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DTS:X Resources

Last Updated on August 23, 2022

DTS:X Logo

In the beginning of immersive audio for home theater, there was Dolby Atmos. Just as with digital sound formats for DVD and Blu-ray, there is now an immersive soundtrack format from DTS, called DTS:X.

The DTS:X brand name was announced by DTS in January 2015, although it was known previously as DTS MDA, which is actually the foundation of DTS:X. Additional details were released to the public in April 2015.

This page will serve as a gathering place for various resources that we find and believe are useful for those wanting to install DTS:X in their home.

About DTS:X

One of the claims to fame for the new format is that it is not dependent upon specific speaker placement or a specific number of speakers. It is adaptable to a variety of configurations, according to the press release issued by the company, as long as there are speakers in a hemispherical layout around the listener.

"DTS:X is built on the foundation of providing an open, adaptable solution for content creators, cinemas and homes to fulfill our goal of bringing immersive audio to as many people around the world as possible," said Jon Kirchner, chairman and CEO of DTS, Inc. "Until recently, sound in movie theaters and in our homes has been dictated by a standardized speaker layout. Through the use of object-based audio, DTS:X is able to scale immersive soundtrack presentations across a wide range of playback systems, from efficient to extravagant, while staying true to the content creator’s vision. This approach delivers the most authentic three-dimensional audio experience ever, making the audience feel as if they are in the center of the action."

DTS:X also will feature dialog control, which will allow the user to control the volume of specific audio elements, such as dialog, if they wish. This is something that has to be enabled by the content creator, since the dialog needs to be added as an object which can be so controlled. While many are seeing this as a way for people to be able to boost the dialog to accommodate their TV speakers/soundbars, we imagine that such a feature could be used to isolate the announcers of a sporting event, where they could be muted while still allowing the game and crowd sounds through.

Since not every movie has a DTS:X soundtrack, an upmixer is offered, called Neural:X. Basically, it will take a multi-channel soundtrack and attempt to place sounds into the height channels by extracting what it believes to be height-based content. This will be similar to Dolby Surround, which is Dolby's Atmos upmixer. Like all upmixers and DSP effects that try to make something that isn't really there, the success may vary from movie to movie.

DTS:X vs. Dolby Atmos

Now that the two powerhouses in digital audio both have immersive formats, the natural response is to compare and contrast them. Both formats support lossless coding for the best audio quality, while also supporting lossy compression for streaming services that have to work on a budget.

While there are some differences in the exact number of objects supported, both formats are more similar than they are different. Furthermore, it is expected that the differences that do exist likely will be limited by their implementation in consumer-grade A/V equipment. For example, there are many A/V receivers that decode Dolby Atmos, but none of them decode more than four height outputs, even though the format supports up to ten overhead outputs.

DTS:X on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Much like Dolby Atmos adds special coding to a lossless Dolby TrueHD soundtrack on a Blu-ray disc, DTS:X adds a layer of special coding to a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This means that a movie with a DTS:X soundtrack will be backwards-compatible with any Blu-ray player and any receiver capable of playing DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks (which is every Blu-ray player we know of, and most every A/V receiver made in the last five years or so).

DTS:X Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Titles

To enjoy DTS:X to its fullest, you need source material! As with all new formats, it will take some time for the DTS:X soundtrack to be provided on Blu-ray discs. Below, we will keep a list of all DTS:X-encoded movie titles as we find out about them (the links will take you to gift shop merchant Amazon.com for pricing and other details).

DTS:X on Streaming Services

DTS:X can support lossy encoding where bitrates are a concern as well. While no streaming services have announced support for, or released movies with, DTS:X soundtracks, it appears that it would be technically possible.

DTS:X Decoding Hardware: Receivers and Processors

In order to decode the DTS:X portion of the soundtrack, however, your processor/receiver is going to need a DTS:X decoder.

The first DTS:X firmware update for an existing processor or receiver was in January 2016 for the Denon AVR-X7200WA, with other models following. Yamaha released DTS:X firmware updates for several of its models in March 2016. The generations of receivers that followed had DTS:X capability built-in.

Below is a list of manufacturers with DTS:X-capable receivers. The complete list of models would be too difficult to track, so we recommend that you visit the manufacturer's web sites and do a feature search for DTS:X to find a model that suits your other needs.

While we will attempt to keep this list up to date, it should not be considered an exhaustive list. If you know of any manufacturers that we are missing, please let us know via the Feedback Form.

First-Generation Processors/Receivers

Below is a list of the first-generation processors and receivers that were capable of DTS:X. This list is here for archival purposes.

Yamaha

DTS:X firmware released for the following models on March 30, 2016.

When they became available, these models featured DTS:X capability:

  • RX-V781 (7.2 channel A/V receiver)
  • RX-V681 (7.2 channel A/V receiver)
  • RX-V581 (7.2 channel A/V receiver)
  • RX-V481 (5.1 channel A/V receiver)

Denon

  • AVR-S710W (7.2 channel A/V receiver)
  • AVR-S910W (7.2 channel A/V receiver)
  • AVR-X1200W (7.2 channel A/V receiver)
  • AVR-X2200W (7.2 channel A/V receiver)
  • AVR-X3200W (7.2 channel A/V receiver)
  • AVR-X4200W (7.2 channel A/V receiver)
    - DTS:X firmware released February 18, 2016
  • AVR-X6200W (9.2 channel A/V receiver)
    - DTS:X firmware released February 18, 2016
  • AVR-X7200WA (11.2 channel A/V receiver)
    - DTS:X firmware released January 28, 2016

Integra

Marantz

  • AV8802A (11.2 channel A/V preamplifier/processor)
    - DTS:X firmware released February 3, 2016
  • AV8802 (11.2 channel A/V preamplifier/processor)
  • AV7702mkII (11.2 channel A/V preamplifier/processor)
    - DTS:X firmware released March 2, 2016
  • SR7010 (11.2 channel A/V receiver)
    - DTS:X firmware released March 2, 2016
  • SR6010 (9.2 channel A/V receiver)
    - DTS:X firmware released March 2, 2016
  • SR5010 (7.1 channel A/V receiver)
  • NR1606 (7.1 channel A/V receiver)

Onkyo

Pioneer

Other Manufacturers

Having Problems Playing DTS:X? Some Troubleshooting Tips

As with Dolby Atmos, playing DTS:X requires the following be present:

  1. Source material that contains a DTS:X soundtrack
    This is different than DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS 6.1 or 5.1, and DTS Stereo. Look for a designation on your source material for the specific notation of DTS:X. Currently, DTS:X is only available on Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray discs. Check the list of movies above to see which movies have DTS:X soundtracks. Make sure that the DTS:X soundtrack is selected in the menu of the disc you are playing.
  2. A Blu-ray player configured to send bitstream audio
    You should not need a new Blu-ray player. In order to send a DTS:X signal, your Blu-ray player must be configured to send audio via "bitstream" in its settings menu. Additionally, any setting for "Secondary Audio/Mix" or similar should be disabled. Any Blu-ray player capable of bitstreaming high definition audio should be able to deliver DTS:X.
  3. An HDMI connection to your A/V receiver or processor
    High definition audio cannot be sent over toslink or digital coaxial audio connections, you must use the HDMI cable connection. Many TV's with ARC (audio return channel) capability over HDMI cannot send high definition audio from the TV to the receiver/processor, so an app on the TV may not be able to deliver DTS:X or other high definition audio.
  4. An A/V receiver or processor capable of playing DTS:X, with the necessary speakers
    This is different than DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS 7.1, 6.1 or 5.1, and DTS Stereo. Look for a designation on your device, in the manual, or online at the manufacturer's web site for the specific notation of DTS:X. We have listed many of those models above for your reference, but new models may be introduced that we do not have in that list.

    Your receiver will need to be configured correctly so that it knows how many speakers you have and where they are located. If you do not do this, you may not be able to engage DTS:X playback even if the receiver/processor is capable of it. For help with configuration, check the manual for your device and/or enthusiast forums like the AVS Forum for discussions relating to your specific device.

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