The DTS logo and previews run fine, but DTS defaulted into SRA at the start of Harry Potter. It could not be brought back manually to DTS mode unless the disks were removed and re-inserted into the drives. This happened twice, once on me, and today it happened to the owner when he was acting like a projectionist.

The DTS is reading the time code as observed on the status window, and has nice bright steady green light on the reader head.

Bad drive? Bad disks? (DTS-AD unit.)

Any other thoughts?

Thanks

Paul

Is it a new player or been in service for a while?

Try moving the discs to different drives and see if the problem follows the disc or the drive. The SYSTEM light must be blinking or the DTS player will never play.

Be sure no audio cues are added to the film within timecode = that will screw us up.

Make sure automation does not switch us out by mistake. The DTS player sends one pluse to the CP to go to the DTS format. It does not poll the CP to see what format it is in.

Make sure to not cut off timecode at the beginning or at the end when splicing film together. If using leader, be sure to add in only black leader (that does not have timecode) doing otherwise can cause the DTS player to misplay.

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I'll have to check the unit (probably Saturday) and see what kind of drives are in that thing, as it is an older DTS6-AD unit.

I might use Karen's trick she discribed, and force the disks to run. Except for the two glitches, the DTS unit has been running almost perfectly.

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Since it is a DTS-6AD, then please check the VERSIONS screen. If you have anything lower than:

CPU Version 1.06
DSP Controller 1.03
DSP Firmware 1.10

(CPU being the most important for your probl;em). Please let me know and I'll send you a free system upgrade disc. There was an bug on old 6AD software that would not allow the feature to play in DTS after trailers played in DTS.

If you do need the disc, please send me an email with shipping address and I'll send the disc.

Oh, I don't know....if I can force it to run using Karen's method, maybe I can determine if I have a bad drive or disk, hopefully. It is just a shot in the dark.

I have the theater owner checking what version of firmware is in that unit now.

"My" Potter drops out constantly the last 10 min's before intermission ( = last 10 mins of reel 5) - every second or so show !!
Timecode reader blinks all wild.
Same print - other screen - no trouble. -But it's this now and then business that confuses me.... Some shows running off platter, some off tower - and that's not the answer..

-------
Something quite different: Brad, if Your watching here. -You started helping me some few days ago with SRD beep-question - but now the topic has disappeared. -Would have liked to read Your wise words. -Topics normally doesn't go away like dts sound , do they...

(sorry, Karen - just kidding - i think You know how much i appreciate DTS)

I'll email you as to our shipping address.

Thank you.

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If one reel is having problems in one theater and not another - then it sounds to me that the reader is in need of recalibration.

You can try to turn the lateral adjustment on the reader (in the middle of the largest roller). Be careful when doing this though, you do not want to calibrate for one feature only to mess up the readibility of the next. The current readers have a "DO NOT REMOVE" sticker on them. This was done because we changed the design of the reader so that the len's slit was exactly the width of the alotted timecode area on the film. It is factory adjusted for that space. If the slit moves too far one way - it will hit picture, and if it is moved too far the other way - it will hit soundtrack. Either way, it will saturate the signal and you'll get drop-outs.

The green light on the reader should be bright and steady. It should not blinking "wildly" (as you menitoned it did for you). A blinking green LED is an unhappy LED. Keep your LED happy! ;-)

Seriously, though, a blinking LED is telling you something is wrong. Try adjusting the reader's lateral adjustment first. If that does not work and all films are having timecode reading problems (on this reader), then do a repair/exchange on the reader. If you choose to do this, contact your local DTS dealer.