While SR is examining all potential surround sound platforms, research has established a popular demand for the higher quality signal of DTS Digital Surround. A download on the company’s website (see link below) offering material in the alternative formats has been on-line since June and of the 300,000 downloads of this material, approximately 70% have been of the DTS encoded version.
SR has formed a 5.1 working group which has been allocated funds for the production of more 5.1 programming and has established contacts with potential distributors among satellite, terrestrial, cable and broadband-based transmission companies. DTS’ Coherent Acoustics compression/decompression algorithm, commercially marketed as DTS Digital Surround, was conceived as a scalable technology from the outset in order to achieve surround sound. Whether carried on a DVD disc, transmitted via digital satellite, cable or terrestrial broadcast signals, or by means of a broadband internet connection, the highest possible multi-channel audio can be transmitted within the available bandwidth by virtue of DTS Digital Surround’s scalable bit-rate.
DTS’ strategy for the digital broadcast industry encompasses both developing the means of delivery to the consumer, as well as technology to support use of the format throughout the production chain. At IBC, DTS demonstrated its new CAE-5 digital broadcast encoder and, in conjunction with Leitch Technology Corporation, its ‘end-to-end solution’ for the production and transmission of the highest possible quality surround sound for digital broadcast.
(Ruth Rossington)
