- Eclipsa Audio is the new rival to Dolby Atmos from Samsung and Google
- LG TVs will support the audio format involved, but not the name
- It all depends on which bit is open source and which bit needs a license.
Recently, I covered the news of a report that LG is adding Eclipsa Audio support to its 2026 TVs and some 2025 TVs. However, LG has now clarified to TechRadar that while Eclipsa Audio sources should technologically work on its TVs, the company does not endorse the Eclipsa Audio name.
What exactly is happening? This onion has four layers, so let’s peel them one by one.
1. What is Eclipsa Audio in general terms?
Eclipsa Audio is the name of a new 3D audio format that rivals Dolby Atmos. It is built on new free and open technology. The idea is to reduce the cost barriers to entry to spatial audio for small creators in particular, and enable wide use of spatial audio in all types of video and audio.
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Samsung was one of the companies most involved in its creation and you can read more about the logic behind it in our interview with the vice president of Samsung Audio Labs.
2. What is the technology behind Eclipsa Audio?
The audio technology behind Eclipsa Audio is called IAMF (Immersive Audio Model and Format) and is an open source audio data container for adding 3D-feeling positional information to audio formats, including height information. Its development was carried out by Samsung and Google.
As a free and open format, anyone can implement it without paying fees or royalties for its use, as long as they follow the rules of the open source license under which it is available.
3. What’s up with the name Eclipsa Audio?
Eclipsa Audio is the name that Google and Samsung have chosen as the consumer-friendly brand for the IAMF 3D format. However, while IAMF is free to use for anyone, the Eclipsa Audio name is not.
It is part of “a brand licensing and certification program” run by Google and Samsung, with the goal of “providing quality assurance to manufacturers and consumers of Eclipsa Audio-compatible products.”
So if companies want to say they support Eclipsa Audio, they need approval from Google and Samsung, which presumably includes providing access to upcoming products for certification.
4. So what does LG support?
LG fully supports IAMF technology, but has chosen not to participate in Google and Samsung’s certification and licensing program, so the Eclipsa Audio name will not appear on its products.
This is confusing, but it makes sense. If you were LG’s TV team, would you like to submit your latest new products to Samsung before they are released for approval?
As it stands, anything with IAMF support should fully work with compatible LG TVs, meaning if a video on YouTube says it supports Eclipsa Audio, it should offer the full experience on an LG TV. It’s just that LG can’t call it Eclipsa Audio in its settings or information screens when it’s playing.
5. Which LG TVs are compatible with Eclipsa Audio?
According to FlatpanelsHD’s original report, all LG 2026 TVs will support IAMF audio, and it will also be added to select 2025 TVs: the LG G5, LG C5, LG CS5, and LG QNED9M.
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