Latest Processors Can Support Object-Based Audio Decoding, Says DTS

Object-based audio brings “amazing new features to the audio experience” but every new technology “comes with a cost,” Jordan Miller, DTS director-global communications, told us. Miller was responding to Yamaha’s decision to leave DTS:X and Dolby Atmos decoders out of the mid-level ($449-$849) AV receivers it launched last week (see 1505190051). “Modern processing can support DTS:X, however, older, less expensive processors may not be able to support the technology,” said Miller. He deferred to Moore’s Law, for future receivers that will be able to employ lower-cost processors that do the trick. “It won’t be long before almost all device models will be able to support our latest technology,” Miller said, saying every manufacturer DTS licenses to plans to support DTS:X “but may not support it across all models.” The decision will be made on a “case-by-case basis” that factors in the type of processor used, he said. Onkyo will begin shipping in early June a mid-priced ($699) 7.2-channel AVR that decodes Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Miller said DTS works closely with AV receiver manufacturers and integrated circuit (IC) companies “to understand the DTS:X footprint” so engineers can estimate resource needs ahead of complete implementations. Processing power measurements are unique to each demand-side platform, Miller said, “so it’s hard to give one quantifiable measurement which translates to something with universal meaning. ... We can say that we fit reasonably on the latest chips found in modern AV receivers.” DTS:X runs on an IC that handles all the processing inside an AVR, he said. Receiver makers go with different IC companies, and DTS:X can be found on various IC solutions from ADI, ARM, Cirrus Logic and Texas Instruments, and on Intel and AMD CPUs, he said. Dolby and Yamaha didn’t comment.