Innovative Advantage (IA) and Alto Aviation, sister companies within the Heads Up Technologies group of companies, a leading provider of highly engineered, proprietary lighting, cockpit and cabin electronics serving the business and commercial aviation sectors, are embarking upon a groundbreaking collaboration unveiling their capabilities to provide immersive Dolby Atmos surround sound audio technology specifically optimised for business jets.

This collaboration leverages IA's robust AVDS Cabin Backbone System for reliable, high- bandwidth distribution and Alto's custom-engineered amplifiers and loudspeakers optimised for each cabin layout, delivering over five hundred channels of uncompressed multichannel digital audio and high definition video, ensuring a zero latency, lossless signal path from the source to the Alto amplifiers.

With this solution, Heads Up Technologies Group delivers a fully integrated Dolby Atmos enabled audio ecosystem, combining reliability, modularity and world-class cabin sound performance, redefining the in-flight entertainment experience.

Alto's digital signal processing (DSP) controlled amplifiers and precision loudspeakers are acoustically tuned onsite by Alto cabin systems engineers for each cabin configuration, providing accurate spatial imaging and optimised Dolby Atmos performance. The result is an immersive, three-dimensional listening experience where sound moves all around the passengers creating a sensation of being inside the action, however they choose to listen.

The Alto/IA partnership offers unique advantages for operators, completion centres and end-users, including: powerful configuration and diagnostic capabilities from within the AVDS Client application for easier installation and support; pure digital transmission over single ethernet interface eliminates risk of noise, ground-loops and supports longer cable runs; AC and DC amplifier options; and digital audio backchannel from 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,” explains Anthony Molina, director of aftermarket sales for Heads Up Technologies Group. “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,” says Nestor Fenoy, director of systems engineering for Innovative Advantage. “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. 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.