DTS is an alternative audio standard to Dolby Digital for DVD soundtracks. But that's not its only reason for existing. In fact, DTS (from the company's name -- Digital Theater Sound) is a technically advanced method of coding six channels of audio onto a CD-like audio disc. The process has gotten rave reviews from many music producers, recording engineers, and musicians because it combines superb multi-channel sound quality with a CD's convenience.

The technology behind the DTS music disc was originally developed for Steven Spielberg's megahit movie, Jurassic Park. Rather than use the film itself to carry digital audio information (the way Dolby Digital does), DTS used a CD-ROM disc synchronized to the film to carry all the audio information.

DTS then evolved a method for coding six separate high quality audio channels onto a CD-style disc that, with the addition of a DTS decoder, is playable on any CD transport or stand-alone player with a digital output.

With a data rate of approximately 1.5 megabits/second compared to Dolby Digital's 384 kilobits/second, and a much lower compression ratio, DTS claims that its technology can provide better-than-CD quality sound for six independent channels. And that's exciting!

Of course, without DTS-encoded discs (audio-only or audio/video), there's not much of a chance to evaluate the advantages. To this end, DTS has enlisted the support of a number of software companies to get things moving.

On the video front, Image Entertainment, one of the largest producers of laserdiscs in the world, began releasing 12" video-discs encoded with DTS soundtracks in December, 1996. In early 1999, Image, along with Universal, began releasing the first DTS DVDs. Many DTS DVD titles are now available, including Waterworld, Apollo 13, Back to the Future, and Dante's Peak. As with DTS laser and music CDs, you will need a DTS decoder, and your DVD player must output a DTS bitstream.

And audio discs are available. dmp, one of the industry's most respected small jazz-oriented labels, has several DTS-encoded discs. Brad Miller, head of HDS (High Definition Surround Technologies) and original founder of Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs, has a number of DTS-encoded releases on the market. And the list keeps growing.

You should know that DTS-encoded discs, either 12" videodiscs or the 5" audio-only variety, are slightly different creatures than you might expect from their appearance.

From the audio side, we strongly advise you to heed the warning on DTS encoded discs and play them only through a DTS processor. Otherwise, you'll hear some very attention-getting white noise through your speakers that might, particularly with older DTS-encoded discs, damage them. That's because conventional CD players and D/A converters don't recognize the DTS code.

But, even with this caution, DTS benefits are substantial.

On the video front, DTS higher data rate (1.5 megabits/second compared with Dolby Digital's 384 kilobits/second) means potentially higher quality audio, particularly in dynamic range and signal-to-noise measurements. DTS also claims effective 20 bit resolution for each of the six channels (much better than CD standards allow).

DTS also requires less data compression -- about 4:1 compared to Dolby Digital's variable 10-12:1. That indicates greater fidelity. DTS also offers some unique creative advantages for audio (music only) applications, too. The first, surprisingly enough, isn't sound quality. Properly done PCM audio is pretty impressive. So, if sound itself isn't the real story, what is? In a word: Surround.

Yes, DTS real promise for music applications is that producers, musicians, and recording engineers will now have six discrete channels of high density digital information with which to recreate a musical event. That compares to a conventional CD's two!

This frees the entire creative crew to capture things a conventional CD only hints at -- ambiance, the real sound of the recording venue, and, of course, antiphonal works with distinct instruments or voices coming from opposing positions in a hall.

That means we can take full advantage of our home theater speaker array for any source, audio-only or audio/video. And that's the main reason we've signed on with DTS. As long as you've got the software, we'll make sure it sounds great!