Just how much would you pay for DTS?

russraff

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This may have been discussed before, but what the hell:

There has been a movement, moreso recently, towards buying a certain region/version of DVD, simply because it has a DTS track on it. For example, there is a guy on the “Alien Quadrilogy - Japanese Alien Head..." thread that said he spent all that money (£150) just for DTS!:eek: Or there may be a whole discussion of extras and quality of picture, yet some one will say "...but it doesn't have DTS, so I will wait for a version that does" or similar. Even the DVD reviews continually flag up DTS as something extra special, like "Sleapy hollow - DTS Edition".
I mean, c'mon guys! Is DTS really so good (and it isn't, IMO) that people are willing to pay way over the odds, or sacrifice extras - one of the reasons DVD's are so good, for it?

Russell
 
Is DTS really so good

No but its louder ;)

Too be fair, before I started using my ears I too used to believe the DTS hype and would get stuff with DTS, often importing or paying over the odds.

But honestly, in most cases there is no difference, and any differences that do exist tend to be as a result of different mixes or masters being used, rather than due to any inherant superiority in DTS.

This is all IMHO...
 
Ah, well. That's different, isn't it? ;)

Russell
 
An additional £5 in some cases would be worth it, especially if it's a favourite film.
 
I don't even listen to DTS anymore (unless I think it's better, which is very rare). There is no difference in it, and more often than not the DTS mix is actually from the same master as the Dolby mix (LOTR: TTT: EE being an example). This means that both are exactly the same.

It's a state of mind, a gimmick that a lot of people have fallen for. You advertise something as being "better" and people will believe it is better. DTS is all about talk, but do you hear Dolby going on about how good their sound is? No, and that's because Dolby is still The Daddy in the sound department.

Sure, there are DTS mixes that are better than the Dolby mix and vice versa. I laugh at the people who spend £20+ on their R2 Japanese imports of Blade and what not. I also laugh at reviews which claim DTS gives "tighter bass" or "more defined surround noise". It's total bull**** in my opinion. Ok, their amp may process it in such a way that there is a difference to their ears, but to claim it is better than Dolby is just nonsense unless they can back it up with real examples instead of repeating the same stuff for every DTS soundtrack.

I wouldn't pay extra for DTS. Infact, I would rather not have it and that they use the space for the video or another commentary. It's the same when they include a 2.0 surround track. Why bother?
 
The only DTS disc I'd spend over the odds for is Jurassic Park Superbit and it's THX1138's fault for reviewing it so well :D
 
I recently purchased the XXX Superbit for the DTS option and, having compared it to the Dolby one, I much prefer it. The DD sounded too restrained on my set-up, even at loud volumes (the Columbian drugs factory being a good example) but the DTS just seems to have more 'body' to it.

The Superbit was £9.99 and the ordinary version approx £5. I don't think that £5 is too much to pay for a soundtrack that you are happy with and, IMHO, lives up to the reviews.
 
Even the DVD reviews continually flag up DTS as something extra special, like "Sleapy hollow - DTS Edition".

No, Thats the title of the disc, Sleepy Hollow: DTS Edition, same as True Lies: DTS Edition. They are released retitled like that in Japan.

Sure, there are DTS mixes that are better than the Dolby mix and vice versa. I laugh at the people who spend £20+ on their R2 Japanese imports of Blade and what not. I also laugh at reviews which claim DTS gives "tighter bass" or "more defined surround noise". It's total bull**** in my opinion. Ok, their amp may process it in such a way that there is a difference to their ears, but to claim it is better than Dolby is just nonsense unless they can back it up with real examples instead of repeating the same stuff for every DTS soundtrack.

I'll wait until you actually review a disc to comment here, many of the reviewers we have here were firmly on the fence when it came to DTS vs Dolby until they actually had to watch critically.
In fact many Reviewers used to think Extras were good, until you actually have to watch each and every extra on a disc to review it, you soon realise that most extras are cheap publicity add ons, it's very rare to get something worth watching as an extra.

The arguement will always go on, and on, and on, and on. At the end of the day its down to personal preference, but we would be stupid not to look at Japanese discs and indeed discs from all over the world, whats wrong with greater choice. If it's not for you, then fine, but claim it's all bull**** is very narrow minded and a bit of a generalisation. I don't think our reviews are as bad as some of the clear fanboy sites out there which praise dts over dolby when they dont even understand what makes a good soundtrack. Actually many people who try to jump on one sound format over the other dont know what a good soundtrack is! They have never heard what good sound is never mind what makes up a soundmix.

The only DTS disc I'd spend over the odds for is Jurassic Park Superbit and it's THX1138's fault for reviewing it so well

It was actually Matt who reviewed this disc, but owning the disc it really is like night and day between DTS and Dolby, but then they are using different mixes, with the dts track sounding more impressive and using the soundfield more realistically. But then someone will disagree as that is the way of the world.
There are many DVD's with Dolby mixes that clearly can't be bettered by adding the dts option and someone was right to mention different mixes, this does happen now and again but is rather rare.

Now can we discuss something interesting like are the films any good...........
 
I have got into a little argument on the AVS American Forums with someone who claims the Japanese Superbit of Jurassic Park is oversaturated with regards to its colours, does anyone here have an opinion on that ?
 
I'll wait until you actually review a disc to comment here, many of the reviewers we have here were firmly on the fence when it came to DTS vs Dolby until they actually had to watch critically.
In fact many Reviewers used to think Extras were good, until you actually have to watch each and every extra on a disc to review it, you soon realise that most extras are cheap publicity add ons, it's very rare to get something worth watching as an extra.

Just because you have to write a review it doesn't make your senses any different. At first I thought DTS was better, merely because it was louder. But then I read up on the two formats. Technically, DTS should be better, but I can't recall one soundtrack where DTS outshines it's Dolby counterpart in technical terms. It always seems to be down to the mix, and when the same mix is used I can't tell the difference. And I know what you mean about extras, most of them are made-for-TV jobs with backslapping a plenty (although I could name plenty exceptions).

The arguement will always go on, and on, and on, and on. At the end of the day its down to personal preference, but we would be stupid not to look at Japanese discs and indeed discs from all over the world, whats wrong with greater choice. If it's not for you, then fine, but claim it's all bull**** is very narrow minded and a bit of a generalisation. I don't think our reviews are as bad as some of the clear fanboy sites out there which praise dts over dolby when they dont even understand what makes a good soundtrack. Actually many people who try to jump on one sound format over the other dont know what a good soundtrack is! They have never heard what good sound is never mind what makes up a soundmix.

First things first, I wasn't really thinking of your reviews. I actually quite like the reviews on this site, in both the opinion given on the film and the DVD :smashin:

But I've read many reviews by completely different reviewers and they spit out the same words over and over concerning how the DTS is "better" than the Dolby track. In the case of Japanese discs, they are so much dearer to import than R1 DVDs that the difference would have to be huge to even contemplate purchasing this. Of course, this is my personal preference and I like to think I have some common sense. And about the bull**** thing, if you look at the general glutton of reviews (including some magazines) you will see that most are of the "DTS is better" brigade. I'm sure DTS has its advantages, but it certainly hasn't proved it's any better than Dolby Digital. I'm not on either side of the fence, as I will listen to DTS at least once. But I have given up on comparing it to the Dolby track because 99% of the time there is no real difference.

Again, this is just my opinion.
 
TBH these days a DTS track on a disc is a bonus IMO, I do try & see if any disc I want to get has a DTS track but I'm not prepared to pay over the odds (ie Jap R2) I'd only pay a fiver premium if there was 2 different discs, one with one without
I've only replaced one disc since I started collecting roughly 6 years ago & that is 5th element (replaced a french copy R2 with a R1 Superbit) & I'm going to replace my R1 copy of Finding Nemo as well with the R2 dts version (that's not really through choice though, I had to give my R1 copy to my sister otherwise my 2 year old nephew bursts into floods of tears as he loves the film -AHHH!!) :rolleyes:
 
The one disc that does show the best of DTS v DD is R1 of Saving Private Ryan. The DD is still excellent but I prefer the DTS everytime.

I can tell the difference between the two on my setup. It is not just louder but the sound is more spacious between the speakers.

I rather have the choice of either DD or DTS instead of extras that I only watcgh once.
 
No, Thats the title of the disc, Sleepy Hollow: DTS Edition, same as True Lies: DTS Edition. They are released retitled like that in Japan.

Yeah, a poor choice of words - I was late for work! What I was failing to say is that the discs on review seem to be of the DTS variety. Why not review the "normal" version, rather than a Japanese DTS version? By seemingly reviewing a somewhat larger proportion of perhaps rarer or more expensive DTS titles, you give the impression that DTS is somehow better. Thinking back, this may have something to do with DTS giving you discs to review?

In fact many Reviewers used to think Extras were good, until you actually have to watch each and every extra on a disc to review it, you soon realise that most extras are cheap publicity add ons, it's very rare to get something worth watching as an extra.

Your opinion on extras is a bout as wrong as it gets, frankly. As a reviewer it is your job to look at all extras (and all movies come to think on it) no matter if you like them or not. Much like a chef: he may not like oyster, but he still needs to know what a nicely prepared oyster tastes like, or he may be serving rubbish.
As a consumer, I am not interested in watching extras that I may not be interested in. Certainly I havent watched all of the stuff on Two Towers EE, as it all just doesn't interest, though some of it is exceptional. Using the analogy above, given a menu you would only choose the food you like, not the stuff you don't.
The point is there is a choice and different people will choose what content they want to watch, whether or not a reviewer decries it as rubbish. The extra content on DVD's are a big part of what makes DVD's worth buying, especially if these extras offer insight into a particularly good movie. Donny Darko's directors commentary, for instance.

Getting back on track – I wasn’t actually debating whether DTS was better per se. I do think DTS is better in some cases, but is it worth paying extra for? I was just so astonished someone would be willing to pay an extra £100 just to get DTS.

I actually quite like the reviews on this site, in both the opinion given on the film and the DVD

Same here, but they got Underworld wrong, though: It's a great film! ;)

Russell
 
i payed about £40ISH for my copy of blade dts from japan that price includes shipping aswell lol,still seems like a bargain :) but then again when i think about it maybe i was ripped off lol then again its all about one upmanship with me and none of my mates have it so :devil: lmao
 
I just can't resist a good ol' DD v DTS debate - even if it wasn't meant to be one in the first place...:devil:
The answer to the question is no, I wouldn't pay extra for dts. And no, dts on a disc would not sway me to buy it if, as in the old days, extra's were on the DD version but not on the dts.
As the quality of my kit (finally) gets better, I find the differences between DD & DTS smaller. I'll certainly not go into the languages menu to switch the track to dts...and yes, I do sometimes toggle them to see if there is any difference.
My next sound upgrade will be a new sub sometime later on this year. At the moment I have a paradigm PS1000, which, IMO is the best sub I've ever owned. However, Servo 15 & SVS talk recently has me thinking and I'll be going down that route in 6 or 7 months time. Then I'll be able to see if bass is "tighter" in dts or not...I need a sub that can keep up with my new M&K's...:D
 
In all honesty, unless the Dolby Digital mix is particularly bad, I won't be in too much of a hurry to pay extra for a DTS mix. There's certain films where I have, bought the same film twice since one release has great packaging and the other DTS - stuck the DTS disc in the great packaging etc.

But in most cases, most of the time, I think Dolby Digital provides more than enough surround panache to involve you into the movie...

If you watch Star Wars Episode II or The Matrix on DVD (with their Dolby Digital mixes) and are getting distracted from the film because you think the dolby mix is poor or you're listing reasons why a DTS mix might have sounded better you're either lying or insane IMHO...
 
I would be willing to pay extra for a DTS track if its a modern film but not for a remixed eighties film, but then i sit back and ask myself why should i pay extra for something which should be on the disc in the first place.
 
i wondered how long it would take army guy to make a comment....i love DTS
 
Originally posted by pinky3003
i wondered how long it would take army guy to make a comment....i love DTS

At least he has something constructive to add to the discussion rather than your lame attempt to turn this into another flame-thread:rolleyes:
 
Originally posted by pinky3003
i wondered how long it would take army guy to make a comment....i love DTS

I just read the e mail that said you replied to this thread...and I thought it would say something along the lines of "If I won the lottery, I would spend it all on Nosferatu in dts..." But I was wrong. It was worse...:rolleyes:

I've just watched Underworld (just this minute finished) in DD...and NOTHING has sounded better on my HC. NOTHING. DD. Get the picture?;)
(film was a lot better than I had been led to believe as well...):smashin:

And it's Army BLOKE...not guy. That's what American squaddies call themselves...
 
Whatever comes with the disc is fine by me as long as it didn't cost more that £10. I have notice occasional differences, but usually find DD a more 'even' soundtrack. DTS seems to be set to get the best out of a restrictive system, as with most Chart CD's these days.

Paul
 
Army Bloke:

See? I said that Underworld is a good film. The soundtrack is superb, too, though apparently at 4db over normal.

pinky3003:
But WHY!? Why do you love it and, by your inferance, would you pay more for DTS?

Russell
 
lmao....hi army bloke, i feel as though we have been down this road before.....
yes i do spend money on jap imports......yes i do want DTS.....and if army bloke wants to lend some DTS demo discs....he is more than welcome....
 

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