SIST EN 61937-5:2007

• Abstract:

  audio bitstreams encoded according to the Digital Theater Systems (DTS) format data-types I, II, III, and IV.

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 28-Feb-2007
• ICS: 33.160.30 - Audio systems
• ICS: 35.200 - Interface and interconnection equipment
• Technical Committee: AVM - Audio, video and multimedia systems and equipment
• Current Stage: 6060 - National Implementation/Publication (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 01-Mar-2007
• Due Date: 01-Mar-2007
• Completion Date: 01-Mar-2007
• Ref Project: EN 61937-5:2006 - Digital audio - Interface for non-linear PCM encoded audio bitstreams applying IEC 60958 - Part 5: Non-linear PCM bitstreams according to the DTS (Digital Theater Systems) format(s)

• Replaces: SIST EN 61937-5:2003 - Digital audio - Interface for non-linear PCM encoded audio bitstreams applying IEC 60958 -- Part 5: Non-linear PCM bitstreams according to the DTS (Digital Theater Systems) format(s)
• Effective Date: 07-Jun-2022
• Refers: SIST EN 60958-4:2004 - Digital audio interface -- Part 4: Professional applications
• Effective Date: 03-Feb-2026
• Refers: SIST EN 60958-3:2007 - Digital audio interface -- Part 3: Consumer applications
• Effective Date: 03-Feb-2026
• Refers: SIST EN 61937-2:2005 - Digital audio - Interface for non-linear PCM encoded audio bitstreams applying IEC 60958 -- Part 2: Burst-info
• Effective Date: 03-Feb-2026
• Refers: SIST EN 61937-1:2004 - Digital audio - Interface for non-linear PCM encoded audio bitstreams applying IEC 60958 -- Part 1: General
• Effective Date: 03-Feb-2026
• Refers: SIST EN 60958-1:2006 - Digital audio interface -- Part 1: General
• Effective Date: 03-Feb-2026
• Referred By: SIST EN 62216:2011 - Digital terrestrial television receivers for the DVB-T system (IEC 62216:2009)
• Effective Date: 03-Feb-2026
• Referred By: SIST EN 61937-12:2010 - Digital audio - Interface for non-linear PCM encoded audio bitstreams applying IEC 60958 - Part 12: Non-linear PCM bitstreams according to the DRA formats (IEC 61937-12:2010)
• Effective Date: 03-Feb-2026
• Referred By: SIST EN 61937-2:2007 - Digital audio - Interface for non-linear PCM encoded audio bitstreams applying IEC 60958 -- Part 2: Burst-info
• Effective Date: 03-Feb-2026
• Revised: SIST EN 61937-5:2003 - Digital audio - Interface for non-linear PCM encoded audio bitstreams applying IEC 60958 -- Part 5: Non-linear PCM bitstreams according to the DTS (Digital Theater Systems) format(s)
• Effective Date: 13-May-2010

SIST EN 61937-5:2007 is the Slovenian standard aligned with EN 61937-5:2006 and IEC 61937-5:2006 from SIST. It specifies how non-linear PCM encoded audio bitstreams in the DTS (Digital Theater Systems) format are carried over the IEC 60958 digital audio interface, including burst-info, burst timing, pause data-bursts and audio data-bursts for DTS data-types I, II, III and IV. It is aimed at designers, integrators, buyers and testers of digital audio equipment that needs to send or receive DTS audio over IEC 60958 links.

What does SIST EN 61937-5:2007 specify?

SIST EN 61937-5:2007 covers audio bitstreams encoded according to DTS data-types I, II, III and IV. The document is organized into a short set of clauses that define the scope, the references needed to apply the standard, the terms and abbreviations used, the mapping onto IEC 61937-1, and the detailed format of DTS data-bursts.

Annex	What it covers
Annex A	Informative examples showing how repetition period and Fs affect frame period and maximum data rate for DTS type IV

Clause 4 links this part to IEC 61937-1 and IEC 61937-2. Clause 5 then gives the DTS-specific burst format, including pause handling, frame spacing and decoder latency. The bibliography points to DTS and DTS-HD specifications used as the background for the related data-types.

What are the key requirements of SIST EN 61937-5:2007?

SIST EN 61937-5:2007 is mainly about how to packetize DTS audio for transport and how to keep the timing consistent. The practical result is that an implementation must send the right burst structure, at the right spacing, and with enough timing information for a receiver to recover the audio stream and stay synchronized with picture.

• Clause 4 maps the bitstream onto IEC 61937-1 and IEC 61937-2. The 16-bit burst-info field tells the receiver what kind of data follows. In practice, implementers need to follow the IEC 61937 family structure, not invent their own packet layout.

• Clause 5.1 uses decoder latency for synchronization. The transmitter should use the stated decoding delay to schedule bursts so decoded audio can stay aligned with video. In practice, this affects AV sync in players, receivers and professional routing equipment.

• Clause 5.2 defines pause data-bursts for stream gaps. Pause bursts are used to fill interruptions in DTS type I, II, III and IV streams, and the standard recommends a repetition period of 3 IEC 60958 frames except where a different spacing is needed to match the exact gap or burst spacing rules. In practice, this gives a controlled way to carry silence or missing audio without breaking the transport timing.

• Clause 5.3.1 defines DTS type I burst behavior. Each burst carries one complete DTS frame, the reference point is bit 0 of Pa, and bursts occur at a regular rate based on 512 sampling periods. In practice, this means the transmitter must keep a fixed cadence for type I streams and use pause bursts to bridge any gap.

• Clause 5.3.2 and 5.3.3 define the same pattern for DTS type II and III, with longer frame periods. Type II and type III also carry one complete DTS frame per burst, but their timing is based on 1 024 and 2 048 sampling periods. In practice, the transmitter must match the burst interval to the DTS frame duration for the chosen type.

• Clause 5.3.4 introduces DTS type IV as a more flexible mode. The burst length is expressed in bytes, the nominal base sample rate is 48 kHz, and the repetition period is selected through the burst-info fields. In practice, this supports payloads with different data-rate needs and requires the implementation to select the correct mode for the available interface bandwidth.

• Table 6 and Annex A support type IV selection. Table 6 assigns the burst-info bits that control the repetition period, and Annex A gives examples of how repetition period and Fs change the frame period and maximum data rate. In practice, these parts help designers choose a mode that fits the payload and the digital link.

What terms does SIST EN 61937-5:2007 define?

SIST EN 61937-5:2007 gives a small set of terms and abbreviations that matter for implementation.

• Latency - the delay time of an external audio decoder to decode a DTS data-burst, defined as the receiving delay time plus the decoding delay time.
• Burst-info - the 16-bit field that carries information about what data will be found in the data-burst.
• Pause data-burst - a burst used to fill stream gaps when DTS audio data is not continuous.
• Reference point - the timing point used to align a DTS data-burst; for DTS types I, II, III and IV it is bit 0 of Pa.
• Data-burst - the burst structure that carries the DTS audio payload together with a burst-preamble and stuffing bits.
• DTS - Digital Theater Systems, the format family used for the audio bitstreams in this part.
• IEC 60958 - the digital audio interface family on which this standard builds.

Who uses SIST EN 61937-5:2007?

SIST EN 61937-5:2007 is used by manufacturers of consumer and professional audio equipment that transport DTS audio over IEC 60958 connections. That includes product designers, codec and chip suppliers, and system integrators working on players, receivers, decoders and transmitters.

It is also relevant to test laboratories and quality teams that verify burst formatting, stream-gap handling and AV synchronization. Buyers and specifiers use it when they need equipment compatibility with DTS over the IEC 60958 interface.

What changed in SIST EN 61937-5:2007 from the previous edition?

SIST EN 61937-5:2007 replaces EN 61937-5:2002 and is described as a technical revision. The stated changes are:

• references to the company name Digital Theater Systems were changed to DTS
• DTS type IV was added to Table 1 and Clause 5.3.4
• Annex A was added with examples for the repetition period parameter introduced in Clause 5.3.4

Which standards are used with SIST EN 61937-5:2007?

Standard	What it contributes
IEC 60958-1	General digital audio interface base standard
IEC 60958-3	Consumer applications for the digital audio interface
IEC 60958-4	Professional applications for the digital audio interface
IEC 61937-1	General rules for non-linear PCM encoded audio bitstreams applying IEC 60958
IEC 61937-2	Burst-info for the same interface family
IEC 61937-3	Companion part for AC-3 format bitstreams
IEC 61937-4	Companion part for MPEG audio format bitstreams
IEC 61937-6	Companion part for ATRAC, ATRAC2/3 and ATRAC-X formats
IEC 61937-8	Companion part for Windows Media Audio Professional

Annex ZA also maps the cited IEC publications to their European publications. That helps organizations working to European standards check the corresponding EN editions.

What does the SIST EN 61937-5:2007 document contain?

SIST EN 61937-5:2007 contains the burst-info mapping in Clause 4, the pause data-burst rules in Clause 5.2, and the detailed DTS type I-IV burst formats in Clause 5.3. The tables define the fields and timing parameters, while the figures show the burst structure and latency relationships for each type.

Annex A gives worked examples for DTS type IV mode selection, linking repetition period and sampling frequency to frame period and maximum data rate. The bibliography points to DTS and DTS-HD specifications used as references for the related data-types.

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-marec-2007
Digitalni avdio - Vmesnik za nelinearne PCM-kodirane avdio bitne struje po
standardu IEC 60958 - 5. del: Nelinearne PCM bitne struje v skladu s formatom(-i)
DTS (digitalni gledališki sistem(-i) (IEC 61937-5:2006)
Digital audio - Interface for non-linear PCM encoded audio bitstreams applying IEC
60958 -- Part 5: Non-linear PCM bitstreams according to the DTS (Digital Theater
Systems) format(s)
Digitalton - Schnittstelle für nichtlinear-PCM-codierte Audio-Bitströme unter Verwendung
von IEC 60958 -- Teil 5: Nichtlineare PCM-Bitströme für DTS (Digitale Theatersysteme)-
Format(e)
Audionumérique - Interface pour les flux de bits audio à codage PCM (MIC) non linéaire
conformément à la CEI 60958 -- Partie 5: Flux de bits PCM non linéaire conformément
aux formats DTS (Systèmes numériques pour salles de spectacle)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 61937-5:2006
ICS:
33.160.30 Avdio sistemi Audio systems
35.200 Vmesniška in povezovalna Interface and interconnection
oprema equipment
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD
EN 61937-5
NORME EUROPÉENNE
November 2006
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 33.160.60 Supersedes EN 61937-5:2002

English version
Digital audio -
Interface for non-linear PCM encoded audio bitstreams
applying IEC 60958
Part 5: Non-linear PCM bitstreams
according to the DTS (Digital Theater Systems) format(s)
(IEC 61937-5:2006)
Audionumérique -  Digitalton -
Interface pour les flux de bits audio Schnittstelle für nichtlinear-PCM-codierte
à codage PCM (MIC) non linéaire Audio-Bitströme unter Verwendung
conformément à la CEI 60958 von IEC 60958
Partie 5: Flux de bits PCM non linéaire Teil 5: Nichtlineare PCM-Bitströme
conformément aux formats DTS für DTS (Digitale Theatersysteme)-
(Systèmes numériques pour salles Format(e)
de spectacle) (IEC 61937-5:2006)
(CEI 61937-5:2006)
This European Standard was approved by CENELEC on 2006-11-01. CENELEC members are bound to comply
with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard
the status of a national standard without any alteration.

Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on
application to the Central Secretariat or to any CENELEC member.

This European Standard exists in two official versions (English and German). A version in any other language
made by translation under the responsibility of a CENELEC member into its own language and notified to the
Central Secretariat has the same status as the official versions.

CENELEC members are the national electrotechnical committees of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
CENELEC
European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique
Europäisches Komitee für Elektrotechnische Normung

Central Secretariat: rue de Stassart 35, B - 1050 Brussels

© 2006 CENELEC - All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CENELEC members.
Ref. No. EN 61937-5:2006 E
Foreword
The text of the International Standard IEC 61937-5:2006, prepared by IEC TC 100, Audio, video and
multimedia systems and equipment, was submitted to the formal vote and was approved by CENELEC as
EN 61937-5 on 2006-11-01 without any modification.
This European Standard supersedes EN 61937-5:2002.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to EN 61937-5:2002:
– references to the company name Digital Theater Systems have been changed to DTS which is
consistent with the official change of the company name;
– DTS type IV has been added to Table 1 and 5.3.4 describing type IV has been added;
– Annex A, which provides examples of the use of the repetition period parameter introduced in
subclause 5.3.4, has been added.
The following dates were fixed:
– latest date by which the EN has to be implemented
at national level by publication of an identical
(dop) 2007-11-01
national standard or by endorsement
– latest date by which the national standards conflicting
(dow) 2009-11-01
with the EN have to be withdrawn
Annex ZA has been added by CENELEC.
__________
Endorsement notice
The text of the International Standard IEC 61937-5:2006 was approved by CENELEC as a European
Standard without any modification.
__________
- 3 - EN 61937-5:2006
Annex ZA
(normative)
Normative references to international publications
with their corresponding European publications

The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.

NOTE  When an international publication has been modified by common modifications, indicated by (mod), the relevant EN/HD
applies.
Publication Year Title EN/HD Year

1) 2)
IEC 60958-1 - Digital audio interface EN 60958-1 2004
Part 1: General
1) 2)
IEC 60958-3 - Digital audio interface EN 60958-3 2006
Part 3: Consumer applications
1) 2)
IEC 60958-4 - Digital audio interface EN 60958-4 2003
Part 4: Professional applications (TA4)

1) 2)
IEC 61937-1 - Digital audio - Interface for non-linear PCM EN 61937-1 2003
encoded audio bitstreams applying
IEC 60958
Part 1: General
1) 2)
IEC 61937-2 - Digital audio - Interface for non-linear PCM EN 61937-2 2003
encoded audio bitstreams applying
IEC 60958
Part 2: Burst-info
1)
Undated reference.
2)
Valid edition at date of issue.

INTERNATIONAL IEC
STANDARD 61937-5
Second edition
2006-01
Digital audio –
Interface for non-linear PCM encoded
audio bistreams applying IEC 60958 –
Part 5:
Non-linear PCM bitstreams according to
the DTS (Digital Theater Systems) format(s)

 IEC 2006  Copyright - all rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from the publisher.
International Electrotechnical Commission, 3, rue de Varembé, PO Box 131, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland
Telephone: [phone] Telefax: [phone] E-mail: [e-mail] Web: www.iec.ch
PRICE CODE
Commission Electrotechnique Internationale P
International Electrotechnical Commission
МеждународнаяЭлектротехническаяКомиссия
For price, see current catalogue

– 2 – 61937-5  IEC:2006(E)
CONTENTS
FOREWORD.3

1 Scope.5
2 Normative references .5
3 Terms, definitions, abbreviations and presentation convention .5
3.1 Terms and definitions .5
3.2 Abbreviations .5
3.3 Presentation convention .6
4 Mapping of the audio bitstream on to IEC 61937-1 .6
4.1 DTS burst-info.6
5 Format of DTS data-bursts .6
5.1 General .6
5.2 Pause data-burst.6
5.3 Audio data-bursts .7

Annex A (informative) Effect of repetition period of data burst and Fs on frame period
and maximum data rate in DTS type IV .14

Bibliography.15

Table 1 – Fields of burst-info .6
Table 2 – Repetition period of the pause data-bursts .7
Table 3 – Data-type-dependent when DTS type I .7
Table 4 – Data-type-dependent when DTS type II .9
Table 5 – Data-type-dependent when DTS type III .10
Table 6 – Data-type-dependent when DTS type IV.12
Table A.1 – DTS type IV payload and frame repetition: some examples .14

61937-5  IEC:2006(E) – 3 –
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
DIGITAL AUDIO –
INTERFACE FOR NON-LINEAR PCM ENCODED
AUDIO BITSTREAMS APPLYING IEC 60958 –

Part 5: Non-linear PCM bitstreams according to
the DTS (Digital Theater Systems) format(s)

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
this end and in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications,
Technical Reports, Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC
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with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by
agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence
between any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in
the latter.
5) IEC provides no marking procedure to indicate its approval and cannot be rendered responsible for any
equipment declared to be in conformity with an IEC Publication.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Standard IEC 61937-5 has been prepared by Technical Area 4: Digital system
interfaces and protocols, of IEC technical committee 100: Audio, video and multimedia
systems and equipment.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2002. This edition
constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition.
a) References to the company name Digital Theater Systems have been changed to DTS
which is consistent with the official change of the company name.

– 4 – 61937-5  IEC:2006(E)
b) DTS type IV has been added to Table 1 and 5.3.4 describing type IV has been added.
c) Annex A, which provides examples of the use of the repetition period parameter
introduced in subclause 5.3.4, has been added.
The text of this standard is based on the following documents:
CDV Report on voting
100/974/CDV 100/1055/RVC
Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard can be found in the report on
voting indicated in the above table.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
IEC 61937 consists of the following parts, under the general title Digital audio – Interface for
non-linear PCM encoded audio bitstreams applying IEC 60958:
Part 1: General
Part 2: Burst-info
Part 3: Non-linear PCM bitstreams according to the AC-3 format
Part 4: Non-linear PCM bistreams according to the MPEG audio formats
Part 5: Non-linear PCM bitstreams according to the DTS (Digital Theater Systems) format(s)
Part 6: Non-linear PCM bitstreams according to the ATRAC, ATRAC2/3 and ATRAC-X
formats
Part 8: Non-linear PCM bitstreams according to the Windows Media Audio Professional
The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the maintenance result date indicated on the IEC web site under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in
the data related to the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
A bilingual version of this publication may be issued at a later date.

—————————
To be published.
61937-5  IEC:2006(E) – 5 –
DIGITAL AUDIO –
INTERFACE FOR NON-LINEAR PCM ENCODED
AUDIO BITSTREAMS APPLYING IEC 60958 –

Part 5: Non-linear PCM bitstreams according to
the (Digital Theater Systems) DTS format(s)

1 Scope
This part of IEC 61937 describes audio bitstreams encoded according to the Digital Theater
Systems (DTS) format data-types I, II, III, and IV.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document.
For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition
of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
IEC 60958-1, Digital audio interface – Part 1: General
IEC 60958-3, Digital audio interface – Part 3: Consumer applications
IEC 60958-4, Digital audio interface – Part 4: Professional applications
IEC 61937-1, Digital audio – Interface for non-linear PCM encoded audio bitstreams applying
IEC 60958 – Part 1: General
IEC 61937-2, Digital audio – Interface for non-linear PCM encoded audio bitstreams applying
IEC 60958 – Part 2: Burst Information
3 Terms, definitions, abbreviations and presentation convention
For the purposes of this document, the following terms, definitions, abbreviations and
presentation convention apply.
3.1 Definition
...