Surround sound in gt3?

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mongoose

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Hi, at the moment I have my ps2 connected via optical to a digitheatre dts, which is capable of dts and dd5.1

I can choose various modes when playing ps2 games, such as stero, dolby prologic, theatre (pseudo surround).

If the ps2 can't do proper surround sound, should I put it on dolby prologic and see what it does in gt3? Or just leave it in stereo if it supposed to be like that?
ben
 
Welcome to GTPlanet, Mongoose!

I'm not an audiofile, but I'd say it would be best to go through all the options and see which sounds best to you.  I'm just using my TV's little speakers.  :(
 
i'm also interested to know if the playstation is capeable of AC-3/DTS for games (i know it is for movies but i have a better dvd player for that)... i have a processor and could easily get an optical cable for it if there were any games made to support digital surround.  anybody know if there are any titles using digitial surround (not prologic - stereo is better than that crap)
 
I agree with Jordan to I got Dolby Surround Sound on PS2 I 5 speakers and 1 Stereo and o yeah make sure you have the cable plugt in ( could be handy:D)
 
To add some insight to this. I have only seen one game that has dolby 5.1 (Dolby digital or DTS), and that was the latest Final fantasy.

I've been running my PS2 on the optical cable into a DTS/DD reciver since I picked it up in December of 2000 (when it first came out). GT3 does not have 5.1 surround sound. It does have Dobly Pro logic. Which is the way I run it. You'll get Rumble strip sounds and Turbo "Blow-off" sounds from the rear speakers. In Rally, you'll get rocks and such from the rear tire action. You also get and echo in certain parts. Like an F1 through teh tunnel at Cote D'Azur.

It does enrich the sound, to run the optical, not an extensive amount. I would recommend running the S-video cable if you're not already.

AO
 
I have surround hooked up to my PS2. The only games that i have that work for it is Final Fantasy X and GT3. I think it was worth the $150 for the speakers (best sony speakers i could find) mainly because the game sounds a lot better and and it feels more realistic.

PS: if you get 5.1 speakers don't get ones that cost a lot of money cause some of the cheaper ones are just as good.
 
yeah dude, i have a jvc surround system hooked up to my ps2 and i like it alot. with gt3, you can definetly hear a difference when driving though tunnels, or during rally. also, if you listen carefully, you can hear the engines of the other cars behind you on the rear speakers(well, at least i can on my speakers.) for some reason though, i can't get the dts to work, even on movies like lotr, gladiator or black hawk down.

i know this might be a little off topic, but does someone know why? the ps2 says it supports dts sound and my receiver is capable of dts as well. is it because i'm using the rfu adapter to hook up my ps2 to the t.v. instead of the s-video cable? any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks!
 
Soccstv: I think that the driver (software) doesn't support the 5.1 Dolby digital or DTS. I originally thought that it was due to the first "shipment" of PS2's being a bit less than later ones. Mine came off the original shipment back in october 2000.

Never looked into more recent models being able to handle DD or DTS. Anyone else have any insight?

AO
 
Der Alta: i know for a fact that it supports 5.1 dolby digital cuz i've watched a lot of dvds on the ps2 and my receiver picked up the dd 5.1 right away. it sounds excellent too, especially on lotr and black hawk down. having bullets and rockets whiz by your head in glorious 5.1 digital surround sound is definetly something to be experienced. the only thing the receiver isn't picking up on the ps2 is dts. i'll try using a different t.v. later on that enables me to use the s-video cable and see if that does the trick. if not, i guess you're right and the ps2 software doesn't support dts. but i do know that it supports 5.1 surround(not most games, but definetly for dvds)
 
I've rarely played a DVD in my PS2 (have a far better Player for that), but the times that I have played it, I haven't been able to get 5.1 to kick in. Having the regular DVD never gave me cause to run a DVD in the PS2.

Might be interesting to know...

AO
 
yeah, the only other dvd player i have in the house is a little portable one. not sure if it supports any dolby digital though. it's great to take on trips, but at the moment, my ps2 is my primary dvd player. it sucks though, the ps2 must not be as powerful as most dvd players, cuz every now and then, it says it can't read the disc right in the middle of a movie and it'll skip like 10 chapters. then i have to turn off the ps2 completely, including the switch in the back, for a about a min. before turning it back on. then it works fine. now that i think about it, that might be a sign of overheating! uh-oh, might wanna get that checked out :(
 
Lot's of misinformation going on here. Let's get this cleaned up.

The PS2 supports 5.1 digital and DTS sound in DVD viewing. 5.1 and DTS should not be confused with one another because they are two different things.
5.1 means that there are 5 audio channels (Center, 2 side, 2 rear) and a Low frequency channel (subwoofer)
DTS is an encoding that is used to provide higher quality audio that requires a special decoder. (Pretty much standard now.)
(Btw, DTS was first used in Jurassic Park.)

The PS2 however can only provide Pro Logic (and Probably Pro Logic II ) surround sound. Within the Cutscenes 5.1 is possible (Bouncer and Wipeout Fusion have it, FFX - USA does not though.)
DTS is probably possible within the cutscenes as well, but don't expect it anytime soon.

Currently a properly equipped PC and the Xbox are the only things that can give you 5.1 digital sound inside of the gameplay.

I hope that this answers everyone's questions. :)
 
i played my ps2 through some JBL's and my stereo, and when i turned on the Dolby Digital option (on the stereo), it didn't sound different at all.

probably just didn't work.
 
tom, maybe you can answer my question then. i know 5.1 surround isn't supported for the games, but it is for the dvd movies. the only thing is that i can't get my receiver to pick up dts for dvds, only dolby digital surround. i also know the difference between dts sound and dd. so anyway, is this because i'm using the rfu adapter instead of an s-video cable?
 
Originally posted by Tom McDonnell
Lot's of misinformation going on here. Let's get this cleaned up.... I hope that this answers everyone's questions. :)
Click to expand...

Your statements aren't entirely correct. Well, actually there wasn't much that you said that wasn't misleading or flat out incorrect.

"The PS2 supports 5.1 digital and DTS sound in DVD viewing. 5.1 and DTS should not be confused with one another because they are two different things."

Man, talk about misleading! 5.1 represents channels and no affilliation to any particular digital format, namely DTS or Dolby Digital. In the consumer market they are both considered 5.1 digital formats so it is incorrect to say that they are different things.

"5.1 means that there are 5 audio channels (Center, 2 side, 2 rear) and a Low frequency channel (subwoofer)"

You say 5 channels and then proceed to list six... In a professional setting this is considered 6 channels and I have no idea why the 5.1 thing has stuck around so long. Initially the .1 part is an indication that the sub frequencies are simply the low pass portion of the center channel, however this is no longer the case. Often the subwoofer or LFE channel is a separately recorded channel.

"DTS is an encoding that is used to provide higher quality audio that requires a special decoder. (Pretty much standard now.)"

Special, but pretty much standard huh. I wouldn't exactly say that DTS is a higher quality digital format. Much that has been said about that is simply a matter of preference and there is no reason to assume that since a Dolby Digital bitstream uses less bandwidth than a DTS one that it's somehow inferior in sound.

"The PS2 however can only provide Pro Logic (and Probably Pro Logic II ) surround sound. Within the Cutscenes 5.1 is possible (Bouncer and Wipeout Fusion have it, FFX - USA does not though.)
DTS is probably possible within the cutscenes as well, but don't expect it anytime soon.

Currently a properly equipped PC and the Xbox are the only things that can give you 5.1 digital sound inside of the gameplay."

The PS2 is capable of passing along a digital bitstream for video games as well as for DVD movies. NHL 2002 and SSX Tricky both play real time in DTS and take advantage of the Toslink output on the PS2. Also, FFX in the United States did feature Dolby Digital in the cutscenes, I remember it cutting in and out between gameplay and some of the FMV.

Now, Mongoose, the GT3 audio output was intended for stereo playback, but as soccstv states, it sounds rather good when run through Pro Logic decoding which is to say that I totally disagree with jrm1493 when he says "...(not pro logic - stereo is better than that crap)."

soccstv, I also tried once to play a DVD movie on the PS2 in DTS and couldn't get it to work. Now, I didn't try real hard because I naturally prefer Dolby, but it's worth noting that I had the same problem you did. I'll try again sometime if I can find another DVD that carries a DTS soundtrack on it.
 
Okay, I'm playing The Emperor's New Groove in DTS on my PS2 so it does work... it just ain't easy and I think I sorta know the story but don't quote me.

A while ago I was in a Dolby seminar and they were showing us their new cinema processor and somehow the discussion got on DVDs and Dolby Digital and DTS. Now, evidently the Dolby sound track is required on every DVD but the DTS one isn't. DTS being the 'bandwidth hogging" sound format that it is taxes the capacity limitations of a DVD depending on what kind of other crap the movie folks want to put on there... so in general, if you want piles of extras on your DVD you'll have to sacrifice something else, and it won't be the Dolby sound track. M'kay?

Anyway, this means that the 'default' playback mode will always be the Dolby sound track and to play the DTS sound track when its present requires you to enter the DVD's menu and select that mode of playback in order for it to work. This generally means you don't get any of the menu snippets in DTS, only the feature.

I guess the good news for DTS though, is that it's not feasible with the PS2 to encode real time a Dolby Digital sound track for video games. This is why you'll only get prerecorded stuff like cutscenes and junk in DD while like I said earlier there are a couple games that play in real time DTS like NHL 2002 and SSX Tricky.

All you naysayers should be ashamed!
 

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