DPLII, DD, DTS, DTS EX, NEO, etc. etc. etc.....

brettw22
brettw22 Posts: 7,624
edited April 2003 in Music & Movies
Since I'm finally making the jump to DD finally.........I guess that I need to educate myself a bit about the different formats. I guess I get that with a movie that's released as DD, then you're gonna wanna have the player and receiver playing the appropriate track.

What I don't know is the difference between DD, DTS, etc. Is there a site that describes the different formats and what's different about them or what's better under any certain listening situation etc? The only thing that I've heard is that PLII is best used for those that are watchin their movies on VHS. I don't know when DTS would be used over DTS ES (or EX?), what NEO is, Matrix, etc etc.

Help???
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Post edited by brettw22 on

Comments

  • goingganzo
    goingganzo Posts: 2,793
    edited April 2003
    Dolby® Pro Logic™ 4 2 discrete, full-bandwidth channels (front left and right)
    1 matrixed, full-bandwidth channel (center)
    1 matrixed, limited-bandwidth channel (surround left and right)
    VHS movies
    broadcast TV
    can be downconverted from any Dolby Digital source

    Dolby Pro Logic II 5.1 2 discrete, full-bandwidth channels (front left and right)
    3 matrixed, full-bandwidth channels (center, surround left and right)
    1 subwoofer channel via Pro Logic II's bass management
    all the same Dolby Surround sources as Pro Logic (VHS movies, broadcast TV)
    stereo music

    Dolby Digital up to
    5.1 5 discrete, full-bandwidth channels (front left and right, center, surround left and right)
    1 discrete LFE channel (subwoofer)
    all DVDs
    some broadcast HDTV
    some DBS

    DTS® 5.1 5 discrete, full-bandwidth channels (front left and right, center, surround left and right)
    1 discrete LFE channel (subwoofer)
    some DVDs are DTS-encoded
    some CDs are DTS-encoded

    Dolby Digital EX 6.1 5 discrete, full-bandwidth channels (front left and right, center, surround left and right)
    1 matrixed, full-bandwidth channel (back surround)
    1 discrete LFE channel (subwoofer)
    some DVDs are Dolby Digital EX-encoded
    regular Dolby Digital 5.1 DVDs can also be used with a Dolby Digital EX decoder

    THX Surround EX™ 6.1 5 discrete, full-bandwidth channels (front left and right, center, surround left and right)
    1 matrixed, full-bandwidth channel (back surround)
    1 discrete LFE channel (subwoofer)
    Dolby Digital EX-encoded DVDs
    regular Dolby Digital 5.1 DVDs can also be used with a THX Surround EX decoder

    DTS-ES™ 6.1 6 discrete, full-bandwidth channels (front left and right, center, surround left and right, and back surround)
    1 discrete LFE channel (subwoofer)
    some DVDs are DTS-ES-encoded
    regular DTS 5.1 DVDs can also be used with a DTS-ES decoder
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited April 2003
    Excellent post Ganzo. Here is a link from local Polk and Dolby home, just for any other information he may want to inquire about.

    http://www.polkaudio.com/home/faqad/advice.php?article=formats

    www.dolby.com
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
  • TonyPTX
    TonyPTX Posts: 545
    edited April 2003
    Best and quickest explaination of all these formats ironically came out of my Rotel manual. Honest to god truth, the Rotel manual not only covers how to use their product, but is an educational manual as well with numerous tips on how to hook up all your gear. And without further ado....

    Overview of Surround Formats

    Dolby Surround
    Dolby Pro Logic

    The most widely available surround sound format for consumer audio/video is Dolby Surround®, available on nearly all commercial VHS tapes, many television broadcasts, and most DVDs. Dolby Surround is the consumer version of the analog Dolby Stereo system first introduced in the film industry in 1972. It is a matrix-encoding system that records front left, front center, front right, and a mono surround channel into a 2-channel stereo recording. During playback, a Dolby Pro Logic® decoder extracts each channel and distributes it to the appropriate speakers.
    Dolby Pro Logic decoding delivers a mono signal with reduced high-frequency content to the surround speakers. The more advanced decoder in many AVR: Dolby Pro Logic II, increases the separation and frequency response of the surround channels for significantly improved performance with Dolby Surround encoded recordings.
    Dolby Pro Logic II decoding is used for any analog soundtrack or recording labeled “Dolby Surround” or any Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. While it is specifically designed to decode Dolby Surround recordings, Dolby Pro Logic can derive surround sound from conventional 2-channel stereo recordings, using phase relationships to extract front, right, center, and surround channels.

    Dolby Digital
    In 1992, an entirely new digital recording system, called Dolby Digital, was first used in the film industry. Dolby Digital is a recording/playback system that uses compression techniques to store large amounts of audio data efficiently, much like the JPEG format stores large photographs in small files on a computer. Dolby Digital is the standard audio format for DVDs and for digital television broadcasting in the United States.
    The Dolby Digital system can be used to record up to six discrete audio channels, but can also be used for fewer. For example, a Dolby Digital 2.0 recording is a 2-channel stereo recording such as a matrix encoded Dolby Surround soundtrack. To play this type of recording, use Dolby Pro Logic II decoding as previously described.
    The most common use of Dolby Digital, in both the film industry and in home theater, is Dolby Digital 5.1. Instead of encoding multiple surround channels on a two-channel recording, Dolby Digital 5.1 records six discrete channels: front left, front center, front right, surround left, surround right, and a Low Frequency Effects (LFE) channel containing ultra-low bass signals intended for a subwoofer. A Dolby Digital decoder extracts the channels from the digital bitstream, converts them to analog signals and routes them to the appropriate speakers. All channels provide full frequency response with total separation between all channels and large dynamic range capability. A Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack will provide significantly more impressive surround sound than Dolby Pro Logic decoding of matrix Dolby Surround.
    Keep in mind that Dolby Digital is only available from digital sources (a DVD, a LaserDisc, or a Digital TV/ Cable/SAT tuner). Also, you must connect the source with a digital cable (coax or optical) to an active digital input.
    NOTE: Many DVDs have a Dolby Digital 2.0 matrix soundtrack as the default, which should be decoded with Pro Logic II. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack may have to be selected as an option from the setup menus at the beginning of the DVD. Look for a Dolby Digital 5.1 selection under “Audio” or “Languages” or “Setup Options” when you insert the disc.

    DTS 5.1
    DTS® (Digital Theater Systems) is an alternative digital format competing with Dolby Digital in both movie theaters and home theater markets. The basic features and functions of the DTS system are similar to those of Dolby Digital (for example, 5.1 discrete channels), however the technical details of the compression and decoding processes differ somewhat and a DTS decoder is required.
    Like Dolby Digital, DTS can only be used on a digital recording and, therefore, is only available for home use on LaserDiscs, DVDs, or other digital formats. To use the a DTS decoder, you must connect your DVD player to the digital inputs.
    As with Dolby Digital 5.1, detection and proper decoding of DTS 5.1 signals is automatic.
    NOTE: DVDs with a DTS soundtrack almost always have it configured as an option to the standard matrix Dolby Surround format. To use DTS, you may have to go to the setup menus at the beginning of the DVD and select “DTS 5.1” instead of “Dolby Surround” or “Dolby Digital 5.1”. In addition, many DVD players have the DTS digital bitstream turned off by default and cannot output a DTS soundtrack, even if selected on the disc’s menu, until you activate the player’s DTS output. If you hear no sound the first time you attempt to play a DTS disc, you may have to go to the DVD player’s configuration menus and turn on the DTS bitstream. This is a onetime setting and need only be done once. See your DVD owners manual for details.
    Aa second type of DTS surround sound decoding is DTS Neo:6. This decoding system is similar to Dolby Pro Logic II in that it is designed for playback of any 2- channel stereo recording, either matrix-encoded or not. The Neo:6 decoder can by used with any conventional 2-channel source such a stereo TV or FM broadcast or a CD. It can also be used as an alternative method of decoding matrix-encoded Dolby Surround recordings or TV broadcasts. Activate the DTS Neo:6 decoding with the DTS:Neo 6 button as detailed later in this section. DTS Neo:6 is not used with DTS 5.1 digital sources and the button need not be pressed for those recordings.

    6.1 and 7.1 Surround
    In 1999, the first Dolby Digital soundtrack was released to theaters with an additional center back surround channel, intended to increase the directional effects from behind the audience. This additional surround channel is encoded into the two existing surround channels in Dolby Digital 5.1, using a matrix encoding process similar to that used previously in Dolby Surround. This new extended surround capability is called Dolby Digital Surround EX.
    DTS has added a similar capability for recording this extended surround information called DTS-ES® 6.1 Matrix. They have also taken it one step further and developed the capability to record this extended surround information as a fully discrete channel in a system called DTS-ES® 6.1 Discrete.
    All of these systems are extensions of the existing Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 digital surround sound formats. Users with one center back speaker (a 6.1 configuration) or two center back speakers (a 7.1 configuration) can take advantage of this extended surround information. Users with traditional 5.1 channel systems can play Dolby Digital Surround EX or DTS-ES 6.1 discs and they will sound exactly the same as 5.1 channel discs in each respective format. The extended surround recordings are 100% backwards compatible.
    If you have configured your system with one or two center back speakers, decoding of DTS-ES discs is automatic, just as it is with standard DTS soundtracks. Likewise, decoding of Dolby Digital Surround EX discs is automatic with one exception. Some early Surround EX titles did not have the detection “flag” encoded on the disc. To activate the Dolby Digital Surround EX features for these discs or for standard 5.1 channel Dolby Digital discs, use the Dolby PLII/3ST button described in the next section of this manual.

    Tony
    Damn....8 lines...I've gotta put my sig on a diet now....
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited April 2003
    Looks great to me, another excellent post, thx Tony :)
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
  • scottvamp
    scottvamp Posts: 3,277
    edited April 2003
    brett - WTF!!!!
    350 DVD's and you have do not have Dolby Digital.
    That is pretty much one of the biggest pro's of DVD.
    350 X 15= $5250 what gives my man??????
  • brettw22
    brettw22 Posts: 7,624
    edited April 2003
    Originally posted by scottvamp
    brett - WTF!!!!

    That's what my little voice inside says to me ALLL the time!!!!!! :lol::lol::lol:

    Originally, when I started buying DVD's, what it turned into was something more along the lines of "Lemme buy every single movie that I've ever seen blah blah blah" which wouldn't be so bad if I actually watched them. Most of them I have opened, stuck on the rack, and not watched once. Sad.......

    I'm actually thinking about goin through them all and selling off what one's I don't want to keep......We'll see......
    comment comment comment comment. bitchy.
  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited April 2003
    Personally, I wouldn't get wrapped up around the axle about anything more than good ole 5.1 DD and DTS. Unless maybe you have a large room, or an extra speaker or two laying around for a rear center(s).

    That's my $.10, my $.02 is free.

    Cheers,
    Rooster
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
  • brettw22
    brettw22 Posts: 7,624
    edited April 2003
    Originally posted by RuSsMaN
    Personally, I wouldn't get wrapped up around the axle about anything more than good ole 5.1 DD and DTS. Unless maybe you have a large room, or an extra speaker or two laying around for a rear center(s).

    That's my $.10, my $.02 is free.

    Cheers,
    Rooster

    Thanks Marshall........... ;)
    comment comment comment comment. bitchy.
  • Shizelbs
    Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
    edited April 2003
    Two things....

    1) Brett, you should list a few of those DVD's you are looking to get rid of that some of us might want to take off your hands. College students need deals :)

    2) Does DD have better quality than DPL2? Is it just me? Is it because the audio is being played as it was intended? I swear, when I finally got my act together and played my movies in DD 5.1, the quality seemed better too.
  • PETERNG
    PETERNG Posts: 918
    edited April 2003
    Originally posted by Shizelbs



    2) Does DD have better quality than DPL2? Is it just me? Is it because the audio is being played as it was intended? I swear, when I finally got my act together and played my movies in DD 5.1, the quality seemed better too. [/B]

    Absolutely, the DPL 2 is very useful for wacthing movies on old VHS tapes and TV as well. When watching regular TV everyday, turn off the damm (cheap built-inTV speakers, all TV maker should be prosecuted for doing this, what the heck are they thinking putting a pair of $2.50 speakers inside a $1,000 TV?), crank up your system with DPL II, you will notice the different. Normally, I play the DTS track if it's available on the disc, my second choice would be DD track.
  • Shizelbs
    Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
    edited April 2003
    I agree with Peter on the crappy speakers in primo TV's comment. But then again, on the other hand, if you are laying down big bucks on a TV, one should hopefully be correct in thinking that such a person will be playing movies and such through nicer speakers.
  • jdavy
    jdavy Posts: 380
    edited April 2003
    DTS is less compress and the sound is wonderfull. "Hear it again for the first time" is one of their slogans. As for DD it is a great #2. But for older movies a good two chanel audio set up is best since surround sound did not exist. Some old movies have been re-encoded with surround sound are not bad.

    This is what you should get.
    1. A good receiver that decodes both DD and DTS. That way you can use which ever you want at the time. All receivers that do DD and DTS will do pro-logic.

    2. Get a great set of matching surround speakers for the 5.1 system. A set will include 2 front, 1 center, 2 rear and one sub. Some people add 2 side speakers but that is not nessasary. You sould set this up at the store and demo them together. The 2 fronts and center must blend well so that neither dominates the other. This is why many of us do not use are SDA in the surround system since they will domate 95 % of the center channel speakers out there.

    3. Get a progressive scan DVD player that will pass though the DD and DTS signals to the amp.

    4. Use a great tv for viewing your movies.

    5. Dim the lights. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
  • Shizelbs
    Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
    edited April 2003
    http://electronics.cnet.com/electronics/0-6342366-8-21094105-1.html?tag=main

    Here is a link to a very simple and easy to read guide on all the formats.