FEEL THE NOISE: Dolby versus dts for DVD - Technology Information

Emedia Professional, July, 2000 by Michelle Manafy

One thing I'd heard about, but hadn't heard before, was the difference a unified speaker system makes (my personal setup is patched together from three vendors). As Peter Tribeman, president of Atlantic Technology, explained it, "When purchasing a stereo you wouldn't buy a left speaker from one company and a right from a second, so why would you do it with surround?" With the Atlantic speakers, the sound track fills the room, but I did not find myself looking for any particular sound's point of origin; the 275-watt-powered subwoofer's bass resonated through my bones. For me, it did its job too well. I was so completely enveloped by the sound, that I almost forgot to listen to the products.

Theory and Practice

Many have discussed side-by-side, A/B testing of the two surround sound systems. Few would admit to having a preference--on the record. Business is political, after all. So, I took the liberty of setting up a surround-sound test lab of my own (see sidebar), and while not exactly scientific, the results were startlingly clear.

I did not explain any technical differences between the two systems beforehand. I simply said I would be playing clips of DVDs at identical sound levels using two surround sound alternatives. Using Antz and Saving Private Ryan (Universal/DreamWorks), I chose one scene from each to illustrate a variety of sound types that would be demonstrative of surround capabilities. Between each pair of scenes, I asked for comments from the six participants.

With Antz, perhaps the most telling comment came from Claire, a 60-something woman who does not own a CD player, not to mention an in-home theater. "With the first one, the sound seemed like it all came from the front. It was toned down." Not a fan of loud movies, she preferred toned down. With Saving Private Ryan, the responses were unanimous; the first version sounded "muffled." It sounded "pretty good, but not nearly as good as the second one." Regarding the second choice, comments included: "I could feel the impact;" "The sounds of the shells falling and tanks grinding over the rocks were so clear, so real." In both comparisons, the first selection was Dolby Digital 5.1 and the second was dts.

Perhaps more remarkable, however, were the responses to who thought which was Dolby and which was dts and why. Almost all of the participants thought that the second selection must be Dolby because it sounded better--proving once again that perception is the name of the game.

companies mentioned in this article

12 Centimeter Multimedia 3350 Scott Boulevard, Bldg. 61, Santa Clara, CA; 95054; 408/350-9000; Fax 408/350-9012; http://www.12cm.com)

Artisan Entertainment 2700 Colorado Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90404; 310/449-9200; http://www.artisanentertainment.com

Atlantic Technology International Corp. 343 Vanderbilt Avenue, Norwood, MA; 02062; 781/762-6300; 781/762-6868; http://www.atlantictechnology.com

Crush Digital Video 147 West 25th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY, 10001; 888/278-7438, 212/ 989-6500; Fax 212/645-9093; info@ crushdv.com; http://www.crushdv.com