Spiker, I waited and finally bought the extended version of Two Towers. Listen to the explosion in DTS ES and see if this makes a difference.

Is it that much better? I like the rest of the movie except for the sound effect during that one second or so. I’m wondering if its worth the price of extended version ($25) because I already own the first edition (5.1 EX).

The added material on the Extended Edition LOTR discs are more than worth the price of the DVD. It makes the movies a completely different and, IMHO, better experience. The DTS-ES is the bonus for some but the added scenes add that much more. Since getting the Extended Edition of Fellowship, I have yet to even think of watching the theatrical version again. It's worth it.

I have to agree with Jason, the added scenes are well worth the cost, (that's why I waited to purchase this version, I learned from the Fellowship of the Ring). But I really don't think the DTS version is any better, but then again I'm not a great fan of DTS.

The explosion at Helms Deep did kind of underwelhm (??) me, at first. Then I thought about it...

I think it's more of a subtle explosion for dramatic effect. As in, until that explosion, the good guys (elves, humans, dwarf, wizard,etc.) are basically doing well enough in the battle for one to think they have a chance of winning easily. Then the explosion takes place and the tone of the entire battle changes. The lack of sound to the explosion helps show this change of momentum. Now, the bad guys (orcs, goblins, etc.) seem to have the advantage. Then the music starts again to pick up the pace which lasts until Gandalf shows up to save the day.

At least, that's my .02 cents on that. May have to listen to some of the commentary tracks for some other clues...

dts is worth the entire cost of the extended edition if the original didnt have it. dts makes me want to cry i am so happy to hear it over dolby digital. i would think that dolby would have released a less compressed version to more directly compete with dts. i am glad to finally see more movies come out using dts, it speaks volumes as to the direction and education people have on audio.

For a previous discussion about Dolby Digital vs. DTS please refer to this thread:
http://ubb.outlawaudio.com/ubb/Forum6/HTML/000209.html

As you will read, not all DTS is made the same. Nor do I remember the final result being in favor of Dolby only. I think it's nice to have the choice when presented and also that the competition hopefully drives the competitors to provide a better product.

As I mentioned above, I think the extra film material on the Extended Editions outweigh the value of the DTS track. If you have yet to see these DVDs and consider yourself a home theater buff, you are doing yourself a considerable injustice. They represent some of the most amazing DVD releases yet.

[This message has been edited by Jason J (edited December 03, 2003).]

yeah i have both lor extended. i have never at any single time in my entire life listened to dolby digital if dts was available. if you understand how dts is made you can see the difference

If you refer to the thread in my post above; you will understand what I'm talking about. It contains not just opinions but also real personal experience obtained from Hollywood soundstages and master audio tracks.

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