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Topic: What is Ultra Stereo exactly???

john bishop
Film Handler

Posts: 14
From: howell,nj USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-15-2001 06:07 PM

hi folks---i've been wondering for a long time now, how does Ultra Stereo work? is it the same process as Dolby? if so, how do they get away with it? do they pay a licensing fee? is Ultra-Stereo inferior sounding? does it use type-A N.R.? thanks for the help!

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Ian Price
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1714
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-15-2001 06:32 PM

Dolby no longer holds the patents for the Dolby A type noise reduction circut. The patents expired. Anybody can use this system now. A type noise reduction was just a simple fequency shift anyway. Ultra Stereo is another manufacture of cinema sound processors. There are a few more like, Smart. Smart was making film sound systems long before Dolby. They were making mono sound systems. So they figured they could play in the stereo field as well. Dolby has had legal discussions with all the other manufactures and discovered that they can defend their name without damaging these other companies. Some of these companies make SR emulators which Dolby allows as long as you don't copy their circutry. Ultra Stereo is made by the USL corporation. If you ask real nice they will even let you use their process when you make your film so you can have a Sound By Ultra Stereo tag at the end of the credits. I have only seen two films do that.

I could have Joe Redifer mix my sound on his MAC and put Joered Sound at the end of my film. I'm sure that this would make me and Joe a hundred million dollars. Most filmakers stick with the big names in sound, Dolby, THX, Todd AO, SDDS, DTS. But you don't have to.

Ultra Stereo is cheaper to install.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

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

posted 05-15-2001 07:35 PM

There's been some debate here before about how good Ultra*Stereo is. Without getting into that, I'd like to share an anecdote.

We installed Ultra into my (single screen) theatre in 1992. Two years later, we installed DTS. As it turned out, the DTS unit would not work with the Ultra unit, for some reason. (You'll have to ask John Eickhof why; he's the one who installed it.)

Anyway, John called USL, and without any hassle they shipped out a brand new unit to replace ours, at no charge. It is still working fine to this day. The only probems I've ever had with it were solved by re-seating the various cards in the unit.

Remember this all took place a long time ago; their policies may have changed and your mileage may vary, but they have earned my ongoing support from this example of great customer service.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-15-2001 10:03 PM

IMHO Ultra Stereo has outlived its days. While the units are not too bad I would never push them anymore. For me its Dolby or Panastereo or nothing at all. There are a number of aspects of the Ultra units that leave allot to be desired. Most of them have to do with input switching and that annoying, never used, backup power button that fails on just about all units ever made. The SR noise reduction is a long way from real Dolby SR and there is a BIG difference in sound Type A prints are now as rare as mono was in 1990, basically non-existant unless you are running a film from that era. On the Panastereo unit they did a great job on ther SR, perhaps even better than Dolby did. The Panastereo SR module is also a record/playback module, not play only! A testament as to how good they did with it. Those that think Ultra is as good as the others are fooling themselves, and cheating their customers.
Mark @ GTS

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John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 05-15-2001 10:37 PM

"A type noise reduction was just a simple fequency shift anyway."

No, it was much more that that. It is definitely older technology (it's about 35 years old.) But, even today, it's a pretty complex circuit.

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Jesse Skeen
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1517
From: Sacramento, CA
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 05-16-2001 07:48 AM

Ultra-Stereo did the sound on a lot of B-movies in the 1980's, but I haven't seen much of them since digital became the norm. The last Ultra-Stereo film I saw was "Big Night", which was a pretty high-class film compared to most of the stuff their name was on.

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 05-16-2001 01:18 PM

A related question: what is 'DTS Stereo' (as distinct from DTS digital)? Examples - on the prints of 'Out of Sight', the following sound logos appear at the end of the credits: Dolby Digital, DTS [digital], SDDS and 'DTS Stereo'. On 'The Daytrippers' it was just DTS and DTS Stereo, no Dolby anywhere.

Would I be right in thinking that this is a stereo variable area format developed by DTS as a (presumably cheaper) alternative to A-type or SR?

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 05-16-2001 01:40 PM

Type "A" consists of 4 audio compressors that are split up between different audio frequency bands. The original Ultra Stereo Type A card actually had 3 compression stages at different audio bandwidths hence did not provide as good of noise reduction an real type A. Ultra Stereo now uses 4 compressors as well since the patent expired but no one uses type A anyway. During record mode the bands are compressed according to the signal level in that band and during playback they are uncompressed resulting in a lower noise floor. Keep in mind that this is a very simple explanation of it. A type A card had well over 800 components on it! SR goes way beyond this and utilizes sliding bandwidth compressors.
MArk @ GTS

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 05-16-2001 01:42 PM

Here is a link to USL's website:
http://www.uslinc.com/

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

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Scott Norwood
Film God

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

posted 05-16-2001 01:46 PM

Karen can explain DTS Stereo in better detail, but here's the quick summary: yes, it's an SVA format that's compatible with the Dolby matrix and NR (A-type, if I remember correctly). Most of the early DTS digital releases had DTS stereo optical tracks. They're functionally identical to Dolby tracks, for all intents and purposes.

Have there been any recent releases in "DTS Stereo"? I can't think of anything offhand. Pretty much everything that I've seen in the past few years has been either mono (rare) or Dolby Stereo. There's a "restored" (but pretty bad-looking) 35mm print of Doctor Zhivago with a DTS Stereo track (and, I think, DTS digital as well, but I don't remember).

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Steffan Laugharne
Film Handler

Posts: 15
From: Biggleswade, Beds, UK
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 05-16-2001 02:13 PM

Just a quick note. Here in the UK the majority of cinemas (if not all) who have stereo of any description, use the Dolby system. I don't know of any dealer at the moment who supplies anything but Dolby processors in the UK. At one point there was a dealer pushing Kintek systems that found their way into some Warner Bros. 'plexes, but I don't believe they are trading any more.

Steff

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Darryl Spicer
Film God

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

posted 05-16-2001 02:36 PM

as far as i know DTS no longer makes the dts stereo discs. The newer units i do believe eliminated that capability a few years ago.

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 05-16-2001 03:34 PM

Jack Roe used to sell Ultra Stereo processors (dunno if they still do) - I know of two independently-run cinemas, both in Cornwall, which installed them. I've never visited either, but a friend of mine who lives near one of them tells me that she avoids the place (preferring instead to drive 25 miles to the Warner in Plymouth) because the sound is awful, and 'you can never make out any of the dialogue'.

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Aaron Sisemore
Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day!

Posts: 3061
From: Rockwall TX USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 05-17-2001 02:29 AM

>>Have there been any recent releases in "DTS Stereo"?<<

ANYTHING from MGM (except the Bond pictures which are all Dolby SR analog) carries the "DTS Stereo" analog tracks (Usually SR-compatible, but some A-type as well.)

AFAIK, the DTS Stereo logo as still used on prints is for the analog track.

Aaron

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

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

posted 05-17-2001 02:44 AM

Ultra Stereo did provide excellent support of their product in the field. The only problems I have had with Ultra Stereo is one power supply failed, and the later vintage EQ card failures was a bit higher than what I would expect.

Other than that, I was quite impressed with them as a general rule. We got what we paid for.

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