DTS vs Dolby: Maybe this would settle things. (1 Viewer)

[Jeremy Wadian]

What if there was a contest between DTS and Dolby Digital? Here's how it could work: Take one upcoming Dvd release, like Star Wars III. Then let Dolby do their best and let DTS do there best. Which would sound better?
Note: don't tell me that Star Wars III will not be in DTS, I know.

Basically if they both used the exact same source and they both tried there best, which would sound better?

 

[Chad R]

Whichever one you personally thought sounded better. The difference has always lied in the ear of the beholder. There have been graphs drawn up to try and scientifically prove one side or the other's point, but the debate still rages. It's practcally an ideological issue now.

 

[Bryan X]

Which would sound better?

That's the problem. 'Better' is not objective. It's purely subjective.

It's no different than trying to get people to agree on which speaker sounds 'better'. You can't. It's an opinion.

In fact, if someone said they thought Dolby Pro Logic sounded better than DTS, they would be just as right as someone who says DTS sounds better.

 

[Kyle McKnight]

And here we go again...

 

[Jeremy Wadian]

So, although we can all agree that video quality does improve (vhs vs 1080i). Audio is a personal matter. hmmm

 

[Nils Luehrmann]

Debating which sounds better DTS or DD is as much fun as...


What is painfully clear is that the difference between the two technologies is hardly significant, but the differences between the qualities of mixes of both technologies can be very significant.

I for one wish studios would only include one multi-channel audio mix per disc (DTS or DD, makes no difference to me) such as to allow for the greatest amount of space for higher bit rates and minimize video compression artifacts - which are significantly more noticeable than audio compression artifacts.

 

[Bryan X]

So, although we can all agree that video quality does improve (vhs vs 1080i). Audio is a personal matter. hmmm

If you are asking what is 'better', VHS or 1080i, yes it would be just as right for someone to think VHS is 'better'.

The difference between video and audio is that with video, you generally have an easy objective measure to compare - scan lines (although it's not always that simple). So you generally don't get the heated discussions.

Also, if you think everyone can agree on video quality, you've obviously never participated in a thread discussing 'Which is better, 1080i or 720p'.

 

[John_Berger]

As was mentioned in another DD/DTS thread, the fact that nether Dolby or DTS have taken steps to prove that they're better than the other (which would have HUGE marketing consequences) speaks volumes on which one is better and how much each company considers their codec to be superior.

Now, can someone PLEASE help me to put these nematoda back into their cylindrical, aluminum container that Jeremy opened before this thread degrates into yet another pointless, immature (there, I said it!), fanboyish DD/DTS thread?

You've obviously never participated in a thread discussing 'Which is better, 1080i or 720p'.

or "which is better - PC, PS2, or XBox" or "which is better - PC or Mac" ...

 

[John_Berger]

Actually, Jeremy, you might was the read this post. It was written by someone who works very closely with both technologies, and I trust his judgement. His post is probably the closest we'll ever get to anything remotely resembling an unbiased, scientific study of the two codecs.

 

[David Judah]

...the fact that nether Dolby or DTS have taken steps to prove that they're better than the other (which would have HUGE marketing consequences) speaks volumes on which one is better and how much each company considers their codec to be superior.

There's really no motivation for either side to prove anything. DD is already the standard(with few exceptions)and DTS has the marketing edge in that it is often perceived as being "better"(didn't you too have that perception and start a thread about it, John, until a few members sunk their anti-DTS teeth into you, or am I thinking of someone else?). Both have equipment readily available for encoding and both are included in virtually all consumer decoders.

Besides, if one or the other were to sponsor tests, then the outcome would be suspect. Actually, Dolby did just that and it led to the Dolby's Position on DTS papers and DTS's response papers(available for viewing on their respective websites). It would have to be done by a third party with no affiliation to either side.

As to Roogs, he's one of the few that even bothers posting on a consumer Forum on the subject, so it's hard to draw conclusions from one person's opinion. The pros are in different camps just like we end-users are, but they don't argue about it as much. The ones I've talked to and chatted with on the various Pro Forums don't really care, for they don't decide which tracks are included on a DVD, they do whatever the project requires.

The closest we will come to an unbiased test is the one being conducted by the DVD Forum to decide what will be included with HD-DVD. Even then, chances are pretty good they'll both be part of the new spec and if MLP'ed PCM is available also, most of us will have moved past caring too.

DJ