Whats the difference between Dolby Digital and DTS?
Both are discrete multichannel audio systems. Each one offers 6-channel surround sound, and both systems use compression to reduce the space needed to store digital audio data. The main difference is in the method of compression. DTS uses significantly less compression than Dolby Digital and therefore requires more space on the disc. Most manufacturers offer receivers and DVD players that are compatible with both systems.
Dolby Digital and DTS are similar in that they are both digital lossy audio coding technologies, which means they use perceptual data reduction techniques that are based on the characteristics of human hearing to mask the process, thereby preserving high fidelity sound. This is necessary in order to fit the typical 5.1-channel bitstream into a given storage space or transmission bandwidth. Beyond those basic similarities, the two formats are very different. The main difference is that Dolby Digital is designed to handle anything from mono to full 5.1-channel sound formats, and typically runs at data rates of 192 to 448 kbps depending on the number of audio channels and the application. DTS was originally designed for a data rate of 1411 kbps, and typically runs at data rates of 754 or 1509 kbps depending on the data capacity available.
