DTS-HD Master Audio on Studio Canal's European HD DVDs

DTS, Inc. have announced that StudioCanal will release 25 HD DVD titles this year with DTS-HD Master Audio as the sole HD audio format. The titles, including those listed below, are planned for release in several European countries including France, UK and Germany, in the latter part of 2006 and beginning of 2007 (see our earlier news story for French release dates).

List of titles:

• Arizona Dream
• Basic Instinct
• Deer Hunter
• Elephant Man
• l'Armee des Ombres
• La Haine
• Mulholland Drive
• Le Pacte des Loups (Brotherhood of the Wolf)
• The Pianist
• Serpico
• Terminator 2
• The Fog
• The Graduate
• La Grande Vadrouille
• Million Dollar Baby
• Ali
• Traffic

Jean Pierre Harnois, Director of DVD Production, commented: "We have selected 30 popular titles for release on HD DVD in 2006 and 2007. We are using the VC-1 video compression format to ensure the best video quality and have chosen to use DTS-HD Master Audio to deliver superior sound quality that matches the HD video."

Brian Towne, Senior Vice President, Consumer/Pro Division at DTS, commented: "StudioCanal is taking a leading position in the European roll-out of HD content. DTS-HD facilitates the process by requiring a single encode and producing a single bit stream. The backward compatibility of the format will also make it easy for consumers looking to adopt HD players and discs in to their home theatre system."

DTS-HD Master Audio is part of the standards for the new Blu-ray and HD DVD next generation disc formats. It allows for a "bit-for-bit" identical reproduction of the original master soundtrack in up to 7.1 channels of discrete audio, therefore delivering sound quality that matches the clear and vivid images of high definition video.

DTS-HD Master Audio is backward-compatible with all existing DTS surround sound equipment, and can deliver a significant increase in sound quality when consumers play the next generation discs through their current A/V audio equipment.