Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: SR.D Dropouts

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Topic: SR.D Dropouts

Stephen Jones
Master Film Handler

Posts: 314
From: Geelong Victoria Australia
Registered: Jun 99

posted 01-22-2001 08:59 PM

Is there anyway of stopping SR.D tracks from dropping out.This happens even on new prints but not all the time and happens in all cinemas.Could there be a fault on in the printing of the sound track of some movies.It also happens on reconditioned prints we get from the U.S, which is understandable as the prints have been used.Again as joins go through the SR.D defaults back to SR for a second or two.Our leds and the DA 20 have been checked out during our last service and all came up ok with no problems detected.So any info will be appreciated.

Stephen

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Rick Long
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 759
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 01-22-2001 09:25 PM

Stephen, what kind of reader are you using? You mention led's being checked which would seem to indicate that it is either a Dolby 701 or a "basement" reader.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 01-22-2001 09:26 PM

What kind of SRD reader do you have? If a basement reader, what projector and brand of basement reader?

Clear tape shouldn't matter if you have a penthouse reader, as I have repeatedly proven that you can use solid opaque tape for splices without a drop...provided the reader is properly aligned. Same goes for SDDS.

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 01-23-2001 04:56 PM

If you are using a 701 penthouse, you MIGHT have an LED problem. (Common occurrence)

Inside the back of the reader is a little power supply. That controls the LED's voltage. Use your oscilloscope and make sure you get the thing up to the recommended specs. (Which I'm not going to go into in case somebody reads this and thinks they can do it without calling a tech. )

If you can't get it up to spec, you'll have to get a new LED. I've had this problem about a dozen times since last summer. Checking the LED, and sometimes replacing it has solved the problem in 90% of the cases.

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 01-23-2001 07:03 PM

I believe you have the Kinoton basement reader. It might be advisable to use the narrower splicing tape with them

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Gordon Leslie
Film Handler

Posts: 39
From: Perth ,Western Australia
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 02-26-2001 06:06 AM

Yes Stephen that is an annoying problem, it seems to affect some shows and not others. I've had a go at replacing some of the joins, its helped in some of them but not others.? I've used both 16 & 35mm tape.
As with the quality of prints we're receiving from the states, it certainly does leave a lot to be desired . Some of the prints really are, very very poor. Obviously with the tight release schedules and the amount of prints that need to be runoff , the distributors / labs are letting substandard prints out. Which reminds me of a story that happened some years ago . Our company CEO at the time went over to hollywood for a look around the studio's , as he was leaving one of them, and walking down a passage way he passed a couple of features in trunks to one side with the label on them "reject ship to australia"……true story!. .. With the quality of some of the product we are receiving lately, and expected to screen to the paying public, it seems that policy is still continuing………

John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 02-26-2001 04:36 PM

Gordon,

Get yourself a Kelmar cleaner and some Filmguard...so long as the 2nd hand print hasn't been treated with Permafilm, your print will come up looking pretty darn good.

(search Bless The Child in the FT search engine for more details on what it can do.)

Antonio Marcheselli
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1260
From: Florence, Italy
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 02-26-2001 05:54 PM

Brad,

I noted a strange thing with SR.D since I start working as projectionist. On some film SR.D drop out in SR, many others stay in Digital no matter what...
For example, I'm actually projecting HANNIBAL and the sound NEVER drop in SR at splices. I have a splice also during a dialogue (I replaced a bad lab splice) and the CP stays in Digital, the dialogue is perfect nothing missing.

On other films (same tape, same way to make splices, same projectors) the SR.D drops in analog.

I have Cinemeccanica V5MI with basement readers. Usually my error rate is 3-5. On Star Wars I saw a 0.5 so I think that my soundhead are properly setup!
With Hannibal I have an Error Rate of 3-4.

I think that readers are not the only responsible about SR.D drop-outs!!!
Bye Antonio

Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 02-27-2001 05:59 PM

Antonio,
You are correct. During printing things can happen to create higher error rates. If you have a laptop computer and the Dolby DRAS program you can use it to monitor and compare a number of parameters on different prints that you get in. The program runs in real time and shows when high error rates occur. You can check focus, azimuth, lateral position, and a bunch of other parameters while the film is runing. Its a pretty cool program, and this will give you a better idea of what is happening. Also don't discount that your LED's have not faded a bit. This happens very gradually and is not usually noticable to the human eye. You must check video level with an oscilloscope to be sure the incomming level is correct. You can also switch to using narrow splicing tape as well. This may eliminate the drop outs all together. Personally, anyone running SRD should use the narrow tape.
MArk @ GTS

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