DthRdrX

I can hear more clarity out of most DTS tracks, but will admit I always seem to have to turn my receiver 4 db's because it's louder.

NestoJR

DTS OWNS !!

it varies among movies but I hear more clarity, detail, spaciousness, low end, high end, etc. Watch Collateral, chapters "Getting Mugged" and "Club Fever" and tell me if you notice a huge difference. could just be my setup and yes I know DTS is encoded louder so I change up the volumes so they match, but damn... its night and day.

I know theres a huge debate over DD vs DTS but anyone whos heard Saving Private Ryan DTS will tell you its much better, may be the exception but it IS better than the DD version.

rreynol

The DTS track for SPR was pulled from a different (better) master than the Dolby Digital version, hence the reason is sounds worlds better.


btw, I love DTS too.

DarthMarino

When I first got my receiver I would select "Digital Theater Sound" but that was until I realized that at the volume I listen to my movies at, it makes no difference. I watch movies to enjoy them, not to blast them to impress my friends. I can't even remember the last time I selected such options and given the choice, I'd buy a standard Dolby 5.1 disc over one containing a "Digital Theater Sound" soundtrack. I used to like it when Universal gave you the option: Twelve Monkeys with a 2 hour documentary or Twelve Monkeys with no features.

Mr. Salty

First, as has been repeatedly pointed out in this thread, DTS stands for Digital Theater Systems, not Digital Theater Sound.

And sound quality and volume have little to do with each other. You don't have to blast the soundtrack at high volume in order to enjoy it.

compulsive dvd

If you have any programs that can tell file sizes of audio tracks, DTS is always way larger. I've also noticed that Dolby 2.0 tracks are larger than 5.1. That's my thing with Dolby. It often sounds compressed when you compare it to even the regular stereo version. This happens most often in concerts. The Japanese DTS dvd of Blade has over 1GB for DTS and less than half of that for Dolby 5.1. Some DTS titles seem to be also compressed, but never as much as the dolby track. I have noticed that some D-VHS titles have DTS where the dvds do not. I'd only written initially because I noticed that within the last month, almost no titles have dts except Mr. 3000. Ray should have had one. Hopefully the Japanese dvd will, $50 or not.

rdclark

Three quick points:

1) Louder vs. better:
The relevance of DTS tracks being mastered at a higher level is that when comparing two otherwise identical tracks, most people will identify the louder one as sounding "better."

2) Size of audio tracks:
The PCM Stereo tracks on concert DVDs *are* uncompressed. That's why they sound better, even though they lack surround and .1 channels. And that's why they continue to be included on the majority of concert DVDs even though they're disappearing from movie discs. [It's important to remember to switch the system to stereo when listening to these, to avoid the stereo signal being decoded by Pro Logic.]

3) Inherent differences:
DTS and DD have different standards for handling center channel and LFE levels during encoding. Some decoders automatically compensate for this (or have menu settings to allow you to choose to) and some don't. This, combined with the loudness issue and the occasional title that use different master sources for DD than for DTS (such as Pvt Ryan) has made objective comparison of DD and DTS very difficult for ordinary individuals.

RichC

Hendrik

...erm... ALL DTS titles ARE compressed - albeit less so than DD...

. . . . . .

lizard

With regard to DTS often being encoded at a higher volume, I don't doubt that if this is true it will sound "better" to many.

However, sometime ago I measured the volume for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Extended Edition with a sound level meter, and found that the volume appeared to be the same for both DTS and DD. I would guess that Peter Jackson used the same soundtrack for both codecs. So, FOTR:EE might be a good choice for comparing DTS and DD. In my case, I couldn't discern a significant difference. But that might just be my system or my "ear". YMMV.

Spiky

They aren't encoded at higher volume, it is a function of your receiver's decoding. FOTR DTS is clearly louder than the DD on my system, just like every other DTS/DD DVD. The bass is done differently and is WAAAYY over the top in DD on this disc, that may be swaying your readings. I definitely like the DTS better on FOTR because of this.

Can we please NOT debate this again? For those who clearly have no understanding, like anyone who says, "DTS sounds better than 5.1", go do some research. They are both great systems, DTS probably has more potential, but no one ever attempts to maximize the potential, probably because of disc space and/or because everyone thinks DTS is better already.