What is DTS Audio?

[TomBrooklyn]

The movie I Robot has an ACS 6 channel English soundtrack and a DTS 6 channel English soundtrack. It also has an AC3 2 channel English soundtrack.

Would the DTS be a Director's comments soundtrack?

Which soundtrack will sound better played in a two channel stereo system, the 5.1 (6) channel or the 2 channel? Does the 6 channel sound just as good in regular stereo as the 2 channel?

Also, is there any way to compress an auxillary soundtrack like the Directors Comments?

[Jalavera]

DTS means 'Digital Theather System' which is a sort of sound such AC-3 (dolby digital) is. DTS is mandatory output to SPDIF 5.1 sorround system (you need 6 speakers) while AC-3 5.1 can be output to stereo speakers by means of downmixing (you can play with at least 2 speakers)

[j_olson]

On a 2-channel system it will usually be better to select the original AC3/2 channel than to downmix the AC3/5.1 channel.

[TomBrooklyn]

Hi Jalavera and j_o,

Thanks for that info. So putting your two replies together, it would seem I could either keep the AC3 6 channel soundtrack and delete the DTS 6ch and the AC3 2 channel, or keep the DTS 6 channel and and the AC3 2 channel.

If I just kept the AC3 6 channel, I could use it now with my stereo setup and use it in the future with a 5.1 system. But I would not get optimal sound in either 5.1 or 2 channel.

If I kept the DTS 5.1 and the AC3, I would get the best possible stereo sound now and the best possible 5.1 in the future. There would be no need to keep the ACS 6 channel if I kept those other two.

Does that sound right?

If the above makes sense, why is AC3 6ch on there anyway?

Also, where would the Director's comments sound track be? I don't want to delete that.