Which Audio to Keep AC3 or DTS

[movie freak]

hi im ripping a backup copy of pirates of the caribbean, and i was wondering which audio was the best (and the main one which is used in the movie) there is the AC3 - 6 Channel 451MB or DTS - 6 Channel 755MB

[waheed]

you're likely to get variously replies some will say ac3 (dolby digital) and some will say DTS.

in theory, DTS is supposed to be superior than AC3 (as it is at a higher bitrate). some people will agree. however, in my opinion, they both sound alike. i dont have any preference over either (with the exception of comparing Dolby Digital EX and DTS ES)

all i can recommend is watch a part of the movie (eg a small 5 min scene) with ac3 and then dts selected and judge for yourself which one sounds better and use that one. or if you prefer you can keep both.

as ac3 takes less space than dts, this means more room for backing up the movie (in terms of MB)

[JimJohnD]

AC3 is part of the DVD spec and will be able to be played on about any player. DTS requires a decoder that not all players have. If your home entertainment system can handle the DTS, it really is up to listining to some of it and choosing.

[feenix]

Yes basically just listen and decide for yourself - your own ears are the only true monitor. One note of caution though is that your Authoring program might not accept dts as a source (I assume you are creating a DVD back up)

[Shudder]

I'll always play DTS if a disc has it, but as far as backing up goes, I pick DD5.1 simply because I really can't tell a difference and would rather have the video space

[cim]

This post made me ask myself a question that I could not answer. If I remove all audio except DTS. Will I have to select DTS when I playback the movie? Usually, DTS is audio 2 or 3. In other words, will my DVD player, default to the only remainig track?


Or....


Does the same apply if I remove all two channel audio tracks? Leaving only DTS or AC3.

[movie freak]

i went ahead with AC3 because i remember one time i selected DTS as the only audio for The Lion King, and i remember i had to manually select the audio...
wish i had a home stereo system, like on of those things with like speakers all around you and a subwoofer... how much do they cost?

[SaSi]

This post made me ask myself a question that I could not answer. If I remove all audio except DTS. Will I have to select DTS when I playback the movie? Usually, DTS is audio 2 or 3. In other words, will my DVD player, default to the only remainig track?

Or....

Does the same apply if I remove all two channel audio tracks? Leaving only DTS or AC3.

It depends on how you do it.

DVDShrink in general removes streams but doesn't renumber them. DVD2One will renumber remaining streams so you allways get a Audio 1 and Subpicture 1 stream.

Other programs work in any of the above ways - haven't used them.

And of course, if you manually re-author the DVD, it's up to you to ensure which audio becomes the default.

Regarding the AC3 vs DTS question, for a couple of really really long movies, I decided to convert audio to 2 channel AC3 as 224. As I only have two speakers and a subwoofer, I always listen to the downmixed audio. On the other hands, I still have both my eyes so the extra 250kbps that gives to the video is more than welcome.

[AarontheRipper]

I always keep the AC3 5.1 because I am one of those who have trouble telling the difference. I'll keep the DTS, too if disc space isn't an issue. I would never keep only the DTS because as was previously mentioned, you must have a DTS decoder, or you won't get sound. So, if I were to go to my parents house where they don't have a surround system, I'd still be able to listen to the flick.

My advice:

If it's a short movie, or you're splitting it to two discs, keep the AC3 5.1 and the DTS, otherwise, just keep the AC3 5.1.

[shelbyGT]

cim, I have backed up movies where dts was the 2 or 3 audio track, and only kept the dts audio. Put it in the philips DVD player, and it started the DTS, no questions asked and no buttons pushed. I believe if its the only audio track then it defaults to it.

[Thunder In Paradise]

Yeah, DD 5.1 is the better bet. Not only for compatibility with other players, it also uses less disc space, increasing picture quality, and really, who the hell can tell the difference between DTS and DD most of the time anyways?

[matthewmalay]

I like DTS better, I find the sound to be more even. Sometimes with AC3 5.1 I find it hard to hear when people are talking, then when it gets to an action it is too loud. I'm always playing around with the volume with AC3 5.1 bit for backups I'll usually remove the DTS track if their is a 5.1 AC3 track available also to save some room on the DVD-R.

If you don't have a good sound system it really won't matter, a stereo 2.0 AC3 track will do just fine on TV speakers

[BSR]

I like DTS better, I find the sound to be more even. Sometimes with AC3 5.1 I find it hard to hear when people are talking, then when it gets to an action it is too loud. I'm always playing around with the volume with AC3 5.1

I use to have this problem, but then I adjusted the "Dynamic Range" to minimum on my stereo and it makes the talking louder, and the loud noises quiter so you don't have to keep screwing with the volume. It creates as you say a more even sound.

[waheed]

I very much prefer Dolby Digital EX over DTS ES (both 6.1 surround sound). To me, DD EX sound better (only a small difference) compared to DTS ES

with the case of DD and DTS (5.1 surround sound), they sound about the same. just my opinion.

[arrived03]

my opinion is if you are using a full 5.1 speaker configuration then you would be better of keeping the DTS soundtrack as it has clearer dialogue,better dynamic range and fantastic bass wich gives your system a great workout.

[dun4cheap]

Beyond theory, my Amplifier detects either signal and switches over automatically. I prefer DTS as the Audio experience tends to be more enhanced. I have not found a DVD yet that had both AC3 and DTS where I preferred the AC3 on it. The movie Gladiator is one example with both DTS and AC3, give that disc a try and see what you think. The thing to remember is it is nice to have the option, many DVD's only have AC3, I imagine the LOTR DVD with DTS would sound really good.