Jordan O'BrienDolby Atmos may be the dominant 3D audio format but DTS:X is preparing a comeback – with the format now being supported by Paramount Pictures.
Paramount is the first company to fully throw its support behind DTS:X, which is interesting since the company has also been a big supporter of Dolby Atmos. In fact, Paramount released its first 4K UHD Blu-ray release, Star Trek and Star Trek: Into Darkness, with Dolby Atmos audio.
Despite early support for Dolby Atmos it seems that Paramount is hedging its bets by supporting DTS:X as well. Various AVR manufacturers have been doing the same thing, with several products already on the market that support both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, as well as Auro 3D.
The first wave of DTS:X films from Paramount will be Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg comedy Daddy’s Home, the Tina Fey comedy-drama Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, the Oscar-winning The Big Short and Zoolander No. 2, the follow-up to the Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson comedy.
“DTS is constantly innovating in order to offer consumers the best entertainment experience possible,” says Bill Neighbors, general manager of digital media and streaming solutions at DTS Inc.
“DTS:X is our most recent, most advanced product offering, raising the bar for in-home entertainment. Consumers and content creators have higher expectations than ever and DTS:X will exceed the most demanding expectations.”
While Dolby Atmos was the first to market, DTS:X has already been praised thanks to its easy installation. Since launching on the market Dolby Atmos has been rather specific about the speaker requirements to get the system to work – that includes having a standard 5.1 or 7.1 surround speaker system, plus at least one pair of ‘height’ speakers.
DTS:X on the other hand has not been as strict, giving no official requirements and allowing installers to simply arrange speakers as they see fit. Once arranged, a DTS:X compatible AVR will automatically calibrate the system with the object-based surround processor sorting out all the details. DTS:X can also be manually adjusted to boost or lower specific sound objects, a feature that is currently not available on Dolby Atmos systems.
It is clear that DTS:X is the company’s big push at the moment, with 3D object-based audio set to be the dominant topic on the minds of many installers integrating new home theatres. Despite that focus, Paramount is also making available for download a track based on DTS Headphone:X technology, giving users wanting to enjoy its latest films on the go in 3D surround sound a chance to do so. What’s more, it doesn’t require special headphones to enjoy it either.