Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio are audio formats that you may find support for on popular Blu-ray players, AV receivers, and top-of-the-line speakers. These audio formats aim to deliver more lifelike and detailed sound reproduction for your home theater. As long as you have a cable, HDMI By connecting your TV and soundbar or music setup, you should be able to experience a home theater with immersive, realistic surround sound. In this article, we'll cover Dolby TrueHD vs. DTS HD Master Audio: What's the Difference?
But ultimately, how do you differentiate between these two audio formats? Is DTS HD Master Audio better than the slightly older Dolby TrueHD? Or are the differences so subtle as to be unnoticeable?
Well, that's what we'll explore as we delve into the technicalities between Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio.
Since it's going to be long, let's get started, shall we? But before that,
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How do these audio formats work?
Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio are lossless audio formats that promise minimal loss when transmitting sound from the source to your ears. Note that the quality of the sound you hear depends not only on the audio format. The quality of the speakers and the connection used also play a major role. These audio formats were developed by different companies—Dolby created TrueHD, and DTS created Master Audio.
Think of audio formats as bundled files. So when you play a CD that supports one of these audio formats, the receiver will attempt to decode the format into PCM (pulse code modulation) signals. Once complete, they will be transmitted to the connected speakers.
When it comes to TrueHD and Master Audio, the difference lies primarily in how the audio signals are assembled and processed. For recording, neither Dolby TrueHD nor DTS HD Master Audio can pass through digital optical cables.
What is DOLBY TRUEHD game?
Dolby TrueHD supports data transfer rates of up to 18 Mbps for Blu-ray and HD-DVD. Most audio tracks carry up to 8 separate channels (otherwise called 7.1-channel surround sound) or 6 separate channels (otherwise called 5.1-channel surround sound). Speaking of numbers, the sampling rate is 96 kHz/24-bit for 8 channels and 192 kHz/24-bit for 6 channels.
While Dolby TrueHD supports both 5.1 and 7.1 channel distribution, it will fall back to standard 5.1 channel distribution if your receiver doesn't support 7.1 channel surround sound. This incompatibility could be due to speaker features or the lack of a proper cable running between the audio source and destination.
So, how is Dolby TrueHD encoded audio passed through? It can be passed through either a compatible HDMI cable or analog 5.1 or 7.1 cables. As mentioned above, digital optical cables do not support Dolby TrueHD audio.
If you're using a compatible Blu-ray player or soundbar, the signal will be decoded internally by the device and passed to the speakers. However, note that not all Blu-ray players support full 7.1-channel distribution. Even if your receiver doesn't support 7.1 channels, the audio will be automatically mixed.
What is DTS HD MASTER sound?
On the other hand, DTS HD Master Audio supports 8 separate audio channels. The main difference lies in the transfer speed. While TrueHD has a transfer speed of 18 Mbps, HD Master Audio has a transfer speed of 24.5 Mbps (on Blu-ray discs). The sampling rate is 96 kHz/24-bit. Like its competitor, it supports both 8 and 6 audio channels.
Again, decoding DTS signals depends on the player's capabilities. If it's a simple amplifier, the receiver will decode the signal and transmit it to the speakers.
One of the key advantages of HD Master Audio is that it can also be played on older AV receivers. While you won't get the lossless audio quality, you'll still get the standard DTS Digital Surround soundtrack.
Which audio format is better?
So, which audio format helps you achieve the best, theater-like surround sound quality for your home theater? Well, the answer isn't that simple.
As you might have guessed, DTS audio has a higher transfer rate than Dolby audio. However, this difference isn't significant when it comes to the human ear. Both are lossless audio formats. As long as you have a high-quality connection, source, and receiver, you should be able to hear studio-quality sound.
The main difference ultimately comes down to human perception. Because DTS has a higher encoding rate, some believe it offers better quality. On the other hand, Dolby TrueHD delivers rich, detailed sound quality even if it uses a lower bitrate. In fact, Dolby argues that its audio formats are more efficient than DTS codecs, even though they use a lower bitrate.
The good news is that almost all premium soundbars support DTS and Dolby Audio. In fact, DTS:X is now more popular than HD Master Audio.
However, if you've got your hands on a support device, it depends on your perception of sound. If you love the rich, warm sound of Dolby TrueHD, you know what to do.
