DTS 5.1 and DTS 6.1 question.

[Mani8387]

I'm not sure if this is the right forum to post this in, so apologies if it is in the wrong place.

I've searched for the answer to this but can't seem to find it. Last night I was watching the first Lord of the Rings movie, the extended one, and I noticed that it utilizes DTS 6.1. My system is a couple years old and will only decoded regular ol' 5.1 DTS tracks.

When I play the dts 6.1 track in the set up of the dvd, it shows that dts is playing on my display. I'm just curious if I'm losing anything by playing the track on that setting over the 5.1 dolby digital track thats also there.

If my system only decodes dts 5.1, and I;m playing a track that is done in dts 6.1, am I losing anything? or would it be just like listening to a regular dts 5.1 track in that case?

 

[Jack Hammer]

IIRC for dts ex, the sixth channel is coded and pulled from the regular surrounds. So if you don't have a decoder for 6.1, your system just plays that channel as regular surround and nothing is lost.

Jack

 

[corey]

My understanding is that the surround back channel is there if you can decode it, otherwise you get 5.1 DTS.

 

[Mani8387]

thanks for the replies guys, really appreciate it!

 

[no. 5]

IIRC for dts ex, the sixth channel is coded and pulled from the regular surrounds.

Yes, if it's ES Matrix. If it's EX Discreet, the rear center has it's own discreet channel.

But ether way, as you said, the receiver will just play the channels it recognizes.

 

[Pyrrho]

I'm not sure if this is the right forum to post this in, so apologies if it is in the wrong place.

I've searched for the answer to this but can't seem to find it. Last night I was watching the first Lord of the Rings movie, the extended one, and I noticed that it utilizes DTS 6.1. My system is a couple years old and will only decoded regular ol' 5.1 DTS tracks.

When I play the dts 6.1 track in the set up of the dvd, it shows that dts is playing on my display. I'm just curious if I'm losing anything by playing the track on that setting over the 5.1 dolby digital track thats also there.

If my system only decodes dts 5.1, and I;m playing a track that is done in dts 6.1, am I losing anything? or would it be just like listening to a regular dts 5.1 track in that case?

Originally, DTS was 5.1 channels. Later, they decided to add a sixth, rear center channel. There are two ways in which DTS can encode this. One is simply to matrix the channel into the two rear channels, and one's decoder then would separate out that channel from the two rear channels. Obviously, an older decoder would simply play whatever is in each of the two rear channels in the two rear channels, so all of the sound is still there, but not sent to the center rear. The other way DTS can have a center rear channel is to provide a discrete (i.e., completely separate) rear channel. Obviously, an old decoder cannot read that center rear channel, so you don't get it. However, because the makers of DTS wanted it to be backwards compatible, they still matrix the rear center channel into the other two rear channels, so old decoders still have all of the sound, just sent to the two channels that are there. This means that the new decoders need to remove the matrixed portion from the right and left rear channels, which they do.

About DTS in Consumer Electronics Products

* The center surround channel is always matrixed into the LS and RS channels.
* A discrete center surround channel can optionally be encoded.
* A DTS-ES 6.1-discrete decoder will play the discrete center surround channel and will subtract the discrete center surround channel from the matrixed LS and RS channels.
* Any DTS-ES track, discrete or not, is fully compatible with 6.1-matrix decoders because the matrixed tracks are always present.
* Any DTS-ES track is fully compatible with 5.1 decoders because the center surround channel information is matrixed into the LS and RS channels and will be heard in and between the LS and RS speakers.

http://www.dtsonline.com/consumer/technology/at-a-glance-details.php?ID=1857247944&glanceID=Overview