07/24/00 I'LL BE BACK/CENTER.

There are some questions that have needed to be answered about Anchor Bay's forthcoming release of the mega-hit T2: Judgement Day. Here is the lowdown.

To begin with, the movie will be presented on a single DVD-18 (Thats a dual-layer, double-sided DVD disc). One side will contain the movie and the other will house the extras. There will be a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix as well as a DTS 5.1 mix, both of which are enhanced with a matrixed Rear/Center channel. This channel is known as EX for Dolby labs as well as for THX. DTS calls this ES. What this disc does not contain is the new DTS 6.1 discrete version of DTS ES.

While a matrixed channel instead of a discrete one, may sound like a stop-gap between the shift from 5.1 to 6.1, there are some major bennefits. First, it allows foreward compatibility with future software, as well as backward compatibility with future hardware. (This will only hold true if they continue to put a matrixed Rear/Center channel in every 6.1 discrete main mix.) Another advantage of "pseudo"6.1, is that it gives sound engineers a a chance to experiment with the extra channel sonner rather than later. If all of that seems confusing, it is, but it is for a simpler cause. One of compatibility.

One other decision that had to be made, in order to fit everything on one side, was the use of the smaller bit rate of 768kbs. Although this is only half of the original 1536kbs, other discs have proven that DTS can still sound fantastic when using this less space taxing approach.(Saving Private Ryan)

Expect to see this awsome disc on store shelves August 29.

Check out DVD REVIEW for a behind the scenes look at the making of the disc as well as a review.

06/22/00 NEW DENON FLAGSHIP BOASTS A SIXTH(.1) SENSE. Well well well, just when you thought you couldn't get any better than DTS... DTS ES discrete was recently announced from Digital Theater Systems. Whether or not this will be "true" 6.1 is still not known. It does apparently best the Dolby/THX standard matrix design in theory. Denon's new reciever AVR-5600 will be able to recieve this new signal as well as being backwards compatible with all matrixed rear center applications that do not carry the new discrete "flag". Not only that, but a new 6 channel stereo format will also be introduced to this reciever. It is called DTS Neo:6 and I am guessing that this will work the same way as the 5 ch stereo mode already found in Denon and Onkyo recievers. Here is the press release.