Why Is DTS In Limited Release?
Dear Gary: I’d like to let you and the other readers know what I think about DTS’ chances in the world of cheap Dolby Digital DVDs. I have been, what you could call, an early adopter of discrete digital sound. When integrated A/V receivers with Dolby Digital were still unavailable, I purchased the then 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 6 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 Dolby Digital that would be OK with me and I’d always go with the better sound. But Dolby Digital titles, be it LD 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 Dolby Digital titles are loaded with special features. With LaserDisc that was different because some DTS LDs feature the theatrical trailer and 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 Dolby Digital counterpart is always available between 30 and 60 percent off SRP! This may have to do mainly with sales volume but I think its also part of the distributors’ strategies to gain market with penetration pricing. What I do right now is 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 Dolby Digital counterpart is more than $10 cheaper. But ideally DTS and Dolby Digital titles should be priced equally. I have been only writing about the North American market so far. As I live in Europe most of the time 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 are 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. 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 upgrading 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. For example, 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 unless a miracle happens soon. I really hate to see this happen after spending $700 on the DTS decoder upgrade.
Ralf Beckers,
mailto:post@ralfbeckers.deDear
Editor Gary Reber Comments:
Sadly, I have to agree with your comments, especially the disparity in pricing between Dolby Digital and DTS Digital Surround DVDs. At the recent DVD Forum Conference I conversed with Patrick Watson, DTS’ Director of Technical Sales about this concern. You will find his On Screen comments in this Issue 34 entitled, "Why Is DTS In Limited Release?" If the industry can support both SDCD and DVD-Audio, which represent similar subtle differences compared to PCM 44.1kHz/ 16-bit audio, then they can support DTS Digital Surround as well as Dolby Digital.
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