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Author Topic: DOLBY DIGITAL EX Raj Sheth Film Handler Posts: 13 From: Indiana Registered: Aug 1999 posted 08-18-1999 03:07 AM                     I was wondering if anyone who has a Dolby Digital EX Processor (SA-10) installed in any of they're theaters has experienced a dramatic difference with the added "rear" surround channel. After having viewed SW:TPM, Austin Powers 2, and The Haunting, I am yet to fully appreciate the capability of Dolby EX. Although The Haunting provided the most noticable "rear" channel separation, I am still not impressed. I was just wondering about others encounters with the SA-10. Thanks, Raj  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 08-18-1999 04:53 AM                     Personally, until the sound mixers start utilizing the rear center channel more, I think it is a waste...especially at it's price tag! For substantially less, one can modify their CP65 to house a second matrix card in the spare slot for EX.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-18-1999 10:20 AM                     For even less one can use the smart circle surround ex or the dts or the panalogic units the panmalogic also alows for 1/3 octave eq If you have a cp200 with the aux cage you can put a 150 in the extra delay slot and wire it to the P/Q/ M surround eq cards  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 08-18-1999 02:27 PM                        I personally think that the DTS-ES unit is far better than the Dolby SA-10. But as far as the "EX Experience" goes, I think it is mostly a gimmick. I can hear the rear surround channel if I tilt my head sideways, but when I am looking at the screen, forget it. It does make the left and right surrounds seem a bit more "discrete" however. I think that the sound mixers have had plenty of time to mix the soundtracks so that we actually notice a difference. I just think the idea sucks, that's all.  |  IP: Logged RICK HAMILTON Film Handler Posts: 28 Registered: Aug 1999 posted 08-22-1999 12:29 AM                     Raj....I had the opportunity to "experience" your theatre in question, and I found the rear channel to be very noticable. Of course there were only 2 other people in the room and i was sitting in the 2nd row from the back!!!!Just kidding... I think there are too many variables for the ex channel. In a stadium theatre with Highback chairs, can you even hear the surrounds behind you???? I thought that this was the reason for the highbacks...to eliminate the noise of the popcorn munching behind you. Unless you sit in the back row, how could you hear the surrounds back there? Maybe twenty of them in an array with a separate rack full of MX1500's??  |  IP: Logged timothy johnson Film Handler Posts: 50 From: minneapolis, mN 55419 Registered: Jul 99 posted 08-22-1999 01:23 PM                     I think it was a waste of time and money, just like sense-surround for films like battlestar gallactica and roller coaster, it was a fly-by-night fad. In ten years people will laugh, dolby-ex?  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-22-1999 02:12 PM                        Agreed with all the comments posted here. It's sort of a cheesy faddish thing that doesn't add much to the film experience. It might be worth $100 or so, but $5k for an SA-10 is more than a bit much for such a small "improvement" in a sound system. A lot of theatres could make far more significant improvements to their sound systems for $5k.  |  IP: Logged RICK HAMILTON Film Handler Posts: 28 Registered: Aug 1999 posted 08-22-1999 07:24 PM                     Just wait until we have to go back and add the surrounds in the ceiling for the next surround channel!!  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 08-22-1999 07:30 PM                     That is easily done with a homemade modified EX processor as I had mentioned above. Just take the LS and RS into the matrix and use the following outputs from that card... L=LS C=EX (or center surround) R=RS S=CS (ceiling surround) For that matter, let's all add 2 more matrix cards so we can create more channels between the LS and L as well as the RS and R! Wow! It's just like SDDS and that "8 channel difference" no one can hear nor cares about! I think the whole matrixing/EX thing is taking it a bit too far, though. If the sound mixers really wanted more channels, why not just add a second DTS unit and another reader to give 6 more DISCRETE channels to play with?  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 08-22-1999 08:12 PM                        I totally agree with Brad on this one. A second DTS unit would be awesome, and cheaper (and tons better) than an SA-10. I also think Scott summed up his comments nicely. I can't really add to that. What's the next big fad? Mono?  |  IP: Logged System Notices Forum Watchdog / Soup Nazi Posts: 215 Registered: Apr 2004 posted 07-15-2005 08:22 AM                 It has been 2153 days since the last post.  |  IP: Logged Andy Summers Master Film Handler Posts: 397 From: Bournemouth Dorset United kingdom Registered: Jun 2005 posted 07-15-2005 08:22 AM                 I seam to remember thinking about this idea in the middle of 1998 and talking to Dolby New York with a “Kris Kristofferson” not the vampire killer guys this one however was sucking on my idea about using a Dolby Pro-Logic processor for creating a different mix out of the split-surrounds. You see I was about to buy a DTS millennium decoder, for the home cinema and thinking like a projectionists, I thought to myself would this work so a 25min to 30min conversation with a Dolby technician to see what they think of the possibilities, “Kris Kristofferson” was saying “why would I what to do that” I said “disorientation, this will remove the phantom signal and hopefully give a more open sound to the left and right spilt-surrounds and creating a new dimension in the sound.” After the conversation ended, and about one week later when I got the “DTS” millennium 2.4.6. decoder and re-plugging the split-surrounds and playing “Goldeneye” in “DTS” was totally awesome, there is no way in hell I’m changing it back to the other configuration, although a the press of the button I can, but this was too exciting. As for “Sensurround” that was not a bad sound system sure it didn’t last long but the sub bass in the cinema on reel 3 holy sub bass that was in my face, yes I’m still suffering Sensurround syndrome to this day…..  |  IP: Logged Paul H. Rayton Expert Film Handler Posts: 210 From: Los Angeles, CA , USA Registered: Aug 2003 posted 07-15-2005 07:45 PM                    Well, I gotta agree that the "promise" of Surround EX hasn't exactly set the cinema audio world on fire! I think nowadays everyones' attention is focused on d- and e- cinema. But, for what it's worth, my theatre (the Egyptian, of the American Cinematheque, in L.A.) recently played a multi-day engagement of the newest Godzilla film ("Godzilla: Final Wars"), which was in EX. And man, it did work! One of our floor workers commented to me, later on, words to the effect that "Gee, that sound was incredible! It was circling around and and around the theatre, almost enough to make my head spin!" She wasn't technical enough to know what we had done, but the desired effect sure happened! Unfortunately, it appears that "Godzilla: Final Wars" (which originally opened in Japan back in Dec. 2004) is not destined for U.S. distribution. Not that I know of, anyway. We had the "exclusive engagement", at least for L.A., so it may yet show up somewhere else. If so, be sure that you engage the Surround EX buttons (or whatever else you do on the other systems), for best results.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 07-17-2005 07:28 AM                        The best-ever "EX" film is "Apocalypse Now." It is the standard by which all others will forever be judged. Now you say it was not released in EX....mayne not but it was "format 43-70mm." And its use of surrounds probably will never be equalled. (because of cost & time) Louis  |  IP: Logged

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