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Topic: DTS to use Lossless encoding for cinema audio

Aaron Garman
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1470
From: Toledo, OH USA
Registered: Mar 2003

posted 03-22-2004 02:38 PM

From DTS Online

quote:
DTS Announces Lossless Digital Sound For Cinema

New Technology Delivers Lossless Soundtracks Identical to Master Tracks

PR for: DTS Cinema

DTS (Digital Theater Systems, Inc.) (NASDAQ: DTSI) announces the development of a system for delivering lossless digital soundtracks into movie theatres. With DTS lossless technology, a soundtrack played in the cinema is bit-for-bit identical to the original master. Demonstrations of the system to distributors and exhibitors will take place during 2nd quarter 2004.

DTS lossless technology works with all film specifications used in exhibition, including 16mm, 35mm, 70mm and any pulldown or frame rates, as well as digital pre-show, alternate content and digital cinema sources. Sampling rates include 44.1, 48, and 96 kHz at 16 to 24 bits.

DTS lossless coding is made possible by a new extension to the DTS Coherent Acoustics codec, which is used in applications including home theatre, car audio, PC and game console products, DVD-related software and broadcast. With this new development, Coherent Acoustics is able to offer a single, comprehensive system that can deliver quality levels from Internet streaming up to high definition and lossless.

“DTS lossless technology delivers the only audio for standard film equivalent to the best sound that has been proposed for Digital Cinema to date. Because of our unique timecode system, we are the only format that is capable of delivering this,” said Mike Archer, Director of Cinema at DTS. “The introduction of this technology continues DTS’ tradition of leadership in digital audio for the entertainment industry.”

This sounds interesting. Will we all have to get XD-10's or what? This is the first I've heard about this.

AJG

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Daryl C. W. O'Shea
Film God

Posts: 3977
From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from)
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 03-22-2004 02:46 PM

I don't think this is a surprise to anyone. You'll see more advancements from DTS until sales of the XD-10 pickup.

Lossless encoding is great though. I've always liked the uncompressed LPCM audio accompanying our DLP projector.

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David Graham Rose
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 187
From: Cambridge, UK
Registered: Sep 2002

posted 03-22-2004 02:48 PM

Greeings All from Cambridge

a) does it cost less than existing systems

b) will the general public know the difference

The End

Cast Rolls

Regards

David

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Ken McFall
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 615
From: Haringey, London.
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 03-22-2004 03:14 PM

I'd always considered DTS to be lossless playback system anyway. Even if the original audio had been compressed on play back there was no further loss, unlike SRD with its every rising error level as the print aged. DTS either played or it didn't

It would be interesting to hear if there is any real gain as far as an audience is concerned so that cinemas can see a business gain from it.

DTS has always had an advantage that its system was easily upgraded within the cinema itself. As long as the print has timecode on it then any DTS system can be used. No need to run off special prints just re master the disc with the new system.
I always thought they would have to move to using DVD as the number of audio tracks grew and with uncompressed audio they will need more capacity anyway.

The only problem I can see, for DTS anyway, is having to go dual inventory as any new system overlaps with the current system.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 03-22-2004 03:50 PM

The DTS XD-10 can play back a wide variety of audio formats. It can do 24-bit 96kHz audio in lossless 2:1 compression fashion just like Meridian Lossless Packing in DVD Audio. With some upgrading to the unit and a proper cinema processor to marry to it, it will do 8, 10 or more discrete channels of sound.

Here's the problem with the XD-10: no movies to support it.

Somehow I think the "X" in its name is quite fitting. The XD-10 suffers from the same problems as Microsoft's X-Box video game console. The X-Box has brute force power to it and lots of cool built in stuff, but it is only now after a couple years of languishing in the market that there are finally good titles to support it.

You need titles, software, MOVIES to make the XD-10 sell. Someone (Universal, Steven Spielberg, hello!?) needs to get off their butt and generate a high rez 8, 10 or 10.2 channel audio mix to take full advantage of this thing.

And DTS seriously needs to get on the horn to Panastereo to make them create a 10.2 channel next-gen cinema processor.

Until those crucial things happen, we're stuck with the current, lossy compressed 5.1 formats.

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Antonio Marcheselli
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1260
From: Florence, Italy
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 03-22-2004 04:26 PM

We Showed Terminator 3 in DTS loseless format and 8 channels using a DTS XD10 in Milan.

If I'm not mistaken Big Fish was available for 8ch loseless format.

I believe that loseless sound is a VERY big innovation in digital sound for cinema. It is just a matter of time and many movie will be available for XD10 playback.
It is just my opinion.

Bye
A

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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 03-22-2004 04:26 PM

There are more reasons than 10-channels to go for the XD-10. Other than the year-and-a-half boot up time, It is a slicker piece that I predict will have less trouble than the earlier versions. I like the idea of running off the hard drive.

I just put several in at the Colonial Williamsburg's Visitor's Center. They will be playing the new "Story of a Patriot" soundtrack (currently in 6-track magnetic), driving a rear-window display for the deaf and also providing translation audio for visitors from non-english speaking countries.

Below is a picture of the new racks being installed. Note the Panastereo CSP4600/1200 combination plust the two DTS XD-10 players. There is also Dolby Digital for 35mm conventional films.

These theaters feature 5-screen channels and their main attraction has always had panned dialog. You can see how the racks used to look over at Scott Norwood's site and you can read about these special theatres over at the American Widescreen Museum in the VistaVision section for the theatres were originally VistaVision prior to 70mm conversion.

Their print is being restored by none other than Robert Harris.

Steve

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Daryl C. W. O'Shea
Film God

Posts: 3977
From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from)
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 03-22-2004 04:47 PM

Scott's site is "still closed for remodeling". Apparently Scott takes forever to do everything. In short, he sucks. Just ask him.

Actually, I heard he was running Slackware on an XD-10 and he's just waiting for it to boot up. [Smile]

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 03-22-2004 05:35 PM

quote:
We Showed Terminator 3 in DTS loseless format and 8 channels using a DTS XD10 in Milan. If I'm not mistaken Big Fish was available for 8ch loseless format.

This is the first time I have heard of mainstream feature films being played back in DTS formats other than the standard 820kb/s APT-X100 based system used in the traditional DTS-6, 6D and 6AD players.

Certainly I have seen no advertising for it at all. Nothing on one-sheets, stack ads or end credits. Ultimately that can hurt XD-10 sales. Theater's aren't going to see much need in upgrading to the XD-10 if there isn't going to be any advertising hype to promote it, much less any advance word on movies truly mixed in the discrete 8 and 10 channel formats.

This is yet another reason for DTS to get on the stick about creating some new format trailers.

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 03-22-2004 05:43 PM

Damn. I go out of town for a few days and someone mentions my name. Anyway, here's the direct link to the old photos of the CW booth, which I took back in 1997.

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