what is the difference between DTS cd and dvdaudio, sacd?

[jlindsey86]

I know dumb question but they are all surround music minus some sacds. So what makes them different. Hasnt DTS cd's been around for a long time? Which do you find superior and why?

 

[Rob Babcock]

The original DTS, as well as Dolby Digital, are lossey MC codecs. This means they compress a lot of music into a small amount of space. SACD and DVD-A encode more information with less compression. DVD-A uses the PCM (pulse code modulation) to store data in the same basic manner as CD but with higher sample frequencies and longer word length, up to 24bit/96khz. SACD uses a completely different type of digital technology called DSD (Direct Stream Digital).

Most will tell you that DVD-A & SACD have the ability to sound much better than DTS or DD, although both of the latter now have higher resolution codec options available, such as DTS24. DVD-A & SACD are still the "best" formats from a data density point of view.

 

[MACCA350]

Both DVD-A and SACD use Lossless compression schemes(this is why they went crazy with their protection systems) and as Rob Babcock said, the current DTS and DD are lossy formats.

SACD uses Sony's Direct Stream Digital (DSD) technology which sony has used to replace their Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) masters. Sony claims that DSD is superior to PCM regardless of sampling rate or word length. But this is yet to be proven.

DVD-A retains the PCM technology, but instead of the CD standard of 16-bit/44.1KHz it uses the same 24-bit word length and 96KHz(multichannel) to 192KHz(Stereo) sampling rate used in the masters, which is compressed using Meridian Lossless Packing (MLP). This is the technology Dolby is incorporating in their upcoming Dolby TrueHD format.

Confused yet?

Add to all that, the new DTS-HD will also be a lossless system, which brings a grand total of 4 master quality lossless formats to the consumer

Whoever said you can't have too many choices

cheers

 

[j_garcia]

The main difference would be the resolution, with SACD and DVD-A having the ability to theoretically preserve more of the original sound vs standard "half bitrate" DTS 748K, which I believe most or all DTS CDs are. When you step up to full bitrate DTS 1509K, it's fairly difficult to tell the difference between it and the typical DVD-A, IMO, but these are rare. FYI, DTS CDs essentially became DVD-A.

What all that doesn't tell you is the quality of the master and how well it was mixed for the format. If you use a crappy master, no matter how much resolution you have in the format, you aren't going to make it sound better. With an excellent recording, I think you will hear the benefits of SACD and DVD-A. To me there is no question that SACD has more detail than a CD, but with DTS and a good master/mix, it's already going to sound pretty good.

 

[jlindsey86]

Thanks for all the info. So basically dvd-a technology is the same at least quality wise as dolby tureHD will be?

 

[j_garcia]

Can't say for sure, but I'd guess it will be very similar.

 

[MACCA350]

with SACD and DVD-A having the ability to theoretically preserve more of the original sound

Just to clarify, DVD-A (and the upcoming DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD) are BIT-FOR-BIT IDENTICAL to their studio masters, so for the moment this is as close as anyone will get to the 'original sound', and its about time consumers had access to studio quality instead of inferior copies(ie the old tape ). DVD-A, DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD just use different lossless compression technologies to package them on disc.

Taken from Dolby

1. What is DVD-Audio?
DVD-Audio is an extension of the highly popular DVD format, distinguished by its capability for delivering a new standard of quality previously unavailable in packaged audio media. Disc playback is bit-for-bit identical to studio masters.

Sony's SACD, on the other hand, uses their DSD system (which is what they use for their studio masters and as usual, just to be different and try to monopolize the market, they are trying to get everyone else to use it for their master). But what Sony wont say(at least from what I can find) is whether or not the SACD version is Bit-for-bit identical to their DSD masters.

cheers