With Queen Rock Montreal and 18 Marvel movies, Disney+ is the first streaming service to offer DTS:X in addition to Dolby Atmos. Here's how it works.
The partnership with DTS was announced way back in November 2021 when Disney+ added the first titles in the expanded IMAX Enhanced aspect ratio. Yesterday, on May 15, the first titles with DTS:X sound appeared on Disney+ worldwide.
On Disney+, DTS:X is part of IMAX Enhanced, meaning that you must select the IMAX version of the Marvel movie or Queen Rock Montreal. If your device supports DTS:X profile 2 decoding, you will be able to select DTS:X. Otherwise, you will just get the expanded IMAX Enhanced picture.
Lossy DTS:X sound
DTS:X is normally associated with DTS-HD MA lossless quality, which is how DTS:X is typically used on Blu-ray and UHD Blu-ray discs.
A new lossy DTS:X variant, referred to as DTS:X profile 2, was introduced a couple of years ago. It is intended for streaming where bandwidth is more limited, meaning it is no longer lossless quality.
DTS:X profile 2 is a 5.1.4 channel mix based on the 12-channel IMAX theatrical mix, streaming at a 448 Kbps audio bitrate, as explained by Sven Mevissen from Xperi (DTS's parent company) in an interview with Ecoustics.com.
In addition to Queen Rock Montreal and the 18 Marvel movies, select Pixar movies may get the DTS:X treatment on Disney+ in the near future.
Limited device support
At launch this week, only a handful of devices are supported, advertised as 'IMAX Enhanced' devices. The list includes select Google TVs: Sony A95L from 2023, Sony models from 2024, Hisense U7K and U8K from 2023 (North America), Hisense U6N, U7N and U8N from 2024 (North America), and TCL models from 2024.
DTS:X from Disney+ should also be supported on 'IMAX Enhanced'-compatible Philips, Sharp and Xiaomi Google TVs in Europe. The Disney+ app must be updated to the latest version.
Look for the DTS:X icon on Disney+
Support will be expanded to additional devices later this year, including select LG TV models, according to Ecoustics.com.
Because it is a new DTS:X profile, it is not enough for a device to simply feature DTS:X support. The device must be able to decode DTS:X profile 2 and then pass it on to a receiver or soundbar with either "normal" or IMAX Enhanced DTS:X support. Therefore, it will not currently work without one of the aforementioned TVs.
None of the current streaming boxes or sticks work at this time. Apple TV, Chromecast and Fire TV do not support DTS. Roku and Nvidia Shield do, but not the DTS:X profile 2 (IMAX Enhanced), so they will not work with Disney+ either.
An easier way to check is to navigate to Queen Rock Montreal or one of the Marvel movies in the list below in the Disney+ app and look for the DTS:X logo, as shown in the picture above.
With DTS:X on Disney+, Dolby Atmos finally has competition in the streaming market. Disney+ is not picking side either. The next step would be to bring DTS:X to additional streaming services, but so far nothing has been announced in this regard.
Marvel movies in IMAX Enhanced with DTS:X
| Ant-Man and the Wasp
Doctor Strange
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Avengers: Infinity War
Eternals
Avengers: Endgame
Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 2)
Black Panther
Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 3)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The Marvels
Black Widow
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Captain America: Civil War
Thor: Ragnarok
Captain Marvel
Thor: Love & Thunder |
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