Automatic dithering in PT 12.5?

[jglunt2112]

I normally record 88.2 and 24 bit in Pro Tools 12.5. I've been using Pro Tools for almost 6 years in a project studio, so while I'm far from an expert, I'm not a newbie either. A few weeks ago I was told by someone who is truly a Pro Tools expert that I don't need to dither when bouncing down from 88.2/24 to 44.1/16--that essentially Pro Tools does it automatically. Yet when I looked it up in the Pro Tools 12 reference manual, it said that I should dither (if I remember correctly; unfortunately, I'm not at a computer that has the manual). In fact, I believe it recommended dithering even if you weren't going to change sample rate and bit depth. Can anyone tell me exactly what's up with dithering? I understand there might be varying opinions out there, but does anyone actually know for sure? Thanks.