GoKawiilIf you've been down the rabbit hole of home theater audio, you've likely encountered the world of surround sound audio formats. The two main players, Dolby and DTS, can be found in some of the best home audio gear and each offer multiple standards, and the differences can be opaque at first blush. So, what are the differences between Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos, and what makes DTS:X unique compared to DTS?
DTS (short for Digital Theater Systems, the name of the company which owns the technology) has been a longtime competitor to Dolby formats, with Dolby first throwing down the gauntlet with Dolby Digital during the early days of home theater surround sound, and now with Atmos as spatial audio takes the cutting edge. Emerging with the move from analog to digital home video, both Dolby Digital and DTS aimed to deliver theater-style surround sound to the living room. DVDs were able to deliver channel-mixed sound using either format, a major boon for those who had invested in home theater systems.
Those early versions are now outdated. With the rise of 3D, object-based mixing, in which each individual sound within a mix can be tracked spatially rather than directed to channels (adding a Z-axis to the previously 2D mix), we now have Dolby Atmos competing against DTS:X. But while both technologies aim to deliver a similar audio experience, they have different pros and cons, as well as different levels of support that can affect which one is the better choice for you.