Innovative Advantage (IA) and Alto Aviation have announced a collaboration to provide immersive Dolby Atmos surround-sound audio technology specifically optimised for business jets. IA and Alto Aviation are sister companies within the Heads Up Technologies group (HUT), which provides proprietary lighting, cockpit and cabin electronics serving the business and commercial aviation sectors.
This collaboration leverages IA’s AVDS Cabin Backbone System for high-bandwidth distribution and Alto’s custom-engineered amplifiers and loudspeakers, delivering more than 500 channels of uncompressed multichannel digital audio and high-definition video. The companies said this ensures a zero-latency, lossless signal path from the source to the Alto amplifiers. With this solution, HUT delivers a fully integrated Dolby Atmos-enabled audio ecosystem.
Alto’s Digital Signal Processing (DSP) controlled amplifiers and precision loudspeakers are acoustically tuned on-site by Alto cabin systems engineers for each cabin configuration, to provide accurate spatial imaging and optimised Dolby Atmos performance. The companies said the result is an immersive, three-dimensional listening experience where sound moves all around the passengers.
Alto and IA said advantages of their partnership for operators, completion centres and end-users include the AVDS Client application’s configuration and diagnostic capabilities; and available AC and DC amplifier options. They added that pure digital transmission over single ethernet interface eliminates risk of noise, ground-loops and supports longer cable runs. There is also a digital audio backchannel from the TSO’d Public Announcement Alto amplifier, for integration with headphones and other entertainment speakers.
“Alto’s engineering team worked closely with IA to ensure perfect phase alignment, system calibration, and certification readiness,” said Anthony Molina, director of aftermarket sales for HUT. “The result is an unrivalled tuneable audio platform that delivers reference-quality sound and fits easily within the existing OEM and aftermarket integration framework.”
“Our focus has always been on engineering innovative products that integrate seamlessly in the cabin to provide the ultimate passenger experience,” said Nestor Fenoy, director of systems engineering for IA. “By combining IA’s AVDS backbone with Alto’s expertise in high-fidelity cabin acoustics, customers can now offer the Dolby Atmos experience with the same dependability, scalability and personalised customer support they expect from IA and Alto.”
The IA/Alto Dolby Atmos solution is designed for new production aircraft and retrofit programmes, offering flexible configurations that support Dolby Atmos-enabled playback from IFE sources. The companies said it maintains full compatibility with existing AVDS infrastructure, minimising additional weight and wiring while providing a future-proof, digital audio distribution platform, compatible with all CMS architectures.
The companies are offering Dolby Atmos demonstrations at NBAA-BACE (being held on 14-16 October in Las Vegas, Nevada), at HUT and Alto Aviation’s booth.
