Dolby Digital vs DTS HD HR - is one intrinsically better than the other?

[Bruce Morrison]

I have acquired two Blu-ray editions of the German film Der Untergang ('Downfall'). Both have lossy audio - the UK edition has Dolby Digital 5.1 and the German edition has DTS HD HR 5.1. I've just acquired the German one under the mistaken impression that it had DTS HD MA 5.1, so it's still sealed at the moment and I have the option of returning it for a refund.

Can anyone tell me, is a DTS HD HR 5.1 track likely to be any better than a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, assuming that both have been taken from the same master?

Of course, if anyone has had an opportunity to compare these two specific editions of Downfall, any views on which is technically better would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in anticipation!

[My_Two_Cents]

You've been a member for over 3 years, and you've never seen any of the dozens of threads around here discussing this topic? The Search function works wonderfully, and even without it I'm sure you can find the appropriate threads. Another discussion like this will only lead to the usual arguments.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by Bruce Morrison

Can anyone tell me, is a DTS HD HR 5.1 track likely to be any better than a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, assuming that both have been taken from the same master?

I haven't compared the two, but it really depends on the bitrates if they're both from the same master.
If the dts-hr is 3.0 Mbps then it's likely to be pretty transparent to the master.
If the dts-hr is only 1.5 Mbps then the difference between it and the 640 Kbps Dolby track is likely to be slim and probably not worth a substantial difference in price.

[progers13]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

You've been a member for over 3 years, and you've never seen any of the dozens of threads around here discussing this topic? The Search function works wonderfully, and even without it I'm sure you can find the appropriate threads. Another discussion like this will only lead to the usual arguments.

But he's not asking about the merits of lossy vs. lossless or can anyone truly hear a difference (the usual arguments). He's asking about a specific soundtrack comparison between 2 versions of an obscure movie. Personally, I'm interested to see what kind of response is generated.

[Bruce Morrison]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

You've been a member for over 3 years, and you've never seen any of the dozens of threads around here discussing this topic? The Search function works wonderfully, and even without it I'm sure you can find the appropriate threads. Another discussion like this will only lead to the usual arguments.

I'm not asking about the lossless codecs - I'm asking whether there is likely to be any significant instrinsic difference between two particular lossy codecs. If there are "dozens" of threads on this topic, I certainly haven't found them - and yes I do know how to use the search function.

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by Bruce Morrison

I'm not asking about the lossless codecs - I'm asking whether there is likely to be any significant instrinsic difference between two particular lossy codecs. If there are "dozens" of threads on this topic, I certainly haven't found them - and yes I do know how to use the search function.

My apologies. I completely missed the part about the specific movie. Looks like I need to learn how to read an entire post!

[steve_dave]

Originally Posted by Bruce Morrison

Can anyone tell me, is a DTS HD HR 5.1 track likely to be any better than a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, assuming that both have been taken from the same master?

Dolby Digital lossy has a maximum bit-rate of 640kbs on Blu-ray Disc.

DTS-HD High Resolution can have a constant minimum bit-rate of 2.0mbs with a constant maximum of 6mbs.

With DTS-HD HR, you have getting a much less compressed lossy track. As long as your receiver can handle DTS-HD HR or your BD player can decode it to PCM, you will get a cleaner audio experience that is closer to the original studio masters than other lossy codecs.

DTS-HD HR also has a core track like its lossless cousin DTS-HD MA which is generally 1.5mbs.

[SammyB]

Sorry I can't answer about the particular blu-ray in question. But in theory the DTS HD High Res should sound better. But it depends if it was mixed better, your equipment, and hearing abilities. For example my dad couldn't tell the difference when I demoed for him the DTS HD HR vs DTS, yet I could. He did use to play in a band for a number of years, and is 55 so his hearing is not perfect. While I'm 22 and still have good hearing. However he could tell the difference between DTS and DTS HD MA.

As long as the german edition is in your region code, I'd keep the german with DTS HD HR. There are some sites where they compare different editions of movies, which might list the copies in question. If you look through some of those, it might give a clearer indication on which is better for PQ and AQ.

[Bruce Morrison]

Thanks for the helpful replies, guys. I have opened and played the German edition and it certainly sounds very impressive, although I haven't done a detailed direct comparison with the UK disc yet.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by steve_dave

Dolby Digital lossy has a maximum bit-rate of 640kbs on Blu-ray Disc.

DTS-HD High Resolution can have a constant minimum bit-rate of 2.0mbs with a constant maximum of 6mbs.

With DTS-HD HR, you have getting a much less compressed lossy track. As long as your receiver can handle DTS-HD HR or your BD player can decode it to PCM, you will get a cleaner audio experience that is closer to the original studio masters than other lossy codecs.

DTS-HD HR also has a core track like its lossless cousin DTS-HD MA which is generally 1.5mbs.

DTS-HD actually starts at 1.5 Mbps, not 2.0 Mbps, according to their technical white paper page 7.

I haven't seen any testing that shows 1.5 Mbps dts-hd to be noticeably better than 640 Kbps Dolby Digital.