I turned off my TV’s stereo-only audio mode and finally heard my Dolby Atmos setup

I bought a Dolby Atmos soundbar last year, ran the setup wizard, watched the little animation showing sound moving around my living room, and figured I was done. For months, I sat through movies that sounded fine but never quite lived up to the “object-based audio” pitch. No overhead rain, no helicopters actually passing overhead, nothing that split the difference between “loud” and “immersive.” I assumed my room was just too small, or that Atmos on the often troublesome streaming services was overhyped.