TIDAL ditches MQA – Dolby Atmos replaces Sony 360 Reality Audio

It's a report that's causing a stir, even if so far it's just advice from the streaming provider Tides in Instructions Hidden and dedicated to the future of lossy MQA encoded content and immersive surround content.

After TIDAL was the main supporter of the MQA format MQA LIMITED. The content has now been blocked from MQA, the streaming provider said. This announcement can certainly be seen as a direct response to the new formation Lynbrook Media Group About newbies MQA Labs Announced a partnership with HDtracks these days – Inform us.

Likewise, at the end of July, you will no longer be able to access the content Sony 360 Reality Audio Accessible. In the future, immersive audio will depend solely on partnerships with Dolby Laboratories, Inc And with them Dolby Atmos.

MQA is history

You can find the reference under “Upcoming changes to audio formats”, which is titled “Will I still be able to access music in MQA and 360 Reality Audio on TIDAL”. So the question is whether MQA and Sony 360 Reality Audio will continue to exist in the future, and the answer couldn't be clearer: it's a clear no.

“As of July 24, 2024, you will no longer be able to access music in MQA or 360 Reality Audio formats through the TIDAL app or integration.”

TIDAL answers the question of whether MQA and Sony 360 Reality Audio will still be an issue in the future

Hi-res FLAC is the format of the future

For the audio data of a classic hi-fi system in stereo, we obviously chose FLAC because, according to TIDAL, it is an open source format with no restrictions and no licensing fees. This means that each artist can submit their high-quality music directly on TIDAL without the need for third party involvement. This makes it easier for fans to experience music with the best possible sound quality on all their devices.

This argument is of course a low blow for MQA, but it's also a bit hypocritical on the part of TIDAL itself, because this huge flaw in MQA has always been true, so it shouldn't be a new vision for TIDAL…

Dolby Atmos instead of Sony 360 Reality Audio

For immersive surround sound, they have now decided to rely solely on Dolby Atmos as a standard format, so Sony 360 Reality Audio has no future at TIDAL.

TIDAL cites the number of compatible devices as the reason for this decision, but also the availability of the catalog and acceptance of the format by artists. By partnering with Dolby Laboratories, Tidal is excited to give artists the opportunity to expand their sonic vision and allow their fans to experience their music like never before, Tidal said in a statement.

Effects in practice

Users who have MQA-encoded content in their playlists should at least not experience any drawbacks as a result of the decision now made to ditch content in MQA, TIDAL explains. As of July 24, 2024, MQA-encoded audio data will be available in FLAC format, at least in most cases, at least in 16-bit and 44.1 kHz, but in most cases also as high-resolution audio. However, we cannot guarantee that all content previously available in MQA can also be rendered directly in FLAC. We are working hard to fill any supply gaps as quickly as possible. Downloads for offline use must in any case be re-uploaded to FLAC as of July 24, 2024.

The situation is different with immersive surround content in Sony 360 Reality Audio which is no longer available and must be added to Dolby Digital if available.

We mean…

That was so amazing Tides As a reliable and sole long-term partner of MQA Ltd. Due to the company's turmoil, he quickly decided not to devote all his attention to the MQA format. Tidal Max with HD FLAC It should represent an alternative, but MQA is still a problem… The fact that the format has been completely abandoned now and the corresponding content has been completely banned from viewing as of July 24, 2024 is surprising.

Even if you consider the new owners of all rights surrounding MQA or newly created ones MQA LabsCanadian group Lenbrook and its Lenbrook Media Group are planning their own shows in partnership with HDtracks.

TIDAL's argument seems particularly strange in this context, because the fact that MQA is a format worth a huge licensing fee and that FLAC is actually the best choice as an open source format without MQA encoding isn't really new.

It is also interesting that they have now announced that they will abandon Sony 360 Reality Audio in the future and will rely solely on the partnership with Dolby Laboratories Inc. And Dolby Atmos format for immersive surround sound.