Decode DTS-HD MA & Hi-Res with DTS-HD MA Suite : Tutorial

[linkin78]

I don't know if i'm breaking any kind of forum rules or not. But I thought that this guide could be somewhat useful for people that have access to the DTS-HD Master Audio Suite, and want to decode both their .dtshd streams projects, as well any other .dtshd streams to PCM, without the need of Arcsoft DTS Decoder and eac3to. The guide is straight-forward, and pretty long as well. So i'm leaving here the link of my blog to read it peacefully:

http://bit.ly/f2e034

If you have any questions, or you need any kind of help, i'm willing to help.

[xkodi]

it's proven such way is not working correctly, no matter that at first glance it seems to work correctly, some details here:

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1426223#post1426223

[linkin78]

it's proven such way is not working correctly, no matter that at first glance it seems to work correctly, some details here:

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1426223#post1426223

Mmm.......Could it be maybe because that's a mono dtshd stream? :rolleyes:
Sure it's not an hassle-free procedure, and it's not an officially advertised feature of the program. It's more of an experiment, a trial, so to speak. But it's sure worth a try, even if results aren't that satisfied.
I do understand that both eac3to/aeac3toGUI, combined with the Arcsoft DTS decoder, makes life more simple. But, if one maybe has already bought the program, and don't want to spend another moneys on TMT or special hardware, even if the procedure it's not that "successful", it can always be helpful.

[xkodi]

Mmm.......Could it be maybe because that's a mono dtshd stream? :rolleyes:

if you read carefully you will realize that i didn't use mono dtshd stream for my test:

unfortunately after doing more tests this approach doesn't seem to work well when you use "fake" header, even if that header is the same as the one of the original stream, what i mean: 1. one 96kHz 24-bit 7.1 channel DTS-HD MA stream from Blu-ray is:

and the result was confirmed no matter of the exact dtshd stream type.

so, to keep it short - even if you use stream with its original header (and not fake one), but remove the "tail" (as it's mentioned in the old posts) then the decoded file by DTS-HD MA Suite player is not correct, because it seems the "tail" is used by the player and it's crucial to be present and the only correct way for decoding is still with eac3to and Arcsoft and/or Sonic decoder and even in such case there are dtshd streams that are not handled correctly, but that are very rare cases and eac3to usually prints warning in such case.

[linkin78]

if you read carefully you will realize that i didn't use mono dtshd stream for my test:



and the result was confirmed no matter of the exact dtshd stream type.

I understand why movie studios approached DTS, instead of continuing to support Dolby & LPCM. Formats change throughout the years, but the story remains the same. No wonder why the DVD-Audio format never took off, even if it was a VERY valid format for delivering high-fidelity audio.
But, anyway. I guess that some "tweaking" knowledge, in a very WARM and informative board as this one, never bothers.
Both your guide and mine are here for everyone who has some spare time and wants to try out, even if it's a dead end.

[linkin78]

In case someone needs a valid .dtshd stream file with proper header, I recently uploaded 2 short samples that i created here:

http://bit.ly/gJREM5

Hope they will be somehow of help!

[ACrowley]

A Way to decode all DTS Formats with a Reference Decoder on "MAC" is the Surcode for DTS-HD Decoder in Combination with Quicktimeplayer Pro.

You can decode all DTS(HD) Formats through Quicktime Pro export as AIFF/PCM Lossless

[linkin78]

A Way to decode all DTS Formats with a Reference Decoder on "MAC" is the Surcode for DTS-HD Decoder in Combination with Quicktimeplayer Pro.

You can decode all DTS(HD) Formats through Quicktime Pro export as AIFF/PCM Lossless

Thanks for pointing it out :)
I have that software on my Mac, and indeed it does a great job in doing exactly what is designed to do. Works also flawlessly on Snow Leopard 10.6.6 & Quicktime X (even with the non-pro version). ;)

[ACrowley]

Thanks for pointing it out :)
I have that software on my Mac, and indeed it does a great job in doing exactly what is designed to do. Works also flawlessly on Snow Leopard 10.6.6 & Quicktime X (even with the non-pro version). ;)

yes, Playback/decoding with Surcode Decoder works with Snow Leopards Quicktime X too.
But you need Quicktime Pro to "export" something (in this Case DTS (HD) to AIFF lossless). Quicktime x doesnt have the export Option