How do I get DTS to work?

[dkmonroe]

I have a very inexpensive Home Theater system which has a DTS logo on it, but I can never get any sound out of the DTS layer on my DVD's. What am I missing?

I asked this question on a different forum many months ago, and the response I got was that I needed a 6.1 system in order to use DTS. That doesn't make any sense, though, because, why would my system have a DTS logo on it if I can't use it?

[Metoo]

The fact that a system has a DTS logo can simply be an indication that it reads the format, but doesn't decode it. Newer players, specially universal ones, tend to include the DTS decoder inside the machine. Yet, you usually will get better results by connecting your DTS reading player to an outside A/V amplifier.

Low end and older Home Theater in a Box systems oftentimes do not decode anything but Dolby Digital.

[JorgeGvb]

Just to eliminate the obvious... Is the DVD actually DTS? Then when you load the DVD, you normally have to go into the audio setup and select DTS.

[lv70smusic]

David:

Without knowing the equipment you have, it's difficult to know what's going on. I agree that it seems logical that your system should be capable of decoding dts since it has the logo on it, but I suppose it's possible that the manufacture put the logo on it because the dvd player can pass a dts bitstream to an external decoder that's not included. The best advice I could give is to read the manual(s) that came with your equipment. Home theater and the newish high-rez audio formats are complicated enough that reading the manual (or at least glancing through it) is no longer optional. Things are no longer as simple as plugging in some RCA jacks and hitting "play."

In the meantime, I think that some of the main reasons why you might not be getting proper audio when trying to listen to the dts audio portion of a dvd:

1. The dvd itself only has a DD and/or PCM track, not a dts track.

2. You are attempting to pass the bitstream from the dvd player to the decoder/receiver in a way that prevents the decoder/receiver from recognizing it properly. (My first dvd player's manual specified that I had to select "bitstream" as the type of digital output; the other option, "PCM," would cause an external dts decoder not to work.)

3. The equipment you are trying to use to decode the dts bitstream does not have the proper decoder.

[Ed Bishop]

Most DVD's default to Dolby Digital, not DTS. That you must access from the menu or, depending on the player, you can access bypassing the menu.

:ed:

[AudioEnz]

2. You are attempting to pass the bitstream from the dvd player to the decoder/receiver in a way that prevents the decoder/receiver from recognizing it properly. (My first dvd player's manual specified that I had to select "bitstream" as the type of digital output; the other option, "PCM," would cause an external dts decoder not to work.)

That's my pick, as I've seen this very thing happen.

In the early days of home theatre, when DTS decoding was as rare as Dodo droppings, most DVD manufacturers left the ability for a DVD player to pass a DTS bitstream switched off. Otherwise loud and nasty sounds could be sent through the receiver and into the speakers, causing damage and potental lawsuits.

Go to the setup menu of your DVD player. There should be an option for DTS setup. Whatever option is chosen in the DTS setup, choose the other one (sorry, I can't remember the terms typically used in these menus). Play a DTS DVD (after ensuring that the DTS track is chosen in the disc's setup menu) with the volume turned well down. If it works you can buy me a beer. If it doesn't work, then have one yourself.

I'm assuming that both your receiver and DVD player have a DTS logo on them.

[Metoo]

Guys, DKMonroe has already said he is not able to get sound out of the DTS layer on his disks. Thus, it is quite clear that it should not be a problem with the disks themselves but, rather, the hardware. I might be mistaken, but I believe that many of those inexpensive HTIB systems do ot decode DTS.