DTS HD Master Audio in Action

Every Twentieth Century Fox and MGM Blu-ray features a DTS HD Master Audio track, as does all new Roadshow titles (from Rush Hour 3 onwards). So this means there are around 40 DTS HD MA equipped Blu-ray movies on the market right now. Let's take a look at a few of them.

Independence Day

I reviewed this title a few months ago at my previous site, DVDBits. Being one of my favourite films (don't laugh - I kill you!), I am quite versed in how it has traditionally sounded, but nothing quite prepared me for what unveiled.

For starters, and to be rather general, it felt like a veil has been lifted off the soundtrack. This veil prevented me from hearing the full depth and scope that I now hear. I heard sounds that I had never before. There was a little more clarity to the vocals in the centre channel, and much less compression heard in the music, and more detail in the rear tracks.

The booming bass that the film is known for became a little less boomy, but more detailed. It now sounds more like a crunchy and responsive bass which is less boomy, and definitely more powerful.

The down side is I think I have done permanent damage to my hearing, but to the credit of my amplifier, it wanted to truck on. Onto the next one.

Die Hard 4.0

For those that have seen the movie, I think they would agree that the F-35 fighter jet Vs the semi-trailer which punctuates the climax of the film, was the highlight. It also sounded very, very good before, so let's see how it sounds now.

The same benefits I heard with 'Independence Day' could also be heard here. The definition in sound is so utterly clear, it is scary. Again, it felt like the track could now breathe, no longer constrained by a bitrate a third of what it was consistently hitting now. The bass track was again so much more powerful, but also more detailed, and alternated in intensity where before it was more of a jumble of bassiness.