Each of these seven channels is rated at a whopping 170 watts per channel into 8 ohms, over the full frequency spectrum of 20Hz-20kHz. In other words, the video transfers on the two DVDs are literally identical. Colors are rich and fully saturated, with accurate fleshtones and deep, pure blacks.
Images are sharp and finely detailed, with exquisite background definition and superb resolution.
There is no distracting pixelization for a DVD that looks so good, its scarier than the movie. This is not meant to be an apples to apples comparison of the two codecs involved, but instead an observation of the differences between two soundtracks available on two different DVDs, one of which is on the market now, the other to be available for purchase in August of 2000. This information is meant to figure into your purchasing decision when the DTS-ES Discrete 6.1 DVD becomes available. The acoustic spaces of Hill House, itself a central character in the film, are created convincingly and effectively in three-dimensional space. Directional sound effects are aggressively placed at all three surround channel positions consistently, and imaging among those channels is outstanding.