What Is DTS 96/24?
DTS 96/24 isn’t so much a separate surround sound format but an upscaled version of DTS Digital Surround 5.1. Manufacturers encode it onto DVDs or set it as an alternative listening option on DVD-Audio discs. DTS 96/24 provides higher audio resolution than the traditional DTS Digital Surround format. The audio industry measures audio resolution in the sampling rate and bit-depth. The higher the numbers (more resolution), the better the sound. The goal is to provide the home theater viewer or music listener with a natural-sounding listening experience. With DTS 96/24, instead of using the standard DTS 48 kHz sampling rate, a 96 kHz sampling rate is employed. Also, the DTS Digital Surround bit-depth of 16 bits extends up to 24 bits. Because of these factors, the DVD soundtrack had more audio information embedded, translating to more detail and dynamic range when played back on 96/24 compatible devices. Besides upping the audio resolution for surround sound, it also benefits music listening. Standard CDs have a 44 kHz/16-bit audio resolution, so music recorded in DTS 96/24 and burned onto a DVD or DVD audio disc increases the quality.
Accessing DTS 96/24
Most home theater receivers provide access to DTS 96/24 encoded audio content. To find out if your home theater offers this option, check for the 96/24 icon on the front or top of the receiver or in the receiver’s audio setup, decoding, and processing options. Open the user manual and look at one of the audio format compatibility charts that the manufacturer provided. Even if your source device (DVD or DVD-Audio disc player) or home theater receiver isn’t 96/24 compatible, that isn’t a problem. Non-compatible devices can access the 48 kHz sampling rate and 16-bit depth that is present in the soundtrack as the core. Un-decoded DTS 96/24 bitstreams can only be transferred using Digital Optical/Coaxial or HDMI connections. If your DVD or Blu-ray Disc player can decode the 96/24 signal internally, the decoded, uncompressed audio signal can be passed as PCM using HDMI or analog audio outputs to a compatible home theater receiver.
DTS 96/24 and DVD Audio Discs
On DVD-Audio discs, the DTS 96/24 track alternative is placed in a portion of the space allocated for the standard DVD portion of the disc. This allows the disc to be played on any DTS-compatible DVD player (which is most DVD players). If a DVD-Audio disc has a DTS 96/24 listening option, you don’t need a DVD-Audio-enabled player to play the disc. However, when you insert a DVD-Audio disc into a standard DVD (or Blu-ray Disc player) and see the DVD-Audio disc’s menu displayed on the TV screen, you can only access the 5.1 channel DTS Digital Surround or the DTS 96/24 option. (Some DVD audio discs provide a Dolby Digital option as well.) This is instead of the full uncompressed 5.1 channel PCM option that is the foundation of the DVD-Audio disc format. Sometimes, manufacturers label the DTS Digital Surround and DTS 96/24 options as DTS Digital Surround on the DVD-Audio disc menu. Regardless, your home theater receiver should display the correct format on its front panel status display.
The Bottom Line
In terms of film DVDs, few have been produced in the DTS 96/24 format, and most of the titles are only available in Europe. DTS 96/24 has been widely used in music DVDs and DVD-Audio discs. Higher-resolution audio formats than those used on DVDs (including DTS 96/24) are available for Blu-ray Disc (such as DTS-HD Master Audio and DTS:X). There are no Blu-ray Disc titles that use the DTS 96/24 codec.
