Samsung has revealed further technical details about Eclipsa Audio, the spatial audio format it co-developed with Google. Unveiled in 2024 and introduced in Samsung’s 2025 soundbar and TV lineup, Eclipsa Audio is based on the Immersive Audio Model and Formats (IAMF) specification maintained by the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia).
How Eclipsa Audio works
Eclipsa Audio’s core system, spatial audio metadata framework, encoding and playback pipeline were engineered jointly by Samsung and Google. The technology natively supports channel-based configurations such as 5.1.2 and 7.1.4, and it incorporates spatial metadata for 3D positioning across front, back, left, right and height dimensions to deliver immersive audio beyond fixed-channel systems. Sound adapts automatically to a playback device’s capabilities, whether that device is a soundbar, a TV, or a combination of both, and content played on unsupported devices falls back to stereo rather than causing playback errors. Because Eclipsa Audio operates on an open, royalty-free standard independent of any specific codec or licensing model, it enables integration across various content types (concerts, movies, musicals and sports) and hardware platforms (phones, tablets and TVs).
Testing, implementation and future rollout
Although Samsung Research co-developed the format with Google, the commercial implementation for Samsung TV Plus was carried out by Samsung’s Visual Display (VD) division. To validate live capture, encoding and reproduction, Samsung tested Eclipsa Audio’s acoustics in a 280-seat live concert venue with the help of a professional sound engineering firm. The objective was to verify real-time spatial audio capture, live streaming via Samsung TV Plus, and faithful reproduction on supported devices, and to ensure that switching between the spatial audio of a musical concert and the stereo audio of TV advertisements would not cause audio stuttering or audio–video sync issues. After successful tests with classical and K-pop concerts, Samsung plans to expand Eclipsa Audio to live sports coverage, movies and TV shows.
