Digital surround codec for cinema and home release — competes with Dolby Digital, uses higher bitrate and less compression. Industry standard on theatrical DCP.
You're sitting in the edit suite, and your sound editor shows you the tracks for the cinema version — alongside Dolby Digital, a second version is available: DTS. The system works on a different principle than the familiar Dolby compression. While Dolby Digital operates at approximately 640 kbit/s and aggressively simplifies, DTS uses a bitrate of about 1.5 Mbit/s. This means less data loss and more high-frequency detail in the surround channels. Practically speaking: if you have very sharp effects — radio transmissions, glass shards, metal impacts — DTS retains the edges more precisely. You'll hear the difference immediately when the tracks play side-by-side.
DTS has long been standard in cinemas. Almost all major multiplex chains carry DTS decoders; some even in parallel with Dolby. This wasn't always the case — in the 1990s, Dolby Digital was dominant, and DTS had to fight its way through. But sound professionals appreciated it because the compression left fewer "artifacts" — those annoying flange effects with extreme bass or rapid transitions. You notice the difference particularly with orchestral scores and surround mixes: the spatial coherence is better. Home theater users know DTS primarily from DVD and Blu-ray; there it competes with Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Atmos. DTS:X is the newer variant with object-based sound, runs parallel to Atmos, but has less market penetration.
For your editing workflow, this means: if the production is intended for multiple formats (cinema, streaming, disc), you typically create three versions — Dolby Digital for primary cinema distribution, DTS as a variant for compatible cinemas, and a reduced stereo mixdown for smaller venues or digital chains. The DTS version isn't "better" than Dolby, just different — less intelligently compressed, but more linear and with greater headroom for your extreme levels. Some sound engineers prefer DTS for action films, Dolby for drama. Ultimately, the production decides based on its cinema contracts — if the distributor has more DTS partners, DTS is prioritized. Reason: the decoder is cheaper than Dolby hardware, which is why smaller cinemas often only use DTS.
Technically, you should know: DTS works with a different error correction method than Dolby and requires strict timing synchronization. Your editing system must be able to decode DTS — not all NLEs do this natively. You'll need appropriate plugins or export to PCM beforehand, mix in the DAW, and then export for DTS encoding. Many larger post-houses have specialized machines for this — a separate DTS encoder, not on the standard editing station. This costs time and money, which is why DTS is often handled only in the final distribution phase, not during the creative mix.