DTS

Background

DTS (Dedicated To Sound) is a technology company specializing in surround sound technology, owned by DTS, Inc. (formerly known as Digital Theater Systems, Inc.).

1st Trailer (The Digital Experience/Stand Alone) (June 11, 1993-December 12, 2006)

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Visuals: On a black background, a giant, gold optical disc (which is meant to represent a CD, but can also be interpreted as a Laserdisc or DVD) zooms out. When it stops, the gray word "the" (set in the Microgramma font) zooms close and then moves back. The stylized blue word "digital" does the same, followed by a silver bar rectangle reading "experience" (also in Microgramma) that flies out. After the logo forms, it explodes into particles until the text "dts" appears, followed by a blue box behind it and an inward trail effect appearing within the text. At the top of the screen, there is the orange text "THIS THEATRE FEATURES" (in the Serpentine font). Finally, the words "DIGITAL" and "SOUND" (in the Optima font), both in white, zoom out above and below the box, respectively.

Trivia: Unlike Dolby and THX, DTS didn't actually release this trailer as a separate reel for projectionists to play before a film. Instead, it was included in the first reel of films that were originally mixed in DTS audio. However, in the late 1990s, when it was agreed upon that companies should use all three sound formats for their films to avoid competition, a separate reel with this trailer was made.

Variants:

• An earlier version of this trailer was used for the first year of its existence, where the screen fades out after the first sequence dissolves. Also, the orange text "DTS IN SELECTED THEATRES" (in the Serpentine font) is shown below the disc; sometimes the text is in white.
• On some DTS-encoded LaserDiscs and DVDs from the late 1990s and early 2000s, the logo is in 4:3 and videotaped, and the "THIS THEATRE FEATURES" text is removed. The 2002 DVD of Re-Animator has this variant in 1.85:1, while the 1999 DVD of Tenchi Muyou! in LOVE 2 - Distant Thoughts has it in 1.78:1.
• In some cases, the theatrical version of the trailer is used on home releases; some of these (mostly from Sony) have the DTS text zooming out slightly when it first appears (primarily on films shot in 1.85:1, but not always).

Technique: CGI by Richard "Doc" Baily of Image Savant, animated with Alias Wavefront on an SGI workstation.

Audio: A laser sound leading into a boom mixed with an electricity zap, followed by a whoosh with another boom and zap, and then another whoosh with a boom and zap. This is followed by a loud phaser sound alongside an explosion, and there are twinkles heard alongside more whooshes, a whir when "DIGITAL" and "SOUND" appear, and a loud descending drone at the end.

Availability: This trailer made its official debut on the theatrical premiere of Jurassic Park.

• In theaters, it was used until 1999 or 2000, when DTS received complaints about the trailer's exceptionally loud nature, and/or how it wasn't well-suited for quieter movies.
• It later appeared on DTS-encoded Laserdiscs and DVDs, such as The Wedding Singer, Vertigo, Universal and Sony titles like the first DVD releases of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Babe, Superbit releases such as Gattaca, Johnny Mnemonic, Panic Room, xXx, Spider-Man, Snatch, Seven Years in Tibet, The Patriot and Labyrinth, several music/concert DVDs, DTS-enhanced DVDs of Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and DTS LaserDiscs from Walt Disney Home Video, such as Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Toy Story: Collector's Edition, Flubber, and Hercules.
• It also appears on the DVDs that came with the second-edition and third-edition copies of the book DVD Demystified.
• The normal version is also seen on the "Millennium Edition" DVD of Re-Animator, and the 2000 "Ultimate Edition" DVD of Terminator 2: Judgement Day (preceding the THX Cavalcade trailer made for the latter), as well as some early DTS discs from Universal, DreamWorks and Image Entertainment.
• The short version was only shown in theatres for the trailer's first year, such as Carlito's Way. It was also seen on a 1993 Image Savant demo reel.
• Due to the digital nature of its encoding, on LaserDiscs, the audio can only be heard through laserdisc players that contain digital optical out and that the amplifier is compatible on playing DTS audio, whereas on DVDs it can only be accessed if you select the DTS option in the DVD's audio menu and then play the movie. If your player cannot decode DTS audio, this logo (and by proxy the film) will either be silent, switch automatically to the Dolby track (DVDs only), or playback with major distortion.
• Can also be seen on some Nutech Digital DVDs if you select DTS, such as Tom Sawyer, Peter Pan, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Wind in the Willows, The Odyssey, and Treasure Island, among others.
• It also appears on the 2003 Columbia TriStar Special Edition DVD of Spider-Man: The New Animated Series, a rare appearance of the logo on a television release.
• It's even seen on video games such as Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines on PS2 (so long as you enable the "DTS" option in the audio settings).
• It can also be seen on many bootleg DVDs of various films, as well as a bootleg VHS of Jurassic Park (after the United International Pictures logo).
• Some of the last DVDs to feature this trailer are Leon: The Professional: Deluxe Edition, Closer, Stealth, and the Ultimate Editions of the James Bond films.

Legacy: As mentioned in the Availability section, this was infamous for its loud nature.

2nd Trailer (Water Drop) (Mid 1996?)

The full audio of the trailer, found by Niko Digital on a DTS CD of Twister.

Visuals: Unknown.

Technique: Unknown.

Audio: It starts with some deep underwater ambience, then a swoosh and a water splash. After that, a synth melody with a choir, strings and tubular bells.

Availability: This trailer was made as a replacement for the previous trailer, but its alleged similarities to the first two Imagine Entertainment logos resulted in said company threatening to take legal action against DTS. The trailer was known to be seen in at least three theaters, both in St. Louis and Albuquerque, before it was pulled. The original audio for this logo managed to slip by the recall of the trailer, and has been spotted in audio files for the DTS audio CDs of 1996 releases such as Dragonheart, Mission: Impossible, and Twister.

Legacy: This trailer is infamous due to the reason it was recalled, and for it being considered lost media.

3rd Trailer (Internet-exclusive trailer) (1997-1999)

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Visuals: On a black background, several strands of silver balls spin around and morph. The center dots spin, pull, and turn slightly purple as chandelier-like designs fly out of the middle center. The center dots then turn light purple and merge as the background balls curve into the DTS logo. The text "DIGITAL SURROUND" appears at the top and bottom of the logo respectively, alongside the former company website below, when the dots in the background fade out.

Trivia: It was believed that this was possibly the prototype to the aforementioned Water Drop trailer, In reality, however, it was an entirely separate trailer, as seen in these three links. The logo first appeared on the company's website in 1997, and was toted as a brand new trailer. Despite attempts by DTS to make it a theatrical trailer, by 1999 it was being called on the company website an Internet-exclusive trailer.

Technique: CGI by Computer Artworks.

Audio: Various industrial bass noises, with a piano at the beginning, several whooshes, deep bass notes, and waterdrop sounds.

Availability: Its existence was not known until at least 2015, when it was discovered on the three links mentioned above in Trivia. Unfortunately, the page is no longer available as the video and audio files on DTS' website at the time weren't archived, but the pages with the available info on the trailer (as seen above) still exist and can be accessed by clicking the links in the Trivia section. It's unknown if a higher-quality version exists, or if it ever appeared on home releases.

4th Trailer (Sonic Landscape) (February 28, 2000-late 2000s)

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Visuals: On a black background, a set of piano strings is seen in a pillar box. Light shines on the surface before the camera cuts to another part of the piano. Then it cuts to one of the hammers inside the piano, which strikes its string in reverse. The screen then cuts to a series of other hammers (innocently labeled with the Yamaha logo), striking their strings one after the other toward the camera from the back. The screen then cuts to a slowly distancing shot of brass piano strings softly vibrating. Part of the picture fades to black, just leaving a box in its place. The "dts" letters appear in the box and shine, as "®" appears at the top right part of them, along with "DIGITAL SOUND" below them. Another defunct website link appears below that.

Variant: This trailer is available in 1.85:1, 2.39:1, and open-matte.

Trivia: The website link at the end of the logo used to be the company's site, but eventually acquired/moved to the "dts.com" URL in mid-2005. The original URL now redirects to an unrelated business.

Technique: Live-action footage combined with 2D computer animation effects, by Pittard Sullivan.

Audio: Several calm piano notes with a choir, followed by three more piano notes when each letter in "dts" shines. This was composed by Walter Werzowa (known for creating the Intel jingle) and mixed by Bill Varney, Steve Marlow and Eric Martel.

Audio Variants:

• A rare, possibly unused prototype mix exists, posted on Musikvergnuegen's website. This version has more dramatic sound effects, compared to the calm nature of the normal mix.
• On the DVD release of The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000), if the Dolby track is selected, a snippet from The Making of Dragonheart can be heard throughout the whole trailer due to a manufacturing error.
• During the trailer's later years, the sounds of children playing are heard before the rest of the notes from the piano appears alongside the choir.

Availability:

• First announced by DTS in late February 2000, with the first films using this logo beginning in March 2000 theatrically.
• Also appears on DTS DVDs of the time, like on several Universal, DreamWorks, Sony (including some Superbit editions), and Fox titles.
• This trailer also appears on the 2001 DVD release of Pearl Harbor, as well as the DVDs that came with the second and third edition copies of the book DVD Demystified.
• Again, the audio can only be heard if you have the right equipment.
• On some discs such as The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles, this trailer is presented in 2.35:1, even though the films themselves are in 1.85:1.
• On the inverse, on many films that are framed in 2.35:1, such as the Die Hard Trilogy (as well as all reprints of Die Hard 1, 2 and 3), this trailer is presented in 1.85:1.
• Some Roadshow Entertainment DVDs from Australia use this logo in PAL audio, as did Anchor Bay releases with this logo (despite being Region 1 releases).
• Just like the 1st trailer, it's possible that this will appear on various bootleg DVD releases.
• It can also be seen on the French-exclusive Les Années Laser THX Trailers DVD if DTS is selected at the beginning of the disc.
• This can also be spotted on Disc 2 (the widescreen disc) of the original Region 1 DVD release, the UK 3-disc and Australian 2-disc 'Special Edition' releases of Shrek.

5th Trailer (Sparks) (September 30, 2005-2011)

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Visuals: Many blue sparks fly around the screen, forming a 3D DTS logo. Later, one spark hits the DTS logo, making it 2D. While this happens, the URL address "www.dts.com" wipes in below the logo. This all happens on a black background.

Technique: CGI by C2K Entertainment and Café FX, animated with Alias Maya.

Audio:

• Sprite Mix: Several whooshes, a deep drone, and a loud whoosh. This variant was intended as the "scope" version of the logo.
• Sprite Suite Mix: An orchestra tune with flutes and a trumpet can be heard. This variant was intended as the "flat" version of the logo.

Availability: Used in tandem with the previous logo. Again, it's found on many DVDs with DTS audio, like Ghost Rider and Weird Science. It was also seen in some cinemas at the time starting with Serenity, and was used all the way up until the renaming to Datasat.

Legacy: This was also the final logo used by DTS for use theatrically, as the company spun off its cinema division in 2008. For a brief time, the DTS name was licensed to this spinoff company, but was renamed to Datasat Digital Sound the following year. (though the DTS name in films and discs stuck around for a while longer due to the existing licensing contract being in place for three years before expiring in 2011)

6th Trailer (2008-2012)

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Visuals: There are a bunch of sparks passing by. Then a lot of other yellow and orange sparks come in and fly in all directions, making a really colorful composition, and finally folding into a new DTS logo looking like a four-lined Mobius band. As they fold, metallic words also appear right to the logo, reading "dts" with a "Digital Surround" byline.

Trivia: The DTS logo used in this trailer was introduced in late August 2006.

Variants:

• For Blu-ray releases, "HD" is added on the side of "dts" and the byline now says "Master Audio" or "High Resolution Audio".
• A shorter version exists.

Technique: CGI.

Audio:

• A composition made of whooshing sounds, strings, and windchimes, which was also used in the Lightbox logo from 2014.
• A majestic piano composition, playing in synth with action and adding several whooshing sounds as the logo folds composed by The Hit House.

Availability:

• The Digital Surround variant can be seen on many later-era DVDs with DTS soundtracks, but it is not as common on there as the last trailers were as this logo was released towards the end of that format's popularity.
• The DTS-HD Master Audio variant is seen on Blu-ray releases (including demo discs), such as the 2009 Skynet Edition of Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

7th Trailer (Living World of Audio) (2010-)

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Visuals: On a black background, a blue sound test/radiowave forms. Then, it turns into an ocean and the background turns sky blue. The screen pans down into the ocean green wavy staves appear, resembling seaweed with music notes on them. Then, the camera pans with coral reef-like objects out of phone connectors, and many orange/yellow DTS rings appear. One DTS ring zooms in and flashes, causing the words "dts" to flash in one by one and "HD" to flash as well. "Master Audio" then fades in.

Variant: There is an extended version, where the beginning shows one wave at first before many others form behind it and rumble, and the ocean scene pauses a bit before the camera pans down. The underwater scene is also extended as well, with things related to audio and music forming various sea life, including CD and mobile phone fishes and a whale made from microphones. Then, many colorful lights appear, explode and flash. The rest of the logo plays like the shorter version. There is also a 3D anaglyph version of this variant.

Technique: CGI by AgraphaFX.

Audio:

• Short Version: Sounds of sound testing (which contains the 4-note sounder: D♭-A♭-E♭-D♭), and the ocean, then a synthesized tune with flutes and a choir, as well as flashing sounds for the DTS letters and the bubbling.
• Extended Version: Same as above, but the sound testing sounds and the ocean sounds are time-stretched. When the camera pans down into the ocean, an extended version of the music plays. The music ends with 4-note sounder in sync of the DTS letters flashing.

Availability: The short version can be seen on Blu-ray releases from CBS Home Entertainment, such as older movies and TV shows released by Paramount Home Entertainment such as A Boy Named Charlie Brown, the Star Trek: The Next Generation releases (with the exception of The Next Level release), and the first season of Star Trek: Discovery, and the now-defunct CBS Films releases from Lionsgate Home Entertainment such as the 2017 release of Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life and the 2021 Blu-ray release of Finding You. The extended version is seen on DTS demo discs.

8th Trailer (Paint Symphony) (April 11, 2011-)

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Visuals: The sequence starts with paint blobs suspended in mid-air. The blobs are pulled backwards, creating a large blob of paint on the background as the footage slows down. this repeats two more times, with the third time revealing that the large blob in the background is the DTS wordmark. The signature ring motif forms to the left of the logo. and everything rotates around, as light fills the screen, in a similar manner to the Searchlight Pictures logo. After the screen is filled with light, everything fades out.

Variant: A variant also exists in which the DTS logo is formed in 2D, the logo doesn't rotate and the light doesn't appear, and there is a different background for when the logo is formed, with various blurry orange sparkles flying around in the background.

Technique: A mix of live-action and CGI.

Audio: A three-chord sounder with splashing sounds throughout and sparkling notes on the third chord. It was composed by Diego Stocco, who explains the process behind the logo here. There is also a short documentary you can view here which shows the process of how Stocco composed the logo's soundtrack.

Availability: It debuted at the 2011 NAB conference. Seen on newer Blu-ray and DVD releases, primarily on Lionsgate releases. Such releases of theirs with this logo Good Will Hunting, Warm Bodies, Ender's Game, The Hunger Games and its sequels, Divergent, I, Frankenstein, The Legend of Hercules, the 2015 Blu-ray release of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Shaun the Sheep Movie, Texas Rising, Boo! A Madea Halloween, The Lighthouse, and the first season of Orange is the New Black, among others. It also appears on Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Next Level. The variant listed above can be seen at the end of Diego Stocco's "Making Of" video about the logo.

9th Trailer (Out of the Box) (2015-)

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Visuals: On a black background, a transparent dark cube fades in and revolves around for a bit, first to the left. A few particles then start to appear inside the cube as it turns upward. The cube starts to turn orange and the particles turn into little curvy things, similar to some kind of bacterial life form. The cube turns to face the camera and as soon as it finishes, the cube explodes into a bunch of smaller particles that are arranged in a circular format, which all disappear into various corners of the screen. The black background turns into space, where various orange and yellow particles fly across the screen, while the camera zooms out and spins around some of the nebulas, which also have lots of particles inside them. We accompany these actions for a bit before we reach a point where the particles start to meet each other. The camera zooms out a bit more before doing a fast zoom out to reveal a huge crowd of brighter-colored particles, which then all zoom behind the camera. Slowly zooming out a bit more, it's revealed that the particles are forming the DTS:X logo, with the camera still keeping the slow pace. The orange particles form the "X" and the white ones form the "dts" wordmark. After the particles form, a big wipe effect occurs and the logo then turns solid, with a shine also accompanying it. The text "SOUND UNBOUND" in a spaced-out font fades in below the logo as the "dts" letters shine one at a time with the DTS chimes. The logo shines again before the screen zooms out a bit more, then the background fades out before the logo proceeds to do the same.

Variants:

• While this trailer was primarily done for DTS:X, a version of this was made for DTS-HD as well. It was made to fit with every DTS format, according to Brian Slack, who worked on this trailer, as you'll see below. The DTS-HD variant, of course, replaces the ending DTS:X logo with the DTS-HD logo, with the presence of the 2006 DTS symbol intact, with even the particles forming it along with the text. The "SOUND UNBOUND" text is removed, but the DTS chimes remain.
• Medium and short versions of the DTS:X and DTS-HD trailers exist. The medium version is a more condensed version of the normal trailer, removing some of its longer parts. The short version of both is completely redone, starting with the cube in blue quickly revolving upward and turning orange, then exploding with a flash, which then reveals the particles, all forming either logo. The DTS chimes can be heard and the logo shines.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: For the long versions, first there is a muffled set of street sounds, like passing cars, trucks and police sirens, representing all the sound that is encased in the cube. The cube explodes and a single note plays out, which transitions into the particles floating around. The Senior Manager of Professional Audio at DTS, Brian Slack, was responsible for designing many of the particles' sounds as they pass by the screen. The sounds play out during the entire particle segment, and then as the camera is about to zoom out and reveal the particles forming the logo, a stop-start note plays which grows louder before the camera zooms out. Some crystallized sounds play as the particles form the logo, a bass drop plays when the logo turns solid, and finally the DTS chimes play when the "dts" letters shine. A low note plays with an additional quiet high-pitched noise when the logo shines and zooms out.

Availability: Seen in theaters and recent DTS demo discs.

10th Trailer (2016-)

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Visuals: The trailer starts with a stampede of horses galloping towards the horizon. The camera then flips 180 degrees to a car racing through traffic, to which another car jumps off the bridge into the water below. Upon entering the water, the camera flips once more to show some paper mache angler fish swimming. The angler fish lights then turn into fireflies, as the water fades to grass. The camera then pans up to a sunset with the DTS logo in the sky, that then "powers up" with the byline of "Listen" below it as the DTS chime plays.

Variant:

• A DTS:X variant exists, where the ending fireflies segment is replaced with a space battle one, also transitioning from the angler fish lights. The DTS:X logo zooms out from behind the camera and stays in the center.
• A variant exists with only the DTS and DTS:X logos on a black background with mechanical whirring, clicking and the DTS chime.

Technique: Same as the previous trailer.

Audio: Horses galloping, cars racing through streets, fish swimming, birds chirping, grass rustling and the DTS chimes.

Availability: Can be seen on new Blu-rays, including the Japanese release of The Promised Neverland from 2021.

11th Trailer (30th anniversary variant) (June 9, 2022)

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Visuals: Over a dark purple gradient background, various shapes fall down, more specifically an orange shape formed by two opposite lines, and two half-circles, one blue and one purple. There's also an orange half-circle. Two shapes then cris-cross through the screen, transitioning into an orange "3" in a stylized font and two half-circles, one blue and one purple, spinning into position, with the 2020 DTS logo in white between the circles, forming a 30. The text "Dedicated to Sensational" in white appears next to the symbol.

Variant: The end of the same video includes the DTS 30th logo made out of amber (the material used to store Dino DNA from prehistoric mosquitoes), in the same style as the Jurassic World: Dominion logo.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A mix of many DTS trailers' music and sounds from throughout their history, such as (in order of appearance) Out of the Box, the 6th trailer, the 10th trailer, the 8th trailer and Living World of Audio, which then culminates into the DTS chimes, pitched down in order to fit with Living World's music, which is in a lower pitch.

Availability: Only seen on a promotional video from DTS showcasing the trailer for Jurassic World: Dominion.