Carl Spackler

Or will they be in the future.

I hate to be playing all my PS2 game in Pro-Logic, when my expensive home theatre sound system could be pumping out games with 5.1 surround. Like I'm hearing the X-Box has 5.1

Anyone give me the details on PS2's sound possibilities ?

Darknight

A few games support Dolby Digital 5.1 in cinema sequences only. Such as The Bouncer, Final Fantasy X, and Metal Gear Solid 2. However, you will never get a PS2 game that will output Dolby Digital 5.1 during the game. You will be able to get DTS 5.1 audio in real time though so if you have a receiever that can decode DTS, then you're set.

Carl Spackler

So, the PS2 only will pump out DTS 5.1 during gameplay ?

That doesn't make sense to me...

What are the X-Box's spec as far as DTS/DD 5.1 goes ?

simpsonsfan04

Yes!

SSX Tricky Is DTS!

Darknight

Carl: With the Xbox you will get Dolby Digital output at all times regardless if the game is designed for it. The way they've designed it if I recall is that all audio output is encoded for DD. If I'm correct on this, this means you won't be able to output a DTS signal.

But yes the PS2 can do DTS real-time in game, but not Dolby Digital. SSX Tricky and NHL 2002 are two of the first games that utilize this technique.

Lethal Nemesis

Wow.. I had no idea that the PS2 could do DTS 5.1 real time in-game! Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the PS2 have a built-in DTS decoder? I'm just wondering since it has the DTS logo on it. Anyway, I hope that more and more games take advantage of DTS.

It makes me wonder, though.. how come games can produce DTS in real time but not DD5.1?

Mattalos

Actually, games have to be programed for 5.1 or Microsoft won't give the game a green light.

belboz

The DTS logo on the PS2 means the same thing it means on regular DVD-Video players. It just signifies that it's capable of passing a pre-encoded DTS bitstream to the digital-out port. You still need to rely on a pre-amp or receiver that has a DTS decoder to turn that bitstream into multi-channel audio.

I'm not sure exactly what prevents the PS2 from generating a DD 5.1 bitstream while in-game. My feeling has always been that DTS is less sophisticated than DD, so it may be that encoding DTS 5.1 is simply less processor intensive than encoding DD 5.1. But that's just a guess.

MS actually set real-time DD 5.1 encoding capability as a design criteria for nVidia as they developed the XBox chipset. But, as with both the GC and PS2, I believe it's implemented as a programmable DSP so theoretically, I would expect that a developer could program it to output DTS 5.1 instead. Though why they would want to do so, I couldn't say.

WOWZY

I read a post a few days back where a guy said he had left his A/V reciever in DTS mode and he noticed his DTS icon was lit up on his A/V receiver while he was playing his XBox.

Has anyone else noticed this?

Naan

I haven't noticed it....but I haven't been looking for it either.

DTS support in games isn't required by MS for certification, and likewise there are no games supporting it.

Just about everyone is supporting DD 5.1 because the Xbox hardware downmixes the signal for you. You only have to make one soundtrack if you want to.

-Naan

Spicollidriver1

NHL 2002 from ea is also DTS, last i saw on the net every eabig game will be dts.

clash1

Carl:

I think there is a new game out that's about hunting down & killing gophers and it's in 5.1 if I remember correctly.

Kdogg

EA dedicated one of the vector units for the real time dts in SSX and NHL. It is only a matter of time before our developers follow suit and some might figure out a DD solution. My only worry is that future games that need the full processor muscle won't be in 5.1.

Wampass

I have a very High End system, and when I play SSX Tricky, The DTS signal is not a DTS 3/2 i.e. 5.1 DTS. It is only a 2/2. This means that it is only passing signals to the front R & L speaker, the rear R & L speaker and the subwoofer. Nothing is going to the center channel. Sounds awesome though. Basically it's a 4.1 DTS signal.