New Web Poll Reveals Growing Consumer Preference For DTSÆ

12-May-00

In a recent, informal online poll of its readers, Stereophile Guide to Home Theater discovered respondents preferred DTSÆ Digital Surroundô soundtracks over DolbyÆ Digital 5.1 by an overwhelming margin of 9 to 1. The Web site poll was done in late April and can be found at http://www.guidetohometheater.com. The questions were, ""Have you compared Dolby Digital with DTS? What do you think?"" According to the Webzine, 33 percent of the respondents answered, ""DTS rules,"" with another 30 percent concluding that ""DTS is a little better"" than Dolby Digital. Of those responding, 5 percent thought ""Dolby Digital rules,"" and another 2 percent felt ""Dolby Digital is a little better."" Of the remaining 30 percent of respondents, 12 percent said they heard no difference and 15 percent said they had not made the comparison. The figures total only 97 percent with the remaining responses being disqualified for one reason or another. In addition to their comparative vote, the respondents were also invited to submit comments. Those shown on the Web site also massively supported DTS and reflected differing levels of analysis, sophistication, and temperament. ""Anyone who canít hear the difference between DD and DTS is deaf!"" said one. ""Itís the difference between fine china and your mammaís plastic dishes,"" said another. And ""DVD is all about quality. If I can have a disc with better sound quality (even if itís only slightly better), then Iím all for it. Dolby Digital is awesome, but DTS is better! The bitstream never lies,"" noted a third. In commenting on the poll, David DelGrosso, DTS Director of Consumer Marketing, said, ""We understand that this was an informal poll and not a scientific study. Nonetheless, we are pleased that home theatre enthusiasts are increasingly listening to the discs and not to rhetoric. As more and more DVDs become available with DTS soundtracks, many more consumers will upgrade to the theatre-like experience of 5.1-channel Digital Surround."" DTS is an international, digital technology company specializing in multichannel audio for entertainment. Founded in 1993, DTS quickly became the leading provider of premium, discrete, multichannel audio for motion pictures with the release of Steven Spielbergís ""Jurassic Park."" DTS Digital Sound is now featured worldwide on approximately 19,000 screens. The DTS Consumer Group licenses decoder technology to equipment manufacturers for home theatre, automobiles, and computers. DTS encoding technology is licensed to content creators for high-resolution, multichannel film and music soundtracks on DVD, multichannel music on compact disc, and multichannel audio for games on DVD-ROM. DTS is a registered trademark of Digital Theater Systems, Inc. of Agoura Hills, California. International offices for the company are located in the United Kingdom and Japan.