Universal to make DTS-HD MA the standard for Blu-ray

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

If it helps, someone on another forum with sources at Paramount is claiming their newly encoded BDs will all be very high bitrate AVC or VC-1 encodes.

Since sound has literally become 65% of the film viewing experience to me (it can actually ruin a movie if it doesn't consistently create the setting atmosphere), Paramount using high bitrate AVC or VC-1 encodes only helps them out a bit. But, at least it's a step in the right direction. However, if they plan to price themselves like they did with their previous releases, I want top notch for my money! I won't spend $40 for subpar content anymore. I was upset with FOX for a long while too over their use of MPEG-2 and their price tags of $36 to $40. At that price, so long as it would have been AVC/VC-1 and DTS HD MA, I would have been happy.

[ixlegitballinxl]

m-a-s-t-e-r a-u-d-i-o w000000000t bring it on

[Romulus]

http://dvd.themanroom.com/news/Exclu...dio_Plans/2651

In the waning months of Universal Studios Home Entertainment's HD DVD era, the studio had standardized the use of Dolby TrueHD audio on almost all newly announced titles. This was in stark contrast to the early Universal HD DVD days when the appearance of Dolby TrueHD was overshadowed by the heavy use of Dolby Digital Plus lossy audio.

Times has certainly changed, and now Universal is gearing up to enter the Blu-ray Disc arena for the first time on July 22. With this move from HD DVD to Blu-ray support comes many questions, including how Universal will approach audio with the expanded room a BD-50 disc offers over a 30GB dual-layered HD DVD disc.

Although Universal is remaining tight-lipped on a lot of details surrounding their Blu-ray presence that wasn't included in the press release, they were kind enough to entertain our questions about their audio approach on Blu-ray. The simple answer may surprise you. At the least, it should delight you.

The first wave of Universal Blu-ray Disc titles on July 22 are all from the Mummy franchise and were all previously released on HD DVD: The Mummy, The Mummy Returns and The Scorpion King. All of these titles were published with Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio tracks, but not Dolby TrueHD tracks.

Per Universal, all three Mummy films will include DTS-HD Master Lossless Audio. That's right, folks. Instead of lazily porting over what was already completed for HD DVD, Universal has heard your cries for lossless audio and is taking action.

Universal went on to tell us that the game plan moving forward is for DTS-HD Master Lossless to become the Blu-ray standard at the studio. Obviously there will be exceptions, but it looks like the majority of titles, and probably all new theatrical titles, will include DTS-HD.

We'll have more from Universal, including their position on U-Control appearing on Blu-ray, in the near future. Stay tuned!

Excellent news, can't wait to hear the Bourne series in DTS-HD!

Also, hats off to Universal for not being lazy and porting over their HD DVD releases, they're giving Blu-ray full treatment!

[Iago]

please search before posting....

thanks

[ixlegitballinxl]

lol even new members are starting to say "use the search function"hahaha

[GreenScar]

Originally Posted by Iago

please search before posting....

thanks

Originally Posted by ixlegitballinxl

lol even new members are starting to say "use the search function"hahaha

He's been around longer than you.

[Romulus]

Sorry, didn't realized it had been posted under a different section of the site. My bad.

[Iago]

Originally Posted by jasonbird

He's been around longer than you.

i was going to say something but decided not to..

[sj001]

Cool, I am definitely relieved to see that Para and Uni are both committing to lossless audio formats. Now that HD-DVD is dead, there are no more cuttings corners, we want the real deal.

[owa]

Originally Posted by Petra_Kalbrain

I don't like TrueHD nearly as much as DTS HD MA. I've said it a hundred times that Dolby detailing is not nearly as rich or positionally accurate as DTS tracks in all "supposedly equal" forms. DTS HD MA and PCM tracks always fill my room with more sound (NOT MORE VOLUME as many will say) than TrueHD tracks. In my opinion, TrueHD is great for romances, comedies, and documentaries. Action, fantasy, adventure, and every other type of film not mentioned deserves PCM or DTS HD MA to push the experience to its utmost presentation ability.

And before counter arguements ensue, I have been scrutinously listening for the differences from a completely objective viewpoint as I have been reviewing digital media for the last several years. Every disc I play gets a clean slate approach. I'll finish the movie and pop in a couple of comparable genre titles to compare the sound of PCM and TrueHD tracks. Each time, the DTS HD MA has more weight to it.

Yeah, I'm just having trouble accepting that this is, apparently, one of those times when 2 + 2 is not equal to 4. It's just easier to accept that being bit-for-bit identical literally means they're the same. If I accept that they are different, then I have trouble accepting that they're lossless.

Anyway, I'm making too big a deal out of this and derailing the thread. I'm just glad Universal and Paramount are committed to lossless audio. Seems like it should put a lot more pressure on Warner to standardize on lossless audio as well.

[Mystique]

Yeah in your face Paramount.

[Mystique]

Originally Posted by blitz6speed

Warner is quickly becoming the worst studio on the blu-ray team as far as quality. They just announced Justice Leauge Season 1 with NO LOSSLESS Audio! NO SALE! Those mummys are mine day 1. Thanks universal.

I agree. Most of their releases that came out recently have shitty ass picture quality and no lossless sound.

[Alan Gordon]

Originally Posted by Romulus

http://dvd.themanroom.com/news/Exclu...dio_Plans/2651

Excellent news, can't wait to hear the Bourne series in DTS-HD!

Also, hats off to Universal for not being lazy and porting over their HD DVD releases, they're giving Blu-ray full treatment!

Let us not forget that other than the titles by Paramount that were already authored, they're giving us BD optomized picture and sound. Universal (last I heard) will be giving us a mix of HD DVD optomized picture and BD optomized sound.

At this moment, I prefer DTS-HD MA over Dolby TrueHD and PCM simply because I don't have an HDMI receiver capable of providing me lossless sound, and DTS-HD MA still provides me with a 1.5 mbps soundtrack, but by the time Universal titles start to come out I should have a new receiver, so I'm open either way!

I'm thrilled that Universal will be providing us with "lossless" audio though... bring on "Serenity" now!!

~Alan

[ixlegitballinxl]

sanity later......... go dts-ma!!! or truehd if needed.....im happy either way

[Canada]

Universal doing it right !

[Lord_Stewie]

great news.

[cdot2four]

Originally Posted by Hunter

DTS HD MA = Lossless
TrueHD = Lossless

Both are mathematically lossless to the LPCM master.

Two different means to produce the same results.

when I watch a movie in dolby truehd I have to put the volume up to around 19 or 20 to get the same sound I get on dts-hdma at 15. I don't care what anybody says my ears tell me that dts-hdma is the best.

thank you universal

[danielpwnz]

Originally Posted by cdot2four

when I watch a movie in dolby truehd I have to put the volume up to around 19 or 20 to get the same sound I get on dts-hdma at 15. I don't care what anybody says my ears tell me that dts-hdma is the best.

thank you universal

So it's louder? And that's it.

[Turnda643]

AWESOME!!! The list of Universal must have movies is near endless. can't wait.

[UKTruBlu]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Why am I not surprised?

DTS was started a few years after Dolby started working on Dolby Digital. The company's initial investors were Steven Spielberg and Universal. They introduced the format with the 1993 release of Jurassic Park. It is not surprising that Universal is claiming that DTS is the best. Read the company history.
http://www.dtsonline.com/company/history/

As far as lossless audio is concerned,

Decoded DTS MA = Decoded Dolby TrueHD = LPCM

Any difference that you may think you are hearing is due to channel volume differences. Please stop the nonsense about DTS MA being the superior lossless format.

Read the thread on A Guide to Home Theater Audio CODECs.

That was a beautiful read.