What's the difference between 5.1 and DTS?

Question

I tend to watch my dvd's in either one as I don't know the difference, they both sound pretty amazing, can anyone tell me?

Answer 1

They are both digital 5 channel surround with sub woofer (the .1). Dolby invented 5.1 and Sony came out with DTS (digital Theater Sound) and you are right both sound great. Supposedly DTS is better (less compression, better dynamic range) but I can't hear it. Enjoy!

Answer 2

I assume you mean Dolby Digital 5.1.

To appreciate the difference you need to have a surround sound amplifier capable of decoding both DD 5.1 and DTS soundtracks.

The difference is really in the compression used. Similar to how music files are compressed into mp3 format for ease of use, movie soundtracks are compressed to fit on a DVD. DTS soundtracks aren't compressed as much as DD 5.1, and to my ears sound better. There is greater clarity at high frequencies and better dynamic range (difference between quiet and loud sounds).

I've tried this with a few DVDs that have both soundtracks and I always opt for the DTS soundtrack. The region 1 version of Gladiator is superb.

Unfortunately, DD 5.1 is mandatory on DVDs while DTS is optional. The latter is often omitted for the sake of extras.

I hope this helps answer your question.

Answer 3

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. In order to achieve lower data rates than DTS with no sacrifice in sound quality, Dolby Digital uses many sophisticated data reduction technologies that DTS lacks.

The most commonly used data rate for Dolby Digital on DVDs has increased to 448 kbps, thus assuring optimal sound quality. Meanwhile, DTS data rates have been cut in half for most new DVDs, down to 754 kbps, potentially decreasing sound quality.

Answer 4

For all the technical info you would ever want (but still in a very readable form) see the article at the link.

In brief, Dolby Digital (DD --- what you called 5.1) and DTS are both 5.1 surround sound coding formats on some DVDs. DD is mandatory on DVDs, while DTS is optional. prior to about 2000 DTS gave higher quality sound than DD, but in recent years the bitrate was reduced and today there is little to pick between the two formats.

There are a number of variations on DD and DTS, including 6 channel variations.

BTW, the 5.1 refers to the number of channels. the "5" is the right and left front, centre front and right and left surround channels, while the ".1" refers to the subwoofer channel (otherwise called LFE or "Low Frequency Effects" channel.)

Happy Listening.