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Author
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Topic: Believe It Or Not
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Bill Purdy
Expert Film Handler
![](http://www.film-tech.com/ubbmembers/202.jpg)
Posts: 139
From: Seattle, WA
Registered: Oct 1999
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posted 02-20-2001 12:27 PM
Well, this seems like a good opportunity to speak my piece. I have noted the "basement readers suck" comments for many months and groaned each time because it simply does not have to be true. Look, all of us who make SRD readers use the same Dolby CCD circuit board as built by Dolby. We all use the same LEDs and in some cases the same lenses. As we often tell people who call in for technical assistance, "If you can shine a flashlight in the lens and see it on your 'scope, the reader is working". Period. Everything else is proper alignment and that is YOUR responsibility! The reader can read only what you put in front of it. It's the old "garbage in garbage out" bit.You must have your light source almost perfectly even (note Brad's comments above) and bright enough to produce adequate video level. You must have the camera focused and in azimuth (the system will tolerate an amazing degree of slop) and your film path MUST be stra_________________________aight and true, both before and after the actual reader location. When you do this, along with normal housekeeping, and your projector is running more or less smoothly, you will get the good results mentioned above. Also, when doing this alignment, your best tool is a good 'scope with at least 40 to 60 mHz bandwidth. Dolby's DRAS program on your lap-top is useful, but will not give you the answers you need. It's kind of like "film done right". ------------------ Bill Purdy Component Engineering
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Kevin Crawford
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 207
From: Sacramento, CA, USA
Registered: May 2000
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posted 02-23-2001 10:17 AM
Bill, I would agree with you. As a general rule the basement readers work fine. However, the main problem I have is that oil gets in them easily. I know that this is the operators fault. However, when you have up to 8 or 9 people in a booth in a given week and management does not care, nothing gets cleaned. Then the oil gets into them. This is not the fault of the reader, just its location in the dripping fields. The other gripe I have is one that should be solved by the projector's manufacturer. That being a not quite good enough bearing for the hold-back sprocket. Again, not the fault of the reader, but never the less, something that must be dealt with. My preference for a theatre that I service would be to have the penthouse readers. It just makes the service call easier. If it is my booth on the other hand, I prefer the basement readers. Easier to thread, and it is easier to train people on.
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