SDDS Explained and more
Mar 16 '00
SDDS is a common logo displayed on movie theater listings and is similar to Dolby Digital and DTS. This review seeks to explain, in simple terms, what that funny logo really means.
SDDS, or Sony Dynamic Digital Sound, is “the preferred format for filmmakers and exhibitors” (www.sdds.com) Many attest to its superiority over DTS and Dolby Digital (DD) due to its increase in the number of speakers. (see my reviews Dolby Digital Explained and DTS Explained)
Where Can I Get SDDS?
Currently, SDDS is not available for the mainstream home theater market. Sony choose to implement this format strictly in theaters so they could steer clear of the fierce competition in home theater format seen between DD and DTS. This choice also allowed them to differentiate the home theater market from the movie theater market.
SDDS – 8 Discrete Channels
Specifically, SDDS differs from DD and DTS with the number of discrete channels of sound. A single discrete channel of sound recording is the sound message for one specific speaker. For example, a normal compact disc has two discrete channels of sound—the left and the right. One message goes to the left speaker and the other message goes to the right speaker, thus we have stereo. A dictation tape has one discrete channel known as monaural. DTS and DD have 6 discrete channels, and SDDS has 8. Where DD and DTS have 3 speaker/channels in the front, 2 in the read/surround, and a single bass unit, SDDS has 5 in the front, 2 in the back, and 1 bass unit. These two additional speakers in the front aim to produce an even and gap free sound field. The five speakers are located as follows: far left, middle left, middle, middle right, far right.
Imagine if, in a movie, one person is speaking on the left side of the screen to another person on the right side of the screen. In DD, a sound engineer (is that the right term?) would use the left and middle speaker for the left person’s voice and the right and middle speaker for the right person’s voice. With SDDS, a sound engineer has the option of the middle left and the middle right. This not only prevents the messy sound of two speakers being forced to blend the same output, but also allows for a clearer sound projection from a distinct location.
More Benefits of SDDS
Another benefit of SDDS according to Chris Carpenter, (academy award nominated re-recording mixer, whose credits include Independence Day, Broken Arrow, Immortal Beloved) is that the “8 channels improves the opportunities for sound effects, because we can now place elements in different speakers and not pile everything up, coming out of one horn.” In simple terms, he explains that everything sounds clearer when the sounds are separated. Having a mouse-squeak come from one speaker, a cat-meow come from another speaker, and soundtrack come from a third speaker allows the viewer to mentally place the object locations with sound and to sort out the different sound locations with their brain like evolution has intended. It also prevents one speaker from producing many noises which often times lead to lack of clarity.
In real simple terms, SDDS is more speakers. Therefore, it generally sounds better.
(I realize that this review does not have much to do with home theater of today, but I feel that anyone in the market for home theater should know what the future holds.)
---------Do All These Sound Formats Really Matter?---------
I have been writing on epinions for about four months and this is my fifth article on home theater terms. Every time I write a review, I make some unconscious attempt to weigh the costs and benefits of a product.
On the grand scale of movies and sound systems, having a good home theater set-up really depends on what types of movies a person prefers to watch. I guess what I’m really saying is that DD, DTS, THX, and SDDS only truly make a difference on movies that use the formats, instead of movies that adapt to the formats.
A Movie That Surround Sound Makes Little Difference
The best explanation I can give is with a movie I saw last weekend at a theater. The movie “Boiler Room,” is a story about a young man who calls people to sell stocks and gain accounts. The movie lacked explosions, car chases, and any other fast moving action (it was still a good movie though) and consisted of many lines of dialogue. In all, I only noticed a handful of scenes where the rear speakers played a noticeable part in the sound reproduction. Most of these scenes depicted the employees cheering and the commotion of a crazy, noisy office. And it seemed like the director made these surround sounds simply because the speakers were there, not because it enhanced the movie. Put simply, the theater technician could have disconnected the bass unit and both of the rear speakers, and the movie would have changed very little.
A Movie that Surround Sound Makes ALL The Difference
Conversely, an action movie like “Top Gun” (1986) unequivocally pushes the limits of Dolby Digital. When I worked at Sears I often brought in my “Top Gun” DVD to play on the store’s premier home-theater set-up. As I recall, although we calibrated the system properly, when the jets flew across the screen (in Maverick’s Fly-by) I could tell (with considerable effort) that there were small gaps between the left, middle, and right channels. Although this was a vast improvement over a traditional TV sound system, the jet movement sounds were not perfect. Thus, a SDDS format could have improved the movie.
To summarize my personal note, I would just say that in action movies with explosions and fast moving devices (like missiles and jets) there is no limit on sound reproduction. But on slow dramas with more dialog than anything else, three front speakers will almost always suffice. So if you are a hard core action movie fan like me, go out and buy the best stuff you can afford. But, if you like dramas and do not plan to watch any action movies then you may want to save your money.
--SirMontego, look for me on battle.net
Once again, it is quite late. If I have any technical errors please e-mail me (you'll get a prize or something).
I wrote this review as a response to numerous e-mail questions on SDDS. I have decided to omit an explanation on how SDDS is encoded on the film because I feel that the average movie watcher simply does not care or needs to know. For further information please go to www.sdds.com
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