can you hear a difference?

[Thompsonuxb]

I have to confess, I cannot hear any significant differences between the various codecs.

If I was to chose my best sounding b-ray disc I'd probably go with Watchmen Dolby true HD but imo it does not improve on the Sound track of say the DVD of Blade Runner....that's like a hundred years old.

Admittedly I only have a 5.1 set up using a Sat/sub
package but is there really a difference?

 

[ClassAct]

For me I can hear a difference between lossy and lossless codecs (DVD quality and high definition/blu ray quality). DTS HD Master Audio for example to my ears sounds a lot more spacious and detailed than an equivalent dolby digital soundtrack. What I can't hear a difference between is the various lossless or uncompressed codes such as Dolby True HD, DTS HD MA or PCM.

 

[stavvy]

I haven't intentionally sat and had a listened for differences with movies but I reckon there's quite a distinct difference on certain playstation games when switching to and from dolby and dts

 

[ellisdj]

There are a few older films that come on Dolby Dig not HD.

There have been a few times I have put those discs on and thought this sounds off then remember I need to select the HD sound on this disc.

Proved there and then but like all things some setups ate better the others and dolby dig still sounds good

 

[Glacialpath]

Comparing a lossless codec from one film against a lossie codec on a completely different film isn't really going to give you the answer to be honest. The Blade Runner soundtrack on DVD may sound more crisp and clear but that's cause the signal is compressed thus giving an artificial sense of really good audio. Remember we've been listening to audio in this way for longer than we have uncompressed. At first uncompressed won't sound as clear. That's because we aren't/weren't used to it but listen to the world around you in everyday situations and see which of the formats sounds more natural to you.

If you can compare from the same movie you will get a better representation of what going on.

Also it depends on your system. If it can't really handel the bandwidth of the HD audio codecs they will likely sound much the same as regular DD or DTS.

First off can you hear a difference between Dolby Digital and DTS of the same DVD. If you can then again it's either your system (no offence) or you just can't hear the difference (again no offence)

 

[Frank Harvey]

Most movie soundtracks will depend how well they've been mastered, but in general, as long as a film has been done properly and not just ported from one format to another, there has been quite big jumps in sound quality. I initially moved to Bluray to get away from excessive video compression and edge enhancement, and bar the odd disc here and there, it has been worth it. The surprise to me though was audio - bass seems less boomy and better balanced, ambience is more free of the speakers, and dialogue is generally much clearer.

I'd say it is harder for many to pick out a hi-res audio track against hi-res video, as with video the difference can easily be seen, but the ear can be tricked into thinking it is listening to a hi-res audio track if it has been mastered well enough.