Can DTS Survive In A Dolby Digital World?
Dear Gary, I’d like to let you and the other readers know what I think about DTS’ chances in the world of cheap AC-3 (Dolby Digital) DVDs. I have been, what you could call, an early adopter of discrete digital sound. When integrated AV receivers with AC-3 were still unavailable, I purchased the new Yamaha RX-V2090 and DDP-1. I later had the DDP-1 upgraded by MSB with DTS. I now have about 30 Dolby Digital LaserDiscs but only 13 in DTS. But it gets a lot weirder: I waited to buy a DVD player until a DTS output equipped model was available and after six months I still have zero DTS DVDs. Why is that one may ask? Isn’t DTS’ sound superior? Oh yes, it is indeed. Differences are subtle though but obvious even on my $12,000 system. I did not mind paying the extra dollar for the DTS upgrade but what I do mind is paying a 50 percent premium on the software! If sound was 50 percent better than AC-3 that would be okay with me and I’d always go with the better sound. But AC-3 titles, be it LaserDisc or DVD, simply deliver more bang for the buck while not sounding objectionably worse than DTS. There is one more thing: DTS DVD titles have absolutely no extras on them while the AC-3 titles are loaded with special features. With LaserDisc that was different because some DTS Laser Discs featured the trailer and possibly a running commentary. But with DVD there’s nothing but the subtle advantages in sound. DTS DVDs almost never get discounted by the Internet vendors but the AC-3 counterpart is always available between 30 and 60 percent off SRP! This may have to do mainly with sales volume but I think it’s also part of the distributors’ strategies to gain market with penetration pricing. And what does DTS do? Okay, they sent me a T-shirt and a poster once which I greatly appreciated. What I do right now is to buy every discounted DTS LaserDisc I can get my hands on. One vendor has made significant price cuts and I’ll get them while supplies last. After that I will take a wait and see attitude with DTS on DVD. I will absolutely NOT buy such a title when its AC-3 counterpart is more than $10 cheaper. But ideally DTS and AC-3 titles should be priced equally. I have been writing about the North American market so far. As I live in Europe, let me tell you that the situation here is much worse for DTS. Hardware is readily available but in an 80 million people country like Germany, there is only ten places or so where you can buy DTS software off the shelf. And this is the most important market in Europe, not France or England. Of all the LaserDisc and DVD freaks I know, only half have a DTS decoder. I would really hate to see it happen but everything tells me that DTS will go the way of Digital Audio Tape, if not worse. I love DAT sound (I even have it in my car) but I have to pay a premium over MiniDisc users and I have to live with the nonlinear access and dropouts. But I don’t care as long as its better. Maybe one way DTS could create more consumer awareness is by marketing its system better in the movie theatres. If people knew they were getting a superior presentation when they enter a DTS-equipped theatre they would also demand to listen to DTS equipment in hi-fi stores when they consider to upgrade their system to home theatre standards. On a side note: In Europe we’ve been used to seeing good products come and go because of incompetent marketing. e.g we’ve had anamorphic component video (interlaced) television transmissions with digital audio named D2-MAC via medium power satellites ten years ago but nobody frickin’ cared because the system was not demonstrated at the retailers because even they did not know how to display it right. I think the point I’m trying to make is that DTS will be falling by the wayside if not a miracle happens soon. I really hate to see this happen after spending $700 on the DTS decoder upgrade. I’ll forward this letter to Coherent Acoustics (Digital Theater Systems) and let you know when I get an answer.
Ralf Beckers
Editor Gary Reber Comments:
I completely agree with your assessment in regards to DTS Digital Surround. Unfortunately, DTS is powerless to force the studios to encode and release soundtracks of their movies on DVD in DTS Digital Surround. While DTS has successfully engaged the support of hardware manufacturers, studios have yet to embrace the higher resolution 5.1 discrete format. Except of Universal Studios Home Video and DreamWorks, no other studio has committed to DTS releases. The pricing issues is yet another case in which the decision making is controlled by the studios. Yes, they are “marketing” DTS as a niche format and charging ridiculous prices compared to Dolby Digital releases of the same title with at times supplementals. This, not to mention delayed release dates, is seriously hurting the DTS format’s chances for success. Another excellent higher performance format does not deserve to die simply because of incompetence on the part of studio executives who don’t care or can’t hear. Write those letters!
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