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Virtually
every DVD player manufactured and sold today is capable of
outputting a DTS signal. The number of A/V receivers and processor/preamps
that will decode DTS are growing tremendously, and not all
of these are limited to the high-end, high dollar products.
Pioneer and Kenwood both make A/V receivers that decode DTS
and Dolby Digital that can be purchased for less than $600
(today I saw a Technics Dolby Digital/DTS receiver advertised
in a newspaper ad for a mere $349.99!) Coincident with this
surge in hardware availability, DTS encoded DVDs are now starting
to arrive as well. Its still something of a mild swelling,
consisting almost entirely of titles from Universal, Image,
and now Dreamworks (Universal Studios and Steven Spielberg
are both limited partners with DTS,) but there are titles
being released each and every month and given that the hardware
base is growing we can be sure to see more titles as time
goes on, and there are rumors that other studios will also
start releasing titles in the format as well.
So, with
this in mind I thought it would be a good time to start reviewing
these DTS DVDs and try to give people an idea of whether they
are worth purchasing vs. their Dolby Digital counterparts.
I want to accomplish this by comparing the DTS versions directly
with the Dolby Digital versions while considering a number
of factors. Primary is the sound quality. Is there really
a difference between the two formats, and if so is it enough
to warrant purchasing a more expensive DVD with fewer features?
Also, does the video quality of DVDs encoded in DTS suffer?
The DTS audio signal takes up four times the space that a
Dolby Digital signal does. Many have feared that DTS DVDs
that have inferior picture quality as a result of the additional
compression required to accommodate the DTS audio signal,
or that even average length films would require dual-layer
capability or even multiple discs for one film. These are
the questions I will try to answer and hopefully this will
help people come to a decision when the time comes to buy
a DVD that is available in both formats.
As a note
I would also add that while much has been made of differing
channel levels on DTS DVDs vs. Dolby Digital DVDs, and that
many A/V publications have been going through a lot of trouble
to match channel levels and perform double blind A/B comparisons,
I am not going to be performing those kind of reviews here.
Like the majority of people who read these reviews, I am (more
or less) your average consumer. I buy or rent these DVDs just
as many of you do and I want to relay to the reader the experience
that anyone would have buying or renting one of these movies
and putting it in the old DVD player and hitting play. To
me, what is seen and heard at that point is what matters.
(Editor's
Note: For a more detailed explanation of the paradigm from
which this DTS vs. Dolby Digital comparison is made, see the
author's methodology overview.)
With this
in mind, I move (finally, whew!) to my first selection, The
DTS DVD of ANTZ!
The
Story Of Z
Antz is
an entirely computer animated film created by Dreamworks,
their first effort in this arena. Theatrically Antz went head
to head with Pixar and Disney's A Bug's Life, being released
just one month before Pixar's followup to the wildly successful
Toy Story. To Dreamworks' credit, this confidence was well
founded. Antz is a delightful film, with good humor to go
along with the spectacular computer animated imagery. The
only thing that hurt the film for me was all of the star power
used in the voicing of the characters. These voices are so
well known, each a Hollywood icon, that I was always aware
of each actors' voice and not the character him/herself. I
found this quite distracting, especially as the main character
Z, really did a lot of the same schtick that his voice, Woody
Allen, is so well known for. But really this is a rather minor
quibble as I heartily recommend this film for everyone in
the family.
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Like the
Dolby Digital encoded Signature Selection DVD, the video on
the Antz DTS DVD is anamorphic widescreen presented in the
proper 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio. The video on this single
layer disc is of reference quality and is virtually indistinguishable
from the Signature Selection DVD released previously. Going
back and forth between the two I could never pin down any
discrepancy between the two presentations. Both discs offer
outstanding color fidelity and an extraordinarily detailed
picture that is completely free of grain or any other kind
of distracting artifact. Both discs offer picture quality
that is among the very best of that available on DVD.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
The soundtrack
is fantastic and DTS makes good on its promise of better sound
quality by delivering the superior presentation. Compared
with the 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack on the Signature Selection
DVD, the DTS soundtrack is richer and fuller, particularly
in rendering the music score, which is very entertaining.
An example of this is the dance sequence, the DTS version
jumps out and grabs you in a way the DD just doesn't. It has
much more "live" feeling. The DTS soundtrack also betters
its Dolby Digital competitor with superior sidewall imaging,
often placing sounds far out between the front and surround
speakers on a given side. This makes directional effects that
pan from the front speakers to the surrounds, and vice verse,
far more convincing and realistic, and also produces a sense
of the room being filled with sound, as opposed to merely
placing sound around the room.
Bass response,
which is strong on both soundtracks, is a tad tighter, and
better defined in the DD version, but only on sound effects
such as the termites approach just before the battle sequence.
In reproducing the bass in the music score the DTS soundtrack
has much better punch and pitch definition. Overall, the Dolby
Digital soundtrack sounds a little flat and thin, and certainly
less three-dimensional, when compared to the DTS version,
which I strongly preferred.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? Here, I
think is where we get into the heart of the matter of considering
the purchase of a DTS DVD. Other than the exciting full-motion
menus and cast and crew bios with production notes, the DTS
DVD of Antz offers none of the supplementary material included
with the Signature Series DVD, which, in spite of costing
the same amount of $35 retail, is a full blown special edition.
It contains a running commentary with co-directors Eric Darnell
and Tim Johnson, four featurettes on the creation of the film,
and numerous TV spots and trailers.
This is
a problem common to nearly all DTS DVDs. For every DTS DVD
(except Image's Dances with Wolves, which has the same supplements
on both versions,) there is a Dolby Digital 5.1 DVD that is
cheaper and/or has more of the supplementary features that
DVD fans crave. In the case of Antz the choice has to be made
between a DTS version that has superior sound and virtually
identical video and a Dolby Digital DVD that is a feature-laden
special edition with a Dolby Digital soundtrack that really
sounds fine, even outstanding, except when directly compared
to the DTS DVD.
The
Choice: DTS or Dolby Digital?
Another
factor enters in here, and that is that many of you bought
the Dolby Digital Signature Collection back in March, while
the DTS version was released July 6th. That could end this
contest right there for a lot of people. Unfortunately this
delay is also common to DTS DVDs. DTS and the studios that
release DTS DVDs need to realize that a lot of people aren't
even going to consider DTS DVDs unless they start hitting
the street on the same date with the Dolby Digital versions.
Often, the DTS version isn't even announced when the Dolby
Digital version streets, as was the case for all of the Dreamworks
titles.
Nevertheless,
when considering the two versions available right here and
now, the DTS version wins for me and is worth buying. While
the Signature Series DVD has an impressive quantity of supplements,
I do not think the quality of these supplements is high enough.
The four featurettes together total only about 25 minutes,
and I found them a bit on the dry side, and really could not
imagine re-watching them. The commentary is more entertaining
and informative, but again I can't imagine re-visiting it.
I'll take the DVD with the better soundtrack that I will enjoy
every time I watch this movie.
That being
said, I do really wish that at least one of the trailers had
been included on the DTS disc. That would really go a long
way in making me and other people feel good about plunking
down $35 for a DTS DVD. If one supplement is to be included
I would much prefer even one trailer over the cast and crew
bios and production notes.
(If you are unsure of which version of ANTZ to buy, also see
our review of
the Dolby Digital release as well.)
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