DTS File

What are DTS files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a DTS file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your DTS files.

What is a DTS file?

DTS files have multiple uses, and Device Tree Source is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Device Tree Source File

Device Tree Source File format (".DTS") is a human-readable text file used in systems such as Linux to describe the hardware components, configuration, and interconnections of a specific board or device. It defines things like CPU type, memory layout, peripheral addresses, interrupts, power supplies, GPIOs, and how devices are wired together. These files provide the information a kernel or bootloader needs to adapt itself to the hardware without embedding board-specific details in code.

A .DTS file is written by hardware engineers or board bring-up engineers when working with system-on-chip (SoC) platforms or embedded devices. It is used together with ".dtsi" include files: components common to many boards (SoC-specific settings) are placed in dtsi files and included by .dts files which define board-specific additions or modifications. Once finalized, the .DTS file is compiled with the Device Tree Compiler (dtc) into a binary format (.DTB) that the system's bootloader loads and the kernel reads at startup.

Technical detail: a version 1 Device Tree Source file begins with the ASCII header "/dts-v1/;" at offset zero, which identifies the file's format version.

How to open DTS files

Important: Different programs may use files with the DTS file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your DTS file is, you may need to try a few different programs.

While we have not verified the apps ourselves yet, our users have suggested ten different DTS openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: January 22, 2025

All known file formats using extension .DTS

While Device Tree Source File is a popular type of DTS-file, we know of 4 different uses of the .DTS file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

Dr. Track Song Module

This format is a tracker music "song module" created by the DOS-tracker program Dr. Track, written by Alessandro Scotti. It is used to save musical compositions made in Dr. Track: the note patterns, order list, sample names, and settings for instruments. Some songs are saved as "songs" without embedding sample data, referring instead to external sample files; others include sample data for fully self-contained modules.

The program that creates these files is Dr. Track under MS-DOS. When composing, the user works with patterns (sets of notes and instrument references), then saves a file in the .DTS format to store the song (with or without embedded samples) or module. Files saved as modules have all sample data included; if saved as a "song", only sample names are stored, and the actual sample audio must be present elsewhere.

These files begin with the ASCII signature .##SONG## followed by 0x1A at offset 0. Somewhere inside the file they contain the string .SMP which relates to sample-references or sample data.

DTS Encoded Audio

DTS Encoded Audio (.DTS) is a digital surround-sound audio file containing a compressed lossy audio stream using the DTS Coherent Acoustics codec, designed for multi-channel playback (for example 5.1 or higher). It is used to store final delivery audio, such as on DVDs, Blu-rays or in broadcast and home theater systems, where the audio is decoded by a compatible receiver or software player. This format delivers multiple discrete channels, preserving stereo front, center, rear/surround, and low-frequency effect (LFE) channels, enabling immersive audio experiences.

Files are created by encoders that implement DTS's bitstream format. The stream is constructed as a sequence of frames, each beginning with a synchronization word followed by a header that describes sample rate, channel layout, bitrate, frame size and other parameters. Decoders read and decompress these frames into PCM audio for playback. Some variants include extended or high-definition DTS versions, but the basic .DTS format remains lossy and relies on compatible hardware or software decoding.

Frames in this format use a 14-bit per word, big-endian mode among its possible bitstream encodings. The sync word for this mode is the 32-bit signature 0x1FFFE80007 (bytes "1F FF E8 00 07 Fx") at offset zero.

DTS opener for Windows

We have identified 3 DTS openers that are compatible with this specific type of DTS file.

Torque Dynamix Three Space 3D Model

The Torque Dynamix Three Space 3D Model (.DTS) format stores 3D shape models for the Torque game engine. It saves geometry, skeletal structure, animation sequences, LOD (level-of-detail) versions, materials, texture mappings, and basic collision mesh information. Files are binary rather than human-readable.

A .DTS file is created by exporting a 3D model from a content creation tool (such as 3ds Max, Maya, Blender, or MilkShape3D) using a DTS exporter, or by converting a COLLADA (.dae) file into DTS using Torque's dae2dts tool. Once inside the Torque engine or editor, the model is loaded with its animations and used to represent characters, vehicles, props, decorations, or other non-structural objects in a Torque-based game or simulation. Before release, models are typically converted to DTS to improve load times and protect art assets by avoiding shipping editable source formats.

Internally, a DTS file begins with a version number identifying the shape file format version; newer versions (such as version 26) include additional data structures (for example, autobillboard settings inside the Detail structure). The format uses little-endian values and has a defined structure containing nodes (bones or transformation hierarchies), sequences (animations), meshes (geometry with detail levels), and object states.

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of DTS files. Remember, different programs may use DTS files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

Help us help others

File.org helps thousands of users every day, and we would love to hear from you if you have additional information about DTS file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.