DTS Etc.
Dear Gary: I have a few questions that I think could be the basis for an article or some comment in WSR. I am fairly new to your exceptional magazine, and some things seem to be evolving in the format area that I haven’t been able to find concise information on. Regarding DTS/Dolby Digital 5.1 etc: 1. It would appear from your reviews that DOLBY DIGITAL and DTS are peacefully coexisting on the same DVDs. Do I understand this correctly, as to your reviews that discuss both sound formats on the same movie? It would seem, if this is true, that the need for any controversy about one being “better” than the other is over. Let the viewer choose! I have not purchased or rented any DVDs yet that have both formats, and I haven’t even used any that have DTS on them yet. I intend to remedy that soon, especially now that DTS appears to have survived and is available on several titles. 2. About the DTS CDs that I have seen advertised by DTS. Are these truly CDs? Would they play in a CD player? I get the impression from DTS’ Web site that they would not, as they state you need a DVD player that has “DTS Out.”. Or does this apply only if you want the 5.1 playback? Do they play back in 2-channel, if you wanted to use them in a car for instance? Would my DVD-Video player recognize these as CDs or DVDs? How do these 5.1 channel CDs stack up against the proposed new 5.1 formats of DVD-Audio and SACD? I am not too inclined to invest in new hardware just to get more channels of music playback, but the idea of having 5.1 channel audio on my existing equipment doesn’t sound too bad. These seem a little pricey for CDs (at least at on line ordering prices) and I would really like to hear some comments from your staff, as you always tell the whole truth. Thanks again for the great magazine and Web site. P.S. I just answered the poll on the DTS/ Dolby Digital issue on the same DVD forum on your Web site. Put Dolby Digital and DTS both on, I say, but I don’t want to pay extra for anything that is apparently such a subtle difference in quality.
Rick LeRoy, Hickory Corners, Michigan
Movie Sound Editor Perry Sun Comments:
It was exactly eight years ago this month that we ran Part One of a story about Dolby® Digital. We told the story of Ray Dolby and his search to reduce the noise common to music and sound reproduction in theatres. In that same issue was yet another story about sound: “Sound Wars, At A Theatre Near You.” This might well have been the first time anyone had written extensively about Digital Theatre Systems, now known simply as DTS®. DTS was going up against Dolby Digital and SDDS® for the hearts and ears of moviegoers. Early on, DTS got its first great break when Steven Spielberg backed up his belief in sound being an integral part of a movie by producing Jurassic Park in DTS format. If you go back and read our story, we were quite hard on DTS at the time. We too believed that sound was an important part of any movie and we wanted to get past the hype to see what would become of these new sound systems. It wasn’t long after that moviegoers began to expect great sound at the theatre. But the battle had just begun. The front was quickly moving into the home. As more and more people upgraded from VHS movies to LaserDisc, it wasn’t long before the concept of having your own theatre at home with sound and picture as good as or better than your local movie house caught on. More and more equipment manufacturers came forth with their ideas of what makes great sound and they were the first ones that had to decide on which multichannel sound format to include in their products. Consumers had not yet developed an ear for one system or the other. They just knew that something out there was going to make their enjoyment of music and movie sound better. It was then the consumer who created the demand for better home sound systems. There may be room for everyone but in this final battle, after years of heated debate and endless taking sides, it looks like DTS is gaining momentum. On our own Web site; www.Widescreen Review.com, we have been carrying an open forum discussion to see how our readers feel about the differences between DTS and Dolby Digital. We ourselves, had been won over early on even though the arguments continued. DTS seems to be picking up more and more fans every day. Sound quality is not something you can decide by reading about it. You have to hear it yourself and listen for the differences. Now we find that Stereophile Guide To Home Theater recently took an online poll of its readers about how DTS Digital Surround compared to Dolby Digital and found that respondents preferred DTS by an overwhelming 9 to 1 margin. These results came from a corner of the world we felt sure was a solid proponent of Dolby Digital. According to their Webzine, 33 percent answered, “DTS rules,” with another 30 percent concluding that “DTS is a little better” than Dolby Digital. We hate to say, “we told you so,” but doggone it, why not. DTS has settled in for the long haul and has even branched out to 5.1 music. You’ll even find DTS on output on the exciting new Sony PlayStation 2 (along with Dolby of course) and DTS’ old supporter, Steven Spielberg, is giving you the choice of Dolby or DTS on the new special edition Jaws DVD. With both DTS and Dolby Digital being incorporated into more and more equipment and used on more software titles, it looks like the final decision is up to the consumer in the privacy of his own home.
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