CES 2009: DTS & The Bright Blu Future
HomeCES 2009: DTS & The Bright Blu Future
Posted January 10, 2009 01:30 PM by J.C. Ribera
The DTS booth at this year's Consumer Electronics Show was lively as ever, and Blu-ray.com was fortunate enough to sit down with DTS Marketing Vice President Tom Dixon to discuss the present and future of the digital audio company's product plans. With Blu-ray taking off in such leaps and bounds, DTS is top of it all with further market saturation of their high resolution DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 codec, as well as the planned introduction of more advanced sound systems in the near future.
In order to educate consumers about accurate home theatre setups to enjoy films with Master Audio, DTS is working with hardware manufacturers to create instruction materials and graphic menus that demonstrate how to connect the players, receivers and speakers to achieve the best DTS sound experience. To increase consumer awareness and further educate the public on the benefits of 7.1 sound systems, DTS has also created slick 30 and 45 second TV spots to promote Master Audio and all of its benefits.
Increased presence of Master Audio in home theatre and personal computer products is fast becoming a reality, as DTS-HD MA 7.1 can now be found on most all high-end players and receivers, available and upcoming. Master Audio is even starting to show in lower level entry models and home theatre in a box (HTIB). Simultaneously, DTS' high resolution sound will be showing up in PCs, being incorporated into software players like ARCSoft and WinDVD, and sound cards with HDMI connectors. With computer desktops and notebook setups, which often are two channel stereo only, DTS has developed DTS Surround Sensation, so consumers can enjoy DTS-HD MA high quality sound on the run with most speaker systems, using proprietary voice clarification, bass enhancement, and sound stage expansion technologies, based on the company's experience and trials with psycho-acoustic algorithms.
Blu-ray music audio is fast becoming an exciting venue for many artists and music labels, Dixon asserts. Musicians want to do studio recordings for that holophonic experience, and are looking at options of including photos and computer graphics or music only for the BD itself. Dixon personally likes the idea of using a "Ken Burns" approach for vintage recordings, with pan and zoom effects used on still photography of the bands themselves. Artists are also interested in using the multichannel audio capabilities on DTS Blu-ray Discs, and several projects in the planning stages for 2009 and beyond. DTS is working with various labels in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and they hope to promote BD music audio titles as a sort of spiritual successor to SACD and DVD-Audio.
Blu-ray as a format promises greater opportunities for DTS, who plan to push the audio presentation envelope even further in the coming years. "Blu-ray is tracking better than DVD – right now it's tracking to be one of the best consumer electronic products ever launched," Dixon says. The high definition picture quality, 7.1 master quality sound, and BD-Live create a "triumvirate" of persuasive reasons for the consumer to upgrade to Blu-ray. Once you experience it, you don't want to go back to DVD or broadcast HD, as Dixon noted.
The VP then gave a taste of the future of DTS by ushering the Blu-ray.com site staff present into the booth's enclosed demo room. Purposely using commercially available home theatre products like a PS3 and a Sony receiver, DTS representatives led a 20 minute showcase of their current and upcoming projects. Sennheiser headphones showed off the impressive capabilities of Sense Surround, affecting an immersive experience with two channel stereo. Then brief clips of Sleeping Beauty and Hellboy II were shown to sample the dynamic range of the 7.1 mix in Blu-ray film releases. The subsequent Rob Thomas music video for "Lonely No More," mixed in 7.1 Master Audio, was so impressive it whet an immediate appetite among many present to see more music in such nuanced, high clarity.
The surprise conclusion of the presentation unveiled a stunning 11.2 sound system, with two extra height speakers in the front and two more placed toward the back. An excerpt of music from Steven Wilson's Insurgents album was played for three minutes, utilizing the DTS- Neo process to create an 11 channel upmix feature from a dedicated 7.1 mix. The result was so euphoric it left the listener floating.
"It's exciting," Dixon said. And we agree.
In order to educate consumers about accurate home theatre setups to enjoy films with Master Audio, DTS is working with hardware manufacturers to create instruction materials and graphic menus that demonstrate how to connect the players, receivers and speakers to achieve the best DTS sound experience. To increase consumer awareness and further educate the public on the benefits of 7.1 sound systems, DTS has also created slick 30 and 45 second TV spots to promote Master Audio and all of its benefits.
Increased presence of Master Audio in home theatre and personal computer products is fast becoming a reality, as DTS-HD MA 7.1 can now be found on most all high-end players and receivers, available and upcoming. Master Audio is even starting to show in lower level entry models and home theatre in a box (HTIB). Simultaneously, DTS' high resolution sound will be showing up in PCs, being incorporated into software players like ARCSoft and WinDVD, and sound cards with HDMI connectors. With computer desktops and notebook setups, which often are two channel stereo only, DTS has developed DTS Surround Sensation, so consumers can enjoy DTS-HD MA high quality sound on the run with most speaker systems, using proprietary voice clarification, bass enhancement, and sound stage expansion technologies, based on the company's experience and trials with psycho-acoustic algorithms.
Blu-ray music audio is fast becoming an exciting venue for many artists and music labels, Dixon asserts. Musicians want to do studio recordings for that holophonic experience, and are looking at options of including photos and computer graphics or music only for the BD itself. Dixon personally likes the idea of using a "Ken Burns" approach for vintage recordings, with pan and zoom effects used on still photography of the bands themselves. Artists are also interested in using the multichannel audio capabilities on DTS Blu-ray Discs, and several projects in the planning stages for 2009 and beyond. DTS is working with various labels in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and they hope to promote BD music audio titles as a sort of spiritual successor to SACD and DVD-Audio.
Blu-ray as a format promises greater opportunities for DTS, who plan to push the audio presentation envelope even further in the coming years. "Blu-ray is tracking better than DVD – right now it's tracking to be one of the best consumer electronic products ever launched," Dixon says. The high definition picture quality, 7.1 master quality sound, and BD-Live create a "triumvirate" of persuasive reasons for the consumer to upgrade to Blu-ray. Once you experience it, you don't want to go back to DVD or broadcast HD, as Dixon noted.The VP then gave a taste of the future of DTS by ushering the Blu-ray.com site staff present into the booth's enclosed demo room. Purposely using commercially available home theatre products like a PS3 and a Sony receiver, DTS representatives led a 20 minute showcase of their current and upcoming projects. Sennheiser headphones showed off the impressive capabilities of Sense Surround, affecting an immersive experience with two channel stereo. Then brief clips of Sleeping Beauty and Hellboy II were shown to sample the dynamic range of the 7.1 mix in Blu-ray film releases. The subsequent Rob Thomas music video for "Lonely No More," mixed in 7.1 Master Audio, was so impressive it whet an immediate appetite among many present to see more music in such nuanced, high clarity.
The surprise conclusion of the presentation unveiled a stunning 11.2 sound system, with two extra height speakers in the front and two more placed toward the back. An excerpt of music from Steven Wilson's Insurgents album was played for three minutes, utilizing the DTS- Neo process to create an 11 channel upmix feature from a dedicated 7.1 mix. The result was so euphoric it left the listener floating.
"It's exciting," Dixon said. And we agree.