Poll: Should Sony use DTS-HD Master Audio or Dolby TrueHD?

[trans22]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Name the disc with BOTH FORMATS that the DTS-HD MA version sounds better than the TrueHD? (Same disc, same MIX).

Or to play it your way <insert name here> thinks TrueHD is wayyyy better because:

Transformers sounds better than Edward Scissorhands.

The Hunt For Red October sounds better than Patton.

Grease sounds better than South Pacific.

Iron Man sounds better than RoboCop.

Coach Carter sounds better than Hoosiers.

Cloverfield sounds better than The Fly.

Casino Royale sounds better than Moonraker.

Superman Returns sounds better than The 40-Year Old Virgin.

Star Trek VI sounds better than the 1950's version of The Day The Earth Stood Still.

Enchanted sounds better than Sleeping Beauty.

The Dark Knight sounds better than Fantastic Four.

The Nightmare Before Christmas sounds better than Pinnochio...and that one's 7.1!!!

See how ridiculous it looks?

TOP GUN has both and the DTS-HDMA sounds better and i have to disagree about your claim that THE DARK KNIGHT sounds better than FANTASTIC FOUR, the dialogue volume drops way too much at times on THE DARK KNIGHT.

[cembros]

Originally Posted by trans22

TOP GUN has both and the DTS-HDMA sounds better and i have to disagree about your claim that THE DARK KNIGHT sounds better than FANTASTIC FOUR, the dialogue volume drops way too much at times on THE DARK KNIGHT.

from what i understand the dts and dolby tracks on top gun are actually different mixes and not just different codecs. I will need someone to check that for me though

[wwl36]

$ony should use DTS-HD, then also followed by WB & Paramount

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by trans22

TOP GUN has both and the DTS-HDMA sounds better and i have to disagree about your claim that THE DARK KNIGHT sounds better than FANTASTIC FOUR, the dialogue volume drops way too much at times on THE DARK KNIGHT.

Top Gun uses a completely different mix, the TrueHD is the original 70MM mix from 1986, the DTS-MA one is a 6.1 remix from 2006.

This has been mentioned before.

[RedIsNotBlue]

Just keep things they way the are but honestly i don't know if it matters either way. Lossless is lossless. I was under the impression that TrueHD saves space so why would people want to take up more space away from the video if there is no real difference?

[LembasBread]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Top Gun uses a completely different mix, the TrueHD is the original 70MM mix from 1986, the DTS-MA one is a 6.1 remix from 2006.

This has been mentioned before.

And I for one actually prefer the 5.1 mix as it is reference level and well mastered. The 6.1 track sounds like it's been slammed through a brick wall limiter to the point of distortion.

A re-master isn't always better. Sometimes it rapes the original mix, i.e. The Terminator in which certain sound effects have been completely replaced.

[trans22]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Top Gun uses a completely different mix, the TrueHD is the original 70MM mix from 1986, the DTS-MA one is a 6.1 remix from 2006.

This has been mentioned before.

your obviously a lot more informed than me, thanks for the info.

[Blu-Malibu2009]

Originally Posted by trans22

so your actually admitting that the DTS-HDMA track is better on this title?

He's not. In fact another poster complained about the DTS one.

[RedIsNotBlue]

Originally Posted by trans22

so your actually admitting that the DTS-HDMA track is better on this title?

He is saying they are two completely different mixes the codec is irrelevant.

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by bluseminole

If you aren't going to trust the mixers, then who ARE you going trust? Joe Schmo with even a very nice $20,000 consumer setup? $200,000? You have to pick somebody. So yes, I would say the engineers are the people we should be trusting. And there's a difference here....the argument you refer to was one motivated by an intense format war. The engineers in question were likely not free to express reservations to the public about not including a lossless track. I'm not saying business motives aren't in play here, but there is significantly more latitude. Not to mention, the argument you reference utilizes qualifications that add a level of subjectivity..."perceptually" and "virtually" lossless are substitutes for saying "not completely" lossless. It's a "cover-the-company's ass" way of saying "it's good enough." However, an engineer who says, "There is absolutely no difference" leaves no room for interpretation. And engineers have said that.

But using your logic of "pressured sound engineers", couldn't it also be said that these same engineers have been pressured to say that TrueHD and DTS are the same thing? And I would say that the engineers who say that the DD+ track for Transformers were "indistinguishable" from the master audio were leaving no room for interpretation either.

Really, if Sony sticks with TrueHD, I am fine. They have had some incredible sounding mixes in TrueHD (30 Days of Night, Spiderman movies), and I would argue that on the movies where a PCM and TrueHD track were included for the same movie (Spiderman 3, and The Fifth Element), I was not able to tell the difference between the two after normalizing.

But I would say that in my opinion DTS mixes seem to have more bass, which gives them that "punchier" reputation. Personally, I would like to see Sony join Disney, Universal, Fox, and Lionsgate in putting DTS-HDMA tracks on their movies. I would say that if Disney switched from TrueHD to DTS-HDMA, they see some benefit in going with one lossless format over the other. Perhaps Sony is starting to see that this would be in their favor as well. Bottom line is that their customers seem to want to have the DTS lossless track, so if lossless is lossless, why not give them the lossless track that they want, regardless of the reasons (even if they might be faulty or misguided)? It's not like Sony is asking to put DNR or EE into their films or change aspect ratios to get rid of black bars. To me, it's a win-win for both sides on this one.

[Blu-Malibu2009]

Originally Posted by ganthc

To me, it's a win-win for both sides on this one.

It's not entirely a win-win.

[X400]

I know theres a "other" option but it would be nice to see LPCM listed on there; i dunno i much prefer that although dts-hdma is my 2nd fav if not equal to LPCM

[SlmShdy1]

Sony should go back to using Uncompressed PCM tracks.

[sanjay0864]

Uncompressed LPCM if space is not an issue, otherwise DTS-HD MA is the way to go. As for Dolby TrueHD, personally I think it is inferior and the sound, atleast to me, always is a little muffled, specially the center channel. While watching most Blu-rays with Dolby TrueHD, it is hard to follow the dialogue clearly and more often than not I end up turning on the sub-titles to understand the dialogue. This is something I have very rarely, if ever, faced with DTS-HD MA.

PS: As good as the audio was on 'The Dark Knight' Blu-ray, the dialogue still sounded very muffled and unclear.

[sanjay0864]

I fail to understand why anyone would vote for Dolby TrueHD. After all even if it is the same as DTS-HD MA and I have not come accross anyone claiming that Dolby TrueHD is superior, then why not go with DTS-HD MA? After all, for all those that do not have receivers with the new audio formats, DTS-HD MA does have one very clear advantage over Dolby TrueHD, which is that the core extracted from the DTS-HD MA track is a 1.5mbps DTS track, whereas with Dolby TrueHD, the best you can get is a 640kbps DD track.

Personally I think DTS-HD MA is a no brainer and ought to be the default standard used by all studios.

[Octavio]

Originally Posted by sanjay0864

I fail to understand why anyone would vote for Dolby TrueHD. After all even if it is the same as DTS-HD MA and I have not come accross anyone claiming that Dolby TrueHD is superior, then why not go with DTS-HD MA? After all, for all those that do not have receivers with the new audio formats, DTS-HD MA does have one very clear advantage over Dolby TrueHD, which is that the core extracted from the DTS-HD MA track is a 1.5mbps DTS track, whereas with Dolby TrueHD, the best you can get is a 640kbps DD track.

Personally I think DTS-HD MA is a no brainer and ought to be the default standard used by all studios.

What about those thousands who have a 1st or 2nd generation BD players (amongst them several Sony models) that CANNOT internally decode DTS-HD MA but thanks to a firmware update can internally decode Dolby TrueHD?
You cannot simply tell them: Buy a new BD player! You know, not everybody is swimming on money.

since those models (such as Sony S1, S300, S2000ES, S500) CANNOT bitstream DTS-HD MA neither, the owners of those Sony players won't be able to listen lossless tracks when playing a Sony Pictures BD if Sony switches exclusively to DTS-HD MA. Isn't it kinda ironic?

This poll feels more like DTS fanboys meeting, rather than a serious poll. People who have no idea what they are talking about just pick DTS-HD because the bitrate looks cool on their PS3 or because it "must" be superior because on DVD's DTS sounded a bit better than DD.
Nonsense.

[RedIsNotBlue]

Originally Posted by Octavio

since those models (such as Sony S1, S300, S2000ES, S500) CANNOT bitstream DTS-HD MA neither, the owners of those Sony players won't be able to listen lossless tracks when playing a Sony Pictures BD if Sony switches exclusively to DTS-HD MA. Isn't it kinda ironic?

Very good point very ironic indeed. Sony would be leaving a good chunk of their supporters behind if they switch to DTS-HDMA basically saying **** you...buy another player if you want lossless.

[blujacket]

Originally Posted by Octavio

What about those thousands who have a 1st or 2nd generation BD players (amongst them several Sony models) that CANNOT internally decode DTS-HD MA but thanks to a firmware update can internally decode Dolby TrueHD?
You cannot simply tell them: Buy a new BD player! You know, not everybody is swimming on money.

since those models (such as Sony S1, S300, S2000ES, S500) CANNOT bitstream DTS-HD MA neither, the owners of those Sony players won't be able to listen lossless tracks when playing a Sony Pictures BD if Sony switches exclusively to DTS-HD MA. Isn't it kinda ironic?

This poll feels more like DTS fanboys meeting, rather than a serious poll. People who have no idea what they are talking about just pick DTS-HD because the bitrate looks cool on their PS3 or because it "must" be superior because on DVD's DTS sounded a bit better than DD.
Nonsense.

A moot point considering half the studios are using DTS-MA now, and consumers are bitstreaming the 1.5 core from those tracks.

[Damage Inc.]

Once again, sure I look at the facts like the bitrates.
But my experience always has been that DTS just sounds best.
The clearest audio, fullest and "punchiest" sound, etc.
I'm not just copying others here.

If that makes me a "fanboy" fine, but I'm only speaking of what I heard with my own ears.
That's not to say I completely shut out and refuse to use Dolby under any circumstances just LIKE a "fanboy".
Besides that, I'm way more comfortable with Dolby's formats now because of the WAY higher bitrates.
Making me have no doubt it does not sound bad.
However, there probably still is that difference in technology.
Meaning just the way the formats are built and all that, thus sound differently.
Notice I'm not even speaking of the quality anymore...

Actually, anything technical can be changed right, even the quality.
Just for example listen at Dolby's earlier and later audio-tracks on DVD.
Most older ones would just crack away on higher-end speakers and receivers.
While you would barely notice on like TV-speakers and such...
And the later ones would be fine, still not as clear as DTS most of the time, but it had improved.

[Blu-Malibu2009]

Originally Posted by Octavio

What about those thousands who have a 1st or 2nd generation BD players (amongst them several Sony models) that CANNOT internally decode DTS-HD MA but thanks to a firmware update can internally decode Dolby TrueHD?
You cannot simply tell them: Buy a new BD player! You know, not everybody is swimming on money.

since those models (such as Sony S1, S300, S2000ES, S500) CANNOT bitstream DTS-HD MA neither, the owners of those Sony players won't be able to listen lossless tracks when playing a Sony Pictures BD if Sony switches exclusively to DTS-HD MA. Isn't it kinda ironic?

Good point and it is ironic.