norman wants to buy  a new TV and soundbar but doesn't want to pull the trigger until he knows that  some existing devices will support it or that it's coming to new products in 2025.Right. So, to be honest, I let this topic slip my mind entirely, so I'm really thankful  for your email, Norman. Now, first, to catch everyone up—Samsung announced in November of  2023 that it had teamed up with Google to develop I.A.M.F., which I really, really,  really hope is just a working name because I just don't see that working great on the side  of boxes. Since that announcement, it was shown at CES 2024, though I admittedly did not get to  experience the demo. In fact, I don't think I've covered this topic at all. So, I just went on a  mission to get myself up to speed, and based on a self-published article on Samsung's website,  I think I've got a handle on what's going on. With that said, I'm reaching out to Samsung to  see if they're willing to discuss more and perhaps provide an update on its progress.So, I.A.M.F. is meant to be an open-source 3D audio format. Another way of putting it is that  it's meant to provide a Dolby Atmos-like surround sound experience without relying on Dolby at all,  including Dolby's licensing fees. See, creating Dolby Atmos audio requires a  bunch of Dolby stuff in the pipeline—audio needs to be mixed and mastered in Dolby Atmos,  encoded in Dolby's format, and then decoded using Dolby decoders. Now, there is an exception where  you're basically getting virtual Dolby Atmos, and that'll be relevant in just a second.Now, I.A.M.F.would be an open-source standard that anyone could adopt, delivering 3D audio with  no payments made to Dolby, at least that's one way of looking at it. Digging deeper,  it appears that I.A.M.F. could offer even more. When I say that I.A.M.F. which is really hard to  say, and it's starting to piss me off—when I say that I.A.M.F. would take on Dolby Atmos,  I think it's important to clarify that it looks like Samsung, at least for now,  is more interested in providing 3D audio from TV speakers and simpler soundbars, offering  height effects and virtual surround without having speakers all over your room. Dolby Atmos can be  used in the same way, but again, you have to play in Dolby's playground and pay for the privilege.I.A.M.F. would allow all kinds of content creators, even smaller independent creators on  YouTube, to make 3D audio, and that 3D audio could be played on a wide range of devices  in a wide range of environments. If that sounds familiar, that's because it is.  There's a bunch of people that are trying to create surround sound with a minimum of  speakers, using a bunch of processing and whatnot to make it sound very convincing.So, with the basics of I.A.M.F. understood, when is it coming, if it's coming? And could it work  on existing TVs and soundbars, or will it only be available on new stuff—perhaps stuff coming  out in 2025? Well, last we heard, it was hoped that I.A.M.F. would make its debut late in 2024,  which, by my watch, is right about now, or at least just right around the corner.Now, that doesn't mean that your Samsung TV or soundbar will necessarily be able to take  advantage of I.A.M.F. later this year, though that is possible. But I imagine a big firmware  and software update could allow existing Samsung devices to accept it soon. Without  firm confirmation from Samsung that that is the case, I wouldn't put money on that idea.I do think, however, that if I.A.M.F. has been progressing well behind the scenes,  Samsung would launch it and make a very big deal about it at CES 2025. But I have a lot  of concerns, and folks, let me be clear here—everything I'm about to say is based  purely on speculation. I'm just wondering out loud here, okay? If I.A.M.F. gets launched,  how long will we have to wait until there's content to enjoy? I just don't see Netflix,  Disney Plus, or Max adopting it right away. Maybe Amazon would? Amazon was quick to jump  on the HDR Plus train, so I can see Amazon being a launch partner with Samsung on this—maybe.But here's another concern. Dolby Atmos is all over the place now. A  lot of big industry players are heavily invested in Dolby Atmos production,  and maybe they would add on I.A.M.F. to their workflow, but I don't think they're going to  ditch Dolby Atmos—at least not anytime soon. I actually think where I.A.M.F. could grab the  greatest foothold is through content providers that don't currently do Dolby Atmos at all. I'm  thinking YouTube—that would be the big one. Pluto—you know, streaming services that just  do basic stereo sound right now. So, maybe that's what it looks like when it comes out.I'll say this, though, and I realize I'm going out on a limb here—I personally  would not let I.A.M.F. in any way shape a purchase decision right now,  so I'm not going to recommend anyone else do that. This is just one area in which I don't  see FOMO coming into play—and I'm talking about actual FOMO, not this character.So, Norman, I don't know how much that helps you, but I will add this:  if you want to wait and see, just know that we should know more after CES, and Samsung's 2024  TVs and soundbars will still be available at that time, likely at their lowest prices. So,  if you can be patient, you can probably wait and see without missing out on anything at all.This next one is not a question; it's more of a shout-out to Ratings.com,  which responded to a call-out I made in a prior episode of You Asked. In that video,  I addressed some questions that I got about an issue of green tint on the LG  C4 OLED when viewed at an angle. I detailed my experience with the LG C4 that I got,  contrasted that with Ratings.com's narrative, and because I wasn't sure what the tenor and  tone around Ratings' narrative actually was, I asked that they hop in the comments and clarify.Well, that's exactly what they did. Here's what Ratings weighed in with:\"Hey folks, sorry for the delay on our end, but we just came across this video and wanted to  jump in to try and clear things up. One thing we can confirm remains unchanged is that there's a  noticeable green tint on the C4 that we bought and tested. This is a widespread issue that impacts  almost all LG OLED panels, but this is also something that can vary widely from unit to unit.  LG Electronics has confirmed to us that our unit is about as bad as it gets,  and anything worse would not pass LG's quality control checks. Although it varies between units,  most people shouldn't see this issue on their TV. This issue also isn't new or exclusive to the C4,  as it's been an issue on LG TVs for a few years now. That said, we've actually gone ahead and  updated our review to echo this sentiment properly, as we never want our reviews to be  misleading to users. Caleb, we really appreciate you bringing this up and starting this dialogue  since it helped us improve the quality of our review. Thanks a bunch, and if you or anyone  in the comments have any follow-up questions or concerns, we're happy to further discuss things.\"So, first off, thanks to Ratings for taking the time to comment, and it was a great comment as  well. Second, thanks to Ratings for being truly classy about it. Folks, I think this  is what collaboration among channels should look like—less assumptions, more questions that seek to  understand. In a YouTube world where character assaults, thinly veiled as reaction videos,  are so common, this is a super big breath of fresh air. Also, I think it's great to know  that we all collectively have the right read on the green tint issue. Ratings is correct,  and I've talked about it a lot on this channel too—W OLEDs from LG Display tend to have a slight  green tint, and QD OLEDs from Samsung tend to have a more magenta or pinkish tint. In most cases,  it's a difference you can only see in side-by-side comparisons where you have a point of reference.Furthermore, there are levels of severity to this, and it sounds like the unit Ratings got  was on the stronger side, while mine was on the weaker side. And now we all know  more than we did before, and we can all make better decisions. I love it! Thanks  again to Ratings for taking the time, and here's to more collaboration in the future.Next up, let's talk about Panasonic's return to the North American market. VLC commented,  \"Day 10 of waiting for Digital Trends to talk about Panasonic coming back to  the US.\" Simon S225 said, \"I think they're snubbing Panasonic since they passed them up  for Stop the Fomo.\" And Brian Gree7964 wrote, \"Could you review the new Panasonic W95 series  mini LED TV soon? I've been a Panasonic fan for professional video products,  so I'm interested to see how their newest consumer TV is compared to the other top brands that you  regularly review.\" JohnnyIce428 wrote, \"I was going to upgrade to the LG 65-inch G4,  but with the announcement of Panasonic's return to the US market, I want to wait for a review  of the US release. Will you be reviewing the flagship version of the three being released?\"Okay, so let me respond to some speculations there. First, I am not snubbing Panasonic,  and Panasonic did not pass me up for Fomo and Brian. Had I been able to  make an event held in California a few weeks back, I might have gotten the TVs  two weeks earlier. Unfortunately, I just could not attend. Just wasn't in the cards, I'm afraid.Second, I haven't published a video around Panasonic's return, not because I don't think  it's a big deal—it is—but because more people are complaining about not having a Bravia 7  review or a Hisense U7N review than there are people complaining about not hearing my opinion  and analysis on Panasonic's return. Also, I have this monster 98-inch Samsung QN90D to deal with,  and by the time you watch this video, the Hisense 110-inch UX will be here, and you know I'm going  to put it right next to the TCL 115-inch. In other words, I have to prioritize. And while I am stoked  about Panasonic's return, I had to wait to talk about it until it fit in, which is right now.Finally, I have two of those new Panasonic TVs on the way, and they're probably going to be here in  two business days. I'm getting the Z95A OLED and the W95A mini LED, and I'm more excited about one  of them than the other, if only marginally. So any guesses on which one I'm more excited about and  why? Let the speculation fly in the comments! I can't wait to see what y'all come up with.Anyway, Panasonic coming back is super exciting. I've been looking forward to this day for years,  and now that it's finally here, I'm kind of geeking out. Just to be clear, though,  here's what I'm staring down right now: the Hisense U7N, Bravia 7, Hisense U9N, TCL QM8,  Samsung QN90D 98-inch, Hisense 110-inch UX, and the Panasonic Z95A and W95A. That's eight—count  them, eight—TVs, you guys. And I'll tell you right now that the 110-inch UX is going to  have to get handled right away because I do not have enough room for that TV and its monster box  to stick around for very long. So I'll be attacking that TV as soon as it gets here,  then packing it right back up and sending it back to Hisense as quickly as possible.But hey, that's a lot of great TVs to look forward to. Oh, and there's a Dragon on the way too,  so we got to talk about that. Oh, and congrats to Michael Macintosh,  who won the Fluance turntable from our giveaway! Michael, we want pics  of you spinning vinyl on your new table, so cough them up when you get it, would you?Thanks so much for watching, everyone! What are you most excited about seeing next?  Let me know down in the comments. Please click the like button—it really helps out with the  algorithm and supports this free content we're making. Subscribe if you want to see more. I'll  see you on the next one, and until then, here are two other videos I think you might like.What's up with that? Nobody's gonna get it.\n"