What is DTS?
top DTS (Digital Theater Systems) is the alternative to Dolby Digital when it comes to digital surround sound. Like Dolby Digital, DTS is a discrete digital multichannel audio format.DTS is most often associated with movie soundtracks, but this high-resolution approach to surround sound is also being used to create multichannel versions of music recordings, too. Whether we’re talking about a movie theater or a home theater, DTS,like Dolby Digital,is an encode/decode system: to play back a Dolby Digital soundtrack, you need a Dolby Digital decoder, and to play back a DTS soundtrack you need a DTS decoder. When used in a home theater, both DTS and Dolby Digital are 6-channel formats, though they’re usually referred to as “5.1-channel” –5 full-range channels(front left,center,right,surround left and surround right)plus a low-frequency effects(LFE) channel for deep bass.
DTS stands for Digital Theater Systems and it is the reduced-bit encoding method introduced to the world with the movie Jurassic Park. Like Dolby Digital, DTS offers up to 5.1 channel capability with each channel separate and independent. Unlike Dolby Digital whose code is printed on the film stock between the sprocket holes and uses a data rate of 324 kilobits per second, DTS sound is encoded at a much higher bit rate and is stored on a CD-ROM disc. For the home, laserdiscs and multi-channel music CD’s are available today with DTS soundtracks. These laserdiscs and CD releases have been very popular with audio/video enthusiasts as they use the full 1.41 Megabits per second data rate of the CD and are capable of 20-bit resolution. In addition, DTS is an approved secondary sound format for DVD in both North America and Europe and we anticipate the announcement of DVD releases with DTS audio very soon. For additional information, please consult their web site at www.dtstech.com.
There are two different variations of Digital Theatre Surround sound. DTS Digital surround and Dolby Digital are almost the same. The basic difference between these two formats is the method of compression used to fit the original audio data files onto the DVD. In theory, DTS sound should reveal slightly better quality than Dolby Digital as it is less compressed, however in most cases you would be very hard pressed to tell them apart. This does however mean that since DTS sound takes more space to store on a DVD, there is sometimes not enough room for the same extra features that are to be found on non-DTS discs. The DTS and Dolby formats are not compatible, and require their own branded decoding chips on AV receivers and processors, as well as separate digital outputs on DVD players. DTS and Dolby Digital will continue to co-exist in the marketplace. DTS-ES represents the world’s first 6.1-channel Discrete Surround format. Expanding upon 5.1 surround, it adds an additional dedicated c
(Last updated: 11/05/2003) Back to top DTS is another digital 5.1 encoding method. Differences between DTS and Dolby Digital are beyond the scope of this FAQ. As it concerns the Xbox, the only important point is that the Xbox is not set up to do real-time encoding of DTS efficiently during a game. It may be possible for a game developer to encode DTS using the Xbox CPU, but this would take serious resources away from game AI, physics, etc. So it is very unlikely that any game will actually support DTS. DVDs with DTS will work fine as their audio is just passed directly through the optical port. See also: 3.22 What is Dolby Digital? 3.25 What digital audio formats are supported by the Xbox? (Last updated: 11/05/2003) Back to top The Xbox supports both Dolby Digital and DTS. Note that the Xbox does not decode the digital signal – it just sends it out the optical connection. You must have a device (such as an A/V receiver) capable of decoding Dolby Digital in order to have 5.1 surround so
