Dolby Headphones

[jmdomain]

I read somewhere that there is going to be a dolby headphone audio track in the Pearl Harbour dvd.I know dolby are going to incorporate this feature into manufacturers dvd players but I didn't know that they would have specific dolby headphone audio tracks in movies, thought the dvd player hardware would take care of it.

Power DVD 3.0 has this feature and does it quite well to a certain extent. I'm just wanting to know what other people think about this subject and whether it will take off (Other than another use for those 'forum special' sennheiser headphones!)

[Ben Martin]

i'm slightly confused here as (maybe i'm wrong) i thought the whole point was that "dolby headphone support" was a feature of the dvd player, be it hardware or software, and not the disc?

my understanding was that the player decodes the dolby 5.1 track and processes it in a way that, supposedly, when heard through stereo headphones goes some way towards simulating a 5.1 suround speaker experience.

i have it with windvd 3.1 on my pc, and to be honest i'm not too keen on it (though my headphones are 'earphones' and not sony's best). all it seems to do is to lower the overall volume of the signal and add reverb. it works to a slight degree but sounds too echoey for me.

furthermore, its purpose seems to be almost totally negated by the fact that when you play 5.1 tracks through stereo ear/headphones your ears can pick out the separate channels in a way they can't when listening to a 5.1 track through stereo speakers (especially ones built into a tv). and so soundtracks that would otherwise be hard to follow in places (e.g. superman with no stereo 2.0 track - especially when jor-el's disembodied head first speaks) are suddenly clear and detailed, with 'channels' that your ears can perceive and, to some degree, a sense of "surround".

to this end, the dts-es track on gladiator sounds far better playing 'normally' through my stereo earphones than the dolby 5.1 track does through the same earphones with 'dolby headphone support' turned on.

[Lenny Nero]

Pffft, "normal" stereo headphones are nothing next to this, I'm using this baby every day:
http://www.sonystyle.com/electronics/prd.jsp?hierc=8632x8746x8756&catid=8756&pid=6531&type=p

[jmdomain]

Just remembered where i saw this, the dolby website (Verified by having a 2nd look). They say that it will be on the limited edition of the pearl harbour dvd and that it will be a special bonus audio track, so im not seeing things! Im a bit perplexed as well cause i thought the whole dolby thing was done on the hardware side.

[RoyJones]

I agree with Ben on this one, I also have WinDVD 3.1 and never use the dolby headphone.
I'm using a pair of sennheiser 580's and they sound much better when I select either stereo or S/PDIF. Louder clearer and more defined.

Wonder if Windvd will incorprate DVD A later.

Hope so.

Cheers.

[Bapapapa]

AV amps normally have a DSP mode called 'Headphone Theater' or similar. No idea what it sounds like though. :p