DTS vs Dolby Digital?

Dolby Digital is REQUIRED by the DVD-V format, while DTS is strictly optional. I think Universal uses it more often than other studios. Also, DTS is used only when the original audio material is in at least 5 channels; you'll never see DTS used on a DVD with, for instance, only a 3-channel Dolby Surround track.

I expect Netflix issues the same original discs that we can buy or rent; they just don't pay attention to whether a disc includes a DTS track. Simply cycle thru the Audio options when the movie starts to see if DTS is there.

I agree with Flemingjrd--DTS sounds better.
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no comparison: [b]DTS[/b]!! For every 20 DVDs, there may be one DD that has a recording that is equal or better than DTS...19/20 DTS will blow it out of the water...and that my friends, is the truth.

Show me a DD recording that will even come close to a DTS track from a Superbit DVD or a, say "Lord of the Rings" type DTS track.......you show me one, and lunch is on me!

Dolby Digital is better because

1. Home Dolby Digital is the same format as theatrical Dolby Digital. Home DTS is a different animal. With Dolby Digital you're more likely to get an original sound track that hasn't been altered to trade realism for more exciting surround use. You're less likely to have something compressed (I've seen 15dB) to sound good at low playback levels and on systems that can't handle theatrical SPL peaks. These mastering differences also mean you can't compare the two.

2. Dolby Digital has meta-data indicating the average program level. The license requires decoders to respect this. The average volume doesn't change when you punch up a different movie or playback a trailer.

3. Dolby Digital has meta-data describing how to apply intelligent dynamic compression. The license requires decoders to provide this as a user control. DTS doesn't. So there are lots of situations where DTS forces you to loose the fine details - high SPLs aren't compatable with sleeping people, the noise floor with earbuds on airplanes masks soft sounds even when you turn it up, etc.

Comparing bit rates also doesn't tell you anything. DV video is 25Mb/second. ATSC can be 19.2Mb/second. The HD signal looks much better in spite of the lower bit rate.

My HK receiver forces DD unless I switch to an analog connection. I called their tech support and that is because it is supposedly defaults to the best sound when in a digital connection mode.

>My HK receiver forces DD unless I switch to an analog >connection.

Your HK receiver plays whatever the source outputs.

Nearly all DVD audio tracks are encoded with Dolby Digital.

From the digital output, your DVD player can be configured to output these tracks unaltered or down-mix that to 2-channels. The LFE channel is probably misssing from the down-mix.

It will output 44.1Khz PCM from CDs and 48KHz PCM from DVDs with PCM tracks . It will probably down-convert 96KHz PCM DVD tracks to 48KHz. PCM tracks on DVDs are nearly non-existant.

It may have an option to enable DTS on the digital outputs.

From the stereo analog outputs, your DVD player can output down-mixed Dolby Digital and PCM sources.

It may have built-in Dolby Digital and DTS decoders with multi-channel outputs. These probably offer fewer bass management options than your receiver.