Extract Dolby Atmos from Blu-ray
Dolby Atmos has transformed home theater audio with immersive, object-based spatial sound. Listening to Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon for example in 7.2.4 surround is a religious experience. But if you want to archive your Blu-ray collection or play Atmos audio through your own media server, you need a way to extract the audio without losing any quality.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to extract Dolby TrueHD with Atmos from Blu-ray discs — preserving every bit of the original audio stream, including the Atmos object-based metadata.
What Is Dolby TrueHD with Atmos?
Dolby TrueHD is a lossless audio codec used on Blu-ray discs. It supports up to 7.1 channels of uncompressed audio at up to 24-bit/192kHz.
Dolby Atmos adds an object-based layer on top of TrueHD. Instead of mixing audio into fixed channels, Atmos places individual sounds (like a helicopter or raindrop) as “objects” in 3D space. Your receiver or soundbar then renders those objects based on your speaker configuration.
Key point: When extracting Atmos audio, it’s critical that the extraction tool preserves the Atmos metadata embedded in the TrueHD stream. Transcoding or re-encoding will destroy the spatial object data removing all the height information that comes out of the your ceiling speakers. You need a bit-for-bit stream copy.
What You’ll Need
- A Blu-ray disc with Dolby TrueHD Atmos audio (most modern Blu-rays include this)
- A Blu-ray drive connected to your computer (USB or internal)
- Lossless Extract (download free trial)
- For encrypted Blu-rays: libaacs and AACS keys (Lossless Extract will guide you through setup)
Step-by-Step Extraction
Step 1: Insert Your Blu-ray Disc
Insert your Blu-ray into your drive. After AACS setup Lossless Extract will detect it automatically — you can also drag the disc icon onto the app window, or on macOS directly onto the dock icon
Step 2: Select the Audio Stream
Lossless Extract scans the disc and shows you all available audio streams. You’ll typically see:
- Dolby TrueHD with Atmos (this is the one you want — highest quality)
- DTS-HD Master Audio (alternative lossless track)
- Dolby Digital / DTS (lossy fallback tracks).which are filtered out by default but you can enable them in settings.
Select the TrueHD Atmos stream. The app displays the codec, channel count, and sample rate so you know exactly what you’re extracting. You can also playback the selected track to make sure it’s the one you want.
Step 3: Choose Your Output Format
Lossless Extract supports several containers for TrueHD Atmos:
| Format | Best For | Atmos Metadata | Tagging Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| M4A | Kodi, Apple ecosystem, easy tagging | ✅ Preserved | ✅ Full |
| MKA | Universal compatibility | ✅ Preserved | ✅ Full |
| FLAC | Music libraries (stereo/5.1 only) | ❌ Not supported | ✅ Full |
| Direct Stream Copy | Archival, re-muxing | ✅ Preserved | ❌ None |
Recommendation: Use M4A if you plan to play Atmos in Kodi or tag your files. Lossless Extract is the only macOS app that supports exporting TrueHD Atmos directly to M4A.
Step 4: Tag Your Files (Optional)
Before extracting, you can use the built-in tagging panel to add artist, album, and track names. Or use the one-click audio fingerprinting feature — it analyzes the audio content, identifies the album, and automatically applies metadata and artwork.
Step 5: Extract
Click Extract. Lossless Extract performs a direct stream copy — no transcoding, no re-encoding. The output file is bit-for-bit identical to the audio on the disc, including all Atmos object metadata.
You can extract individual chapters or use gapless mode to create a single continuous file with an optional cuesheet for track navigation.
Verifying Your Extraction
To confirm your extracted file contains Atmos metadata:
- MediaInfo — open the file and look for “Dolby Atmos” in the audio track details
- Kodi — play the file and check the audio info overlay; it should show “TrueHD Atmos”
- AVR/Soundbar — your receiver should display “Dolby Atmos” when decoding
Why Lossless Extraction Matters
Streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ deliver Atmos via Dolby Digital Plus — a lossy codec with significantly lower bitrate. The Atmos experience from a Blu-ray TrueHD stream is substantially better:
| Source | Codec | Bitrate | Lossless? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blu-ray | TrueHD Atmos | Up to 18 Mbps | ✅ Yes |
| Streaming | DD+ Atmos | ~640-768 kbps | ❌ No |
Extracting from Blu-ray preserves the full-quality experience that the audio engineers intended.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does extraction damage my Blu-ray disc?
No. Lossless Extract reads the disc without modifying it. Your disc remains untouched.
Do I need a special Blu-ray drive?
Any USB or internal Blu-ray drive works. For encrypted discs, you’ll need libaacs installed (the app guides you through this).
Can I extract audio from Blu-ray ISO files or BDMV folders?
Yes. Lossless Extract supports physical discs, ISO images, and BDMV folder structures.
What about DTS:X?
Lossless Extract also extracts DTS-HD Master Audio streams. DTS:X metadata is preserved in stream copy and MKA exports.