What would you choose?

[Jraducha]

I was sitting here getting ready to watch a movie.... The movie gives me the choice of either hearing it in DTS or Dolby 5.1. I usually choose DTS when given the chance. I am using a Marantz 6400 dvd player and a rotel rsx 1067. I let the reciever do the sound processing. What would you pick and why? Thanks

[DrJRapp]

I always opt for the DTS when available. The dynamics and steering on most DTS soundtracts are superior to the DD IMHO.

[Azeke]

I prefer DTS as well, here is a URL which provides a brief synopsis:

DD vs. DTS

Regards,

Azeke

[basementjack]

Hey Azeke,

I enjoyed reading that page you posted the link for.

My comments, I am surprised and amazed at how good Dolby Digital sounds on my Rotel Stuff. I think Rotel has done a great job with thier DD implementation. While I'm sure DTS might sound better (and I too always elect DTS if the option exists) I can say I've been pretty happy listening to anything through this rotel gear.

- Jack

[Andrew Pratt]

Depends if I bother to look to see if there's a DTS track or not

[Fishy]

Depends if a THX is on the disc as well.

Fish

[Foxman]

I generally will choose DTS.

[jimmyp58]

Dts.....

[Kevin P]

Another vote for DTS...

[kmak]

I have an old Rotel Receiver RSX-965. It was one of the 1st units with DTS, it even has a 5.1 analog input. One problem is bass management in DTS only. If there's a soundtrack that has uber-bass I choose DD, but if it has a lot of rear channel action I opt for DTS. I know the unit has some shortcomings, but if I had a machine with better BM, I would always pick DTS.

[Shane Martin]

Depends if a THX is on the disc as well.

shouldn't matter.

[mtodde]

I strongly prefer DTS and will even special order a DVD to get DTS.

[David Meek]

Dts.

[Gordon Moore]

Depends if a THX is on the disc as well.

shouldn't matter.

What Shane is trying to say is that THX is a specification more than an enocoded format. THX capable recievers do have the ability to apply post-processing to the encoded format of choice (DD or DTS), timbre-balance, Re-Eq, decorrelation etc... to balance the sound for the near field experience of the home environment (also, hometheaters rarely have wall treatments and the like and few have perf'd screens with speakers behind them so THX processors will take that into consideration (knock off some of the brightness of the soundtrack). Some poeple like the effect, some don't (feel that it just dulls the sound) it's a hit and miss type thing.

The specification part of THX is the attempt to ensure that the component will meet an approved standard bench spec in the lab.

A disc with THX only has to do with the "meeting specification part". There's no special process included to the surround track...your audio/video equipment takes care of any THX processing.


Me personally. I think, when calibrated DD is "just as good" and my nod usually goes to that track since I appreciate a really efficient algorithm that can keep up with the bloat of DTS. DTS isn't full bit-rate on DVD anyway...so I generally prefer a disc with DD5.1EX and as much bandwidth to video as possible (since video takes a bigger penalty than the soundtrack). The exception is Superbits, since they're feature light to start with, it's nice to have choice.

If DTS was full bitrate I'd be more ga-ga over it (go HD-DVD/Blue)ray, but when calibrated it's really hard to tell the difference.(DTS tend to be mixed hotter by a few to several dB. Our perception when things are louder is that it is better and more dynamic...human nature...it's an old sales trick to blast a track at the store and you go wow! that's loud, it blinds you from listening to clarity, definition or even warmth)

IMO

[purplepeople]

AFAIK, if a particular disc is THX, then it will only contain an AC3 soundtrack.

ensen.

[Sonnie Parker]

Good summary/synopsis/evaluation (whatever you call it) Gordo!

I typically listen to DD myself... just because it usually defaults to it when I start the DVD. I have watched some DVD's a second time around that offered DTS just to hear the difference but couldn't really say that I noticed any difference, although there may have been some.