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DTS wades into simulated surround sound

by on10 January 2008
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CES 2008: Surround Sensation

Don’t be alarmed by seeing the words “simulated surround sound” in the same sentence at DTS! DTS was very clear that nothing has changed and they still are in pursuit of delivering the ultimate in discreet channel sound; and they continue to deliver this with the DTS-HD Master Audio technology. What has changed is that consumers are using music and movies in different ways, meaning that it is not always possible for the consumer to always have access to a 5.1 or 7.1 speaker setup necessary to deliver sound.

With the introduction of the new DTS Surround Sensation technology it is now possible to create a simulated surround sound experience while delivering the type of sound quality that DTS has become famous for delivering. DTS Surround Sensation processing contains psycho-acoustic information that alters human perception, making the user believe that the sound is actually occurring outside the boundaries of the two speaker or headphone environment. In the demo that we saw in the DTS booth we were blown away by the accuracy and sound depth that the DTS Surround Sensation provided during our listening experience.

We also were impressed with the Soundstage Expansion technology which is able to take two-channel source material and enhance the material to create a simulated sound environment that sounded much more natural and offered a “live” element that is often lacking in other simulated surround sound technologies that we have heard in the past. In addition, Surround Sensation also offers a Bass Enhancement ability that restores the perception of LFE effects by dynamically augmenting harmonics to restore the kick in the bottom end that is often lacking in a two-channel environment. The Bass Enhancement technology was particularly evident in the A/B demo that they showed from the rock back, Godsmack.

DTS Surround Sensation is expected to make its way to the PC platform starting in the second quarter of this year in hardware using the DTS Connect technology and about the same time frame for it to be incorporated in to DVD playback software on the PC. In addition, DTS is aggressively talking to other hardware manufacturers of all kinds of devices that could benefit from the DTS Surround Sensation technology. We expect to see a variety of products, from flat screen HDTVs to portable devices, to start offering this new technology shortly.

Last modified on 10 January 2008
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