

This method allows backward compatibility.ĭTS's main competitors in multichannel theatrical audio are Dolby Digital and SDDS, although only Dolby Digital and DTS are used on DVDs and implemented in home theater hardware. A decoder which does understand the new variant decodes the core stream, and then modifies it according to the instructions contained in the extension stream. The core stream can be decoded by any DTS decoder, even if it does not understand the new variant. These variants are generally based on DTS's core-and-extension philosophy, in which a core DTS data stream is augmented with an extension stream which includes the additional data necessary for the new variant in use. Other, newer DTS variants are also currently available, including versions that support up to seven primary audio channels plus one LFE channel (DTS-ES). The basic and most common version of the format is a 5.1-channel system, similar to a Dolby Digital setup, which encodes the audio as five primary (full-range) channels plus a special LFE ( low-frequency effects) channel for the subwoofer.Įncoders and decoders support numerous channel combinations, and stereo, four-channel, and four-channel+LFE soundtracks have been released commercially on DVD, CD, and Laserdisc. Work on the new audio format started in 1991, four years after Dolby Laboratories started work on its new codec, Dolby Digital. A photo of a theatrical DTS CD-ROM disc used for the original 1993 release of Jurassic Park
