Disney+ And IMAX Bring DTS:X Into The Streaming Era (2024)

Atthe recent NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) Show in Las Vegas, IMAX’s Senior VP Bruce Markoe announcedduring a panel that Queen Rock Montreal will make its global streamingpremiere on Disney+ as the first concert film available with IMAX Enhancedsound powered by DTS. Thanks to this collaboration from Disney+, DTS, and IMAXCorporation, DTS:X immersive audio has finally made the jump from disc tostreaming. The Queen concert film got top billing in the joint press releaseannouncing the arrival of IMAX Enhanced sound powered by DTS on Disney+, butit’s not the only way to experience the technology at launch. Queen RockMontreal will debut alongside 18 popular Marvel movies with IMAX Enhanced sound.Disney+ subscribers who have certified IMAX Enhanced devices will enjoy DTS:Xaudio, which “delivers the full dynamic range of theatrical content and allowssound to move freely around listeners to make them feel more immersed,”according to the announcement. DTS:Xlaunched in 2015 as DTS’s object-based answer to Dolby Atmos. In theintervening years, Atmos has become a commonplace feature on the majorstreaming services, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, and Max. ButDTS:X has only been available on Blu-ray and UHD Blu-ray discs, and viahigh-end movie servers such as those from Kaleidescape. The IMAX Enhanced initiative aims tochange that, as Disney+ finally ushers DTS:X into the streaming era.

IMAXEnhanced is essentially a technology partnership between IMAX and DTS, with the goal being to“enable content that can be experienced in-home and beyond with the highestfidelity, ensuring that filmmakers’ creativeintent is fully optimized for an IMAX-quality presentation,” according to IMAXCorporation. DTS:X provides the immersiveaudio element of the presentation. It will be important for many Audioholicsreaders to note that a new lossy codec will be utilized to deliver DTS:X overstreaming, just as Dolby uses the lossy Dolby DigitalPlus codec for streaming Dolby Atmos. BothDTS and Dolby use lossless codecs on Blu-ray discs, which still hold asignificant quality advantage over streaming services. That said, even lossyDolby Atmos streams can be quite compelling, and we expect a similar experiencefrom DTS:X. Queen Rock Montreal will made its global streaming premiereon May 15th, 2024 on Disney+. The remastered concert was an instant smash whenit arrived in IMAX theaters in January of this year, eventually breakingrecords to become IMAX’s biggest exclusive engagement of all time. Disney+subscribers with IMAX Enhanced certified devices should be able to recreate theexperience at home, albeit scaled down to domestic proportions. The IMAX Enhancedversion will allow viewers to “feel… every heart-pounding moment of thedigitally remastered concert film, which captures the world’s most iconic rock band at the verypeak of their live powers,” according to the press release. The film captures Freddie Mercury,Brian May, Roger Taylor, andJohn Deacon “at their most exciting and exhilarating,” delivering heroicperformances to massive crowds on November 24th and 25th, 1981. The original concerts were reportedly arranged specificallyto be filmed for a full-length concert movie in order to document the band’sfamously epic live shows. Classic songs such as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Somebodyto Love,” and “Another One Bites the Dust” feature prominently. According to Variety,IMAX plans to create and distribute more concert movies, thanks in part to thehuge success of Queen Rock Montreal. The concert footage was restoredfor IMAX by Mercury Studios, a full-service production studio focused on“telling compelling stories through the lens of music.” (Mercury Studios also produced If These Walls CouldSing, the story of the Abbey Road studio directed by Mary McCartney, and AmericanSymphony, the Oscar-nominated documentary following musician JonBatiste as he attempts to compose asymphonywhilehis wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, undergoes cancer treatment. It’s on Netflix,and I highly recommend it.)

Soundis such a huge part of the movie-watching experience that we’re very excited to now have officiallyunleashed our heart-pounding, immersive sound capabilities for IMAX Enhanced onDisney+. Our commitment to delivering the utmost in audio excellence ensuresevery moment reverberates with cinematic magic, elevating viewing experience tonew audio heights, literally.

DTS:X Streaming? There Are Caveats

But having the right audio gearwon’t guarantee access to the DTS:X experience. If you use a streaming mediaplayer to access Disney+ (rather than a Smart TV such as those listed above),you may be out of luck, as most can’t passthrough DTS:X audio to your AVreceiver or soundbar. Apple TVand Roku users? You are not invited to the DTS:X party at this time. The samegoes for users of Google Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV devices. In fact,according to Digital Trends, the only streaming media devices devices that currentlysupport DTS:X passthrough areNvidia’s Shield TV 2019 and Shield TV Pro. Of course, this may change over timeif there is sufficient demand. It remains to be seen whether IMAX Enhanced andDTS:X will be seen by Disney+ subscribers as must-have features. Fortunately,Disney+ will continue to offer content in Dolby Atmos alongside DTS:X, and weexpect that power-users with the necessary hardware will have the option tochoose which soundtrack they prefer.

Gene just tested the Queen Montreal concert streaming on Disney+ using his Marantz AV 10 processor, Sony Bravia 85" X90L and Apple TV Gen3 and was able to pass IMAX Enhanced but only the Dolby Atmos soundtrack.

Are you excited to welcome DTS:X into thestreaming era, or do you think the dominance of Dolby Atmos makes DTS:Xirrelevant? Share your thoughts in the related forum thread below.

Disney+ And IMAX Bring DTS:X Into The Streaming Era (2024)

DTS:X Streaming? There Are Caveats

References