PS4: World’s First Device to Support DTS-HD Master Audio|7.1

PS4: DTS-HD Master Audio|7.1

The PlayStation 3 has always been regarded as one of the best home theater machines. Throughout its lifespan, the powerful console was able to satisfy home theater aficionados with support for Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray Live, and a host of audio codecs like DTS and Dolby TrueHD. With the launch of the PS4, Sony hopes to continue the tradition and that’s already apparent with the console supporting DTS-HD Master Audio|7.1 decoder, a first for consumer electronics device.

According to DTS Executive Vice President and COO Brian Towne:

 Today, there are more than a couple of ways for consumers to access and enjoy entertainment content. Millions of consumers rely on their gaming consoles to serve as their hub for accessing digital content services, holding the expectation that these devices will deliver the same quality video and audio experience that they receive when gaming or watching Blu-ray discs. By featuring DTS’ new DTS-HD Master Audio|7.1 technology, PS4 owners will be able to enjoy the same high-definition 7.1 surround sound experience received on Blu-ray from streaming and VOD services. 

In layman’s terms, this new decoder allows for bit rate of 512 Kb per seconds from either optical media such as Blu-ray or from internet services, allowing for a near lossless audio experience. While it remains unlikely that many streaming services such as Sony’s own Music Unlimited would take advantage of such a feature anytime soon, due to bandwidth limitations and uncertainty from consumers, it’s quite likely that we’ll begin to see Blu-ray films pop up with support for the audio format.

 DTS-HD Master Audio|7.1 is the latest delivery profile under the DTS-HD technology portfolio of advanced audio solutions for next-generation content. Designed to deliver the highest quality surround sound experience possible from both physical and digital media,this new decoder supports streamed and downloaded content featuring DTS-HD-encoded audio tracks, as well as optical disc media with soundtracks produced in all DTS formats including DTS-HD Master Audio. 

Sure the PS4 currently lacks MP3 and DLNA support, but Sony has already gone on record that a future update will bring the missed features back, paving the way for the PS4 to become the only home theater machine you’ll need. Now if Sony could only fully commit to 4K support for it.

Discuss:

Does good audio matter to you or do you generally game or watch movies from a basic audio setup?

[Via Dualshockers]