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Topic: DTS Not Kicking In

Kyle Abel
Film Handler

Posts: 56
From: Plano, TX, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 04-08-2001 07:31 PM

On one of our projectors, the DTS does not automatically kick in when the feature starts. It gets the time code, and the DTS unit (older one, 2 cd-roms, new reader & chip) goes into digital with all the lights lit up, but it does not pulse into digital on the Ultra-Stereo processor. When we manually put it into digital it does fine, doesn't drop out or anything. What could be the problem?

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Kyle Abel
General Manager
Plano Movies 10

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 04-08-2001 07:42 PM

I think you are entitled to one default. If you are running a valid DTS preview followed with an invalid one, the system will default and youhave to reset the Ultra Stereo manually. (I think that is how it goes...)

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-08-2001 07:55 PM

If the DTS unit can't read timecode, it should fault to optical, but it _should_ properly switch the processor back to DTS when it senses proper timecode again.

Kyle -- does your DTS unit properly fault to optical and then return to DTS within the feature if it briefly loses timecode? Or does it drop to optical and stay that way? There might be an issue with the connection to the processor or whatever the equivalent is to the format card on a Dolby processor.

Possible temporary fix: can you cue your automation to switch to format 10 (or whatever you have it set up as) at the start of the feature? (Which, of course, risks silence if the timecode can't be read or if the wrong disks are in the plyaer.)

I'm sure that Karen will have some other ideas.

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Kyle Abel
Film Handler

Posts: 56
From: Plano, TX, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 04-08-2001 08:09 PM

Scott,

If it drops the timecode and defaults to stereo, it doesn't go back to digital when it picks it up again. None of the trailers kick into digital, so I'm thinking it may be a problem with the DTS unit.

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Kyle Abel
General Manager
Plano Movies 10

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 04-08-2001 08:39 PM

Kyle, I think that is a normal thing. It was designed that way, if I recall correctly. But Karen at DTS can give you a solid answer. Don't condemn the unit until you touch bases with her.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 04-08-2001 09:11 PM

On the newer 6D units, this pulse is on pin #25. I am frequently asked to set this up intentionally, so the trailers will NOT play in digital, and instead the automation pulses the feature into digital. I would look at the connection first.

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Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 04-08-2001 11:50 PM

look on the back of the ultra stereo processor. You should have some wires coming off of a small circuit board that was provided by dts. A wire should be going to the terminal strip that has your cue pulse wires conected to them. They will say nsync,mono,stereo,sr,digital. you should have a wire going to the stereo or sr depending on set up and a wire going to the digital off of this small circuit board. I can't remember the colors off the top of my head.

it is important for these two wires to be conected in order for the dts two switch properly. From what I read it sounds like the wire is connected to the stereo terminal but not to the digital terminal. Make sure the wire has not come loose or lost the crimp conection. also make sure the conection on small circuit board has not come loose.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-09-2001 03:42 AM

Check your lights-down cue.

When we put our DTS in, our Ultra-Stereo had been set up to turn the lights off AND hit the analog stereo at the same time. So if the sytem sees DTS timecode and THEN the lights-down cue goes thru the failsafe, it would set the system to analog.

I solved the problem by simply putting a short piece of black leader inbetween the end of the trailers and the beginning of the feature. The lights-down cue is at the very beginning of the black leader, enabling it to pass the failsafe before the DTS timecode hits the reader.

This does not cause a problem if there are some DTS trailers mixed in with the analog ones.

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Antonio Marcheselli
Phenomenal Film Handler

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

posted 04-09-2001 07:04 AM

Hi Kyle,

Hope that this can help you.

Take a piece of paper, a business card and, during the feature when "timecode" is on on your DTS6, put it between the red laser of your timecode reader. If all works properly (your DTS6 doesn't know that your CP is not in "digital") after 4 seconds the "DIGITAL" led on DTS6 will stop and your CP should drop in analog sound. Removing the business card the "DIGITAL" led on DTS6 will light up and your CP will kick in Format 11 (digital).
If not, check automation cable behind the units: on my DTS6 the big 50pin cable is derived into three little cable: one of this is for automation (that "kick" the digital on your ultra stereo CP). Check if this cable is at its place.
To make the same test more accurately, use the DTS setup disk: when you insert the disk the CP should go to "digital" (after few seconds) and when you eject the disk the CP should go back to analog.

Let us know!
Bye
Antonio

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 04-09-2001 03:00 PM

Another thing to look at -

If you thread up and start the machine, when the automation says "showtime", it'll kick the system out on non-sync. However, if the DTS is already reading a time code before this happens, you'll get popped into analog as the automation times in. The DTS does not no the difference. It has to then be punched up in DTS manually.

Kyle, there is a distinct possibility this could be your problem.

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Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 04-09-2001 06:07 PM

the colors for the three dts wires that run off of the small circuit board which is connected to the ribbon cable are as follows.

Red goes to the default stereo or sr pulse terminal
white goes to the digital pulse terminal
black goes to the E ground terminal.

Make sure that all three of these wire are connected and making good contact within their crimps.

In order for the dts to pulse back to digital the white wire must be connected to the digital pulse terminal.

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Kyle Abel
Film Handler

Posts: 56
From: Plano, TX, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 04-09-2001 10:18 PM

I tried Antonio's trick with the business card, and when I removed it it pulsed back into digital. Perhaps it is the automation starting after the reader gets the timecode like Paul suggested. I'll try adding a black leader before the first trailer to see. I'll let you know tomorrow or Wednesday what happens. Thanks for all of your help.

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Kyle Abel
General Manager
Plano Movies 10

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Jason Burroughs
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 654
From: Allen, TX
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-10-2001 01:42 AM

Kyle,

Does this happen with all your DTS units? Or just one in particular. 1 thing to try is to remove the lights down cues from the film and on the next run see if it pulses into digial properly... What may be happening, is that upon the light-down cue the automation is pulsing the Ultra-Stereo back to analog. Same thing can happen on the lights-up cue.

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Antonio Marcheselli
Phenomenal Film Handler

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

posted 04-10-2001 07:31 AM

Kyle,

Yes, probably your automation set another sound format AFTER your DTS6 has selected its format on your CP.
I'm glad that my suggestions has been useful!
Let us know!

Bye
Antonio

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Karen Hultgren
Master Film Handler

Posts: 492
From: Agoura Hills, CA, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 04-11-2001 12:35 PM

Kyle,

Get a DTS DS1 setup disc and load it into the DTS player. When the disc play,s it should automatically pluse the CP to digital. The, for each different track, there is a specific analog default pluse programmed into the disc. SO, if you are playing LEFTA pink noise, eject the disc to check that the CP pluses automatically to A-Type. The rest of the defaults are as follows:

LEFT A-Type
SURR (L or R) Nonsync
CENTER SR-Type
RIGHT Mono

This is in the DTS-6D manual, page 10.

The DTS system light must be blinking with discs loaded, or the unit will never work.

Karen at DTS
khultgren@dtsonline.com

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