Height channels are located above the listening area and increase the sound field beyond the horizontal plane.
According to Dolby, non-directional ambient effects such as rain and wind are mapped to the height channels.
In 2002, Dolby premiered a master of We Were Soldiers which featured a Sonic Whole Overhead Sound soundtrack.
[3] Tomlinson Holman's 10.2 surround sound, a format currently under development, uses 12 or 14 fully discrete channels, both including two height channels; front left and front right.
The Dolby Atmos surround system, which allows for unlimited number of tracks, uses height channels, too.