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When you’re setting up your home entertainment center, you’ve probably come across a question that bothers a lot of people who are just starting out: which surround sound technology, Dolby Digital or DTS, is better. It’s important to know the answer to this question, not only because it will determine most of the AV equipment you keep at home, but also because having great sound makes for better entertainment in general.
Even though Netflix and Prime Video offer Dolby Digital and DTS for a theater-like experience at home, the question still stands: which is better, and what’s the difference? Well, this article is for you if you have the same worries. Let’s look at Dolby Digital vs. DTS and see how the two surround sound formats stack up against each other.
Dolby Digital vs DTS features
Dolby Digital | DTS |
---|---|
Up to 7.1 discrete channels of high-fidelity surround sound | Customer Management |
The sound of HDTV. | Employee Management |
Premium mobile listening. | Storage Management |
Built into Windows 10 and Microsoft Edge. | Moves across State Lines |
Dolby Digital vs DTS: The Similarities

Dolby Digital and DTS are both supported by most high-end home audio systems. Dolby Digital and DTS both have basic surround sound codecs for 5.1 setups, which is a typical home theatre setup with five speakers and one subwoofer. Newer versions of the formats can handle 7.1 channels, speakers in the ceiling, and HD surround sound.
Studios use both standards to save space on discs and shrink large files with multiple audio channels. Both “lossy” and “lossless” codecs are used by Dolby and DTS. Some of the audio will be different in the lossy version compared to the source. Lossless formats, on the other hand, promise studio-level audio performance, but with some compression.
Dolby and DTS use extra technologies like enhanced surround sound for better immersion, specific encoders for stereo sound, and object-based sound effects for more realism. You can download this app from its official website.
Dolby Digital vs DTS: Atmos

Dolby and DTS’s top-of-the-line and cutting-edge home theatre sound systems are a step up from traditional surround sound. They make object-based effects like a plane flying overhead or bullets flying around the room by sending multiple audio signals to systems with more than the standard 5.1 speakers. Again, both should give you an immersive experience, but they are not the same in important ways.
Dolby Atmos makes a “bubble” of sound by putting speakers in the ceiling. Not interested in making holes in your ceiling? There are also simpler options, like Dolby Atmos soundbars with vertical drivers that bounce sound off the ceiling, or even better, up-firing modules that can sit on top of your regular speakers.
Which is better?
DTS has higher bit rates that promise a more realistic movie experience than its competitor. Still, many audiophiles would choose Dolby over DTS because of things like signal-to-noise ratio and speaker calibration.
Since standards are always changing, the best way to improve your movie night is to make sure you have high-quality parts that are set up right and fed the best source material you can find. So, whether you choose DTS:X or Dolby Atmos, you’ll have a thrilling home theatre experience.
DTS PRO AND CONS
Pros:
- Local Moves
- Trees can be visualized
Cons:
- Interpretation is hard with large and complex trees
Dolby Digital PROS AND CONS
Pros:
- Can decode and optimize Dolby Atmos signals.
- Still capable of delivering a 5.1 or 7.1 setup.
Cons:
- No height channels
FAQS
Does Netflix use Dolby or DTS?
Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) is what makes Netflix work. Look at the information page for each movie to see if the sound is DD+ compatible. DD+ works via HDMI (from version 1.3). A bandwidth of at least 3 megabits per second is also needed from the streaming service (download stream).
Is DTS audio worth it?
More realistic sound quality: Compared to other spatial sound software, DTS is thought to have the best and most realistic sound quality. This is mostly because of how well it uses multichannel speaker setups and how fast it can encode data.
Why is DTS quieter than Dolby?
Dolby uses more compression than DTS, so that’s the bottom line. Dolby Digital sounds good, but DTS sounds more like the original master soundtrack in terms of clarity and movement. With all due respect, it is not clear whether DTS is better or not. Even though Dolby is more compressed, it is a better algorithm.