captainsolo said:
From my own experience: If a film soundtrack is released on home video in DTS and Dolby the difference is that the DTS track has a higher bitrate. DTS overall has a higher bitrate and on some films will sound much more dynamic. It really depends on the film and equipment.
What is the difference in Blu-ray codecs? I thought that these were lossless. I'm a complete Blu novice so I really don't know much of anything about these new codecs and such. I'm thinking that everyone is using DTS because it has always held more information. What should be done is simply use whichever method the film was designed for in the best possible quality. Dolby is synonymous with the OT, but that may not exactly translate to HD. None of this will likely matter since Lucasfilm has been busy at work on another new soundtrack. Why I don't know because the 97 was perfect.
Ady, did the 97 DTS really sound that much better than the Dolby mix? Not sure what I heard in theaters back then.
Between switching Dolby digital to dts on “Top Gun” bluray regionB the dts is down by -2db on the SPL db metre.
Saving Private Ryan 2 region2 / two-disc edition that was released years ago the dts is down by -2db the DOLBY DIGITAL wins!
Often its loudness scam to trick or fool you into believing dts is better.
When Jurassic Park opened at UCI Tower Park the only cinema processors in all 10 screens was a DOLBY CP65 with type A/SR. SR had a slightly higher bottom end with mild higher top end the middle range was more less the same to keep it within type A Dolby mixes.
Tower Park was one of the first cinemas that I started out as projectionist.
I was only with the site for short while and in-between that time, often the house Dolby fader was set to 5 or 5.5 rarely was it ever set to mark “7” 85db reference level.
dts has higher dynamic range but that doesn’t make it so. If the chief projectionist wants the fader at 5 he’ll write this on wipe board adds/trailers was set at different fader level main feature sigh, it was just typical.
When Tango & Cash played in DolbySR in one of the main large screens then after a few weeks it moved to smaller screen and depending on who’s on duty as there was four of us during the day on shifts.
One of the younger projectionist about my age, well they just turned the fader right on the opening of Tango & Cash to mark “10” “okay lets do it” with thumping bass rhythm that must have filtered some low end into the surrounds and busted in one of the 5 surrounds.
x5 surrounds you might think that’s a rather odd number? The way it worked was 1 was placed right at the back as it was narrow then as you walk down further in it widens out a bit, with two more surrounds on each side.
The surrounds at the time where all fitted to the ceiling and worked fine. Often they attached to the sidewalls as long as they produced defocused defused surround you won’t be able to tell unless one of them rattles or buzzes because some prat turned the fader up to mark “10”.
The bass/mid was lousy and rarely made an impact depending on where you’re sat, slightly bit to the front centre middle you’d get fair satisfactory bass/mid from the three-screen.
Sub bass should have been mandatory in all 10 screens as Dolby recommends it for type SR. At least x2 to x3 subs in the larger 2 screens to allow a bit of extra headroom.
x1 to x2 subs in the smaller screens.
Over the years after I left I noticed they installed DOLBY CP500 that I can see from the auditorium though the port window. No doubt new amplifiers and new surrounds now fitted to the sidewalls and yes a sub in each screen only x1 in each of the x10 screens tight bastards.
E.T. in Dolby SR-D sounded rubbish it was so flat and dull no doubt the fader was set way below “7” projectionists think they know best and 85dbc might seem loud to some it’s only the middle highs to highs that makes one say “turn that f%)king volume down!” because its so annoyingly hush without low end that presses on you’re body.
UCI High Wycombe screen 1 where I took a trip with friend to see Arachnophobia in DolbySR THX had bad ass low end from screen channels and down though to the sub bass extension, with only x2 subs as the cinema was medium large but it was sussed out unlike the other crappy UCI screens I been too.
The lows on the THX intro was pressing on my body within the first few seconds and grew deep as the range scaled upwards in db level it was pure and seamless without any noticeable gaps between the last two octaves it was tight and moved over my front part body the seat vibrated as it should do.
The opening titles to the film was WOW it had smooth loudness it was loud that I had to raise my voice about 80 or so db to my friend that was sat to my right/side middle row. I remember seeing an older guy sat right behind me and he was smiling because the JBL THX sound system specs delivered!
One other UCI cinema at Lee Valley where I want for an interview, didn’t get the job on the site no matter, I remember seeing a Face/Off before the interview (free) in one of the mid size screens and it was just too bloody loud! It was rubbish it was all top end! I saw at least 4 Asian people get up after reel 2 was into its first 6 minutes and walk out!
Face/off was presented in DolbySR-D
After interview I saw Alien Resurrection in one of the two large main screens with a very high ceiling if I recall. It was dts and again it sounded rubbish! It was all top end it was nothing like the CIC/UCI Empire Leicester Square screen 1 or High Wycombe.
I believe there was one other UCI THX screen in the UK in Birmingham that had x2 THX screens and that didn’t last long before they dumped the THX licence same with High Wycombe towards the end of the 90’s.
The Empire also dumped there’s more or less within a few months apart.
Today the Empire has its THX certification back along with most powerful THX screen in the whole of Europe 56KW JBL sound system.
To think Lucas was last in there around 2005 only they didn’t have THX or JBL they had crappy Martin Audio sound system that was pants when I saw Gladiator in 2000, after which I didn’t bother go back till they had the refit done.
Transformers was middles crap anyway only the sound effects was worthy of listening. The Empire still has mild reverberation time that take a few seconds to decay. And with crappy Michael Bay film with bullet-time dialogue at 100 words per second doesn’t give it enough time to decay to understand “WTF did they just say”?
If it mild slow dialogue its easy to follow and rarely does that happen in Transformers because its middles retarded geeks film with words like “no, no no, no, no, no” what f$ucking kinder language is that suppose to be?
Never saw Transformers2 Bay can f%*king well keep it! I did buy Transforms on DVD R2 because of the reference sound/sound effects was cutting edge NOT! I just wanted it because I saw it at the Empire and it sounds fine loud enough for my JBL sound system, can’t understand why everyone else is having bluray LFE.1 issues with it, idiots!
For my living room I use up to x5 JBL control 5 x3 of which are modified to run with an electronic crossover.
up to x12 JBL control 1 surrounds x3 per each sidewall x4 for centre back and two matrix overheard surrounds that does work on certain films with decent enough split-stereo surround mix.
I use x1 main large sub for LFE.1 with Dolby digital and rarely dts laserdisc and no choice with bluray dtsHDMA titles sigh.
1x sub for bass extension of LCRS, often if a film is Dolby stereo matrix I switch the bass extension on the AVR to manual for the main sub bass the lows go down a bit lower and higher but its kept within the normal frequency response as I don’t want large levels drowning out the bass mid over LCRS.
The surrounds are all matched to frequency response and SPL db for single front channel.
The surrounds are spaced apart to create a defused surround without running the THX as that only ruins the surround with an annoying whooshing like sound on right surround its circuit that cerates an in and out pumping like effect to give a defused openness to the x2 over priced THX dipolar surrounds, its really rubbish.
I haven’t used the THX in getting on for a few years now it’s a logo badge that doesn’t decode the sound and there are far better ways around this to get a dogs bollocks sound in the home.
LCD video projector I hard use now because home cinema doesn’t make profit and projector lamps cost a lot of money even thou they run longer than xenon lamps which have short service life, because they burn brighter and hotter as well and are highly explosive if mishandled in booth.
Before I run a film each day I test the sound system with AVR narrow band pink noise just to let me know its still working as faults can crop up anytime. all channels have there own amps for LCR LF/HF surrounds and subs as well and new parts now and then being added on to make subtle sound improvements none of this total upgrade AVR nonsense every few years, as that is where they make the money.
Always buy an AVR that offers RCA phone outputs most today even the cheap models don’t support this anymore only the overpriced models do and the power or flexibility it offers rubbish, because I’d be back at square one and I don’t like to start all over again.
