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This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
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Author
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Topic: DTS automation switching question
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Aldo Baez
Master Film Handler
Posts: 266
From: USA
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 02-10-2002 02:17 PM
Ok bear with me because I'm still trying to learn alot of the stuff in the booth technically (Only been a projectionist 3 years.) We have a house that has a Dolby basement reader for its digital sound. This basement reader has *always* given us problems, always 6,F,6,F,6,F, and always switching back and forth from SR, to SRD making the auditorium sound really bad in the process. Considering our technician is not very good (We've had some platters broken for a year, and I don't have the expertise to fix them), I have to find some sort of workaround for this Digital problem. This house also has an installed DTS system, and we have a cart that roams around and we could place on different projectors, so I decided to put it in the projector that has the digital problem. That took care of the problem, you can run the movie in DTS and it sounds great, BUT I'm trying to figure out a way to make the automation automatically switch to DTS when the feature start cue runs through. The only way DTS will run is if you manually press the external channel button to switch it to DTS. The projector is set to go to Dolby Digital instead of DTS. My projectionist are lazy and always forget to switch it to DTS, and I'm never there to babysit them all the time so I can't do a thing about it. We have a CP500, with an all christie setup, and I've looked through the the DTS manual and there is nothing there, so I looked through the CP500 manual and finally found something that might do it. You can assign Sources and Targets to the CP500 as to what it will switch to when the cue goes through and you have it set on auto-digital. Right now the sources are Mono, A-Type, SR, and the Target is Dolby Digital, which it does switch to when the feature start cue runs through. I tried putting the external channel as a source, but that did not work because it switched to DTS for the trailers when a trailer was on, but did not switch out when another trailer came on that was not on the DTS trailer disc. So I tried putting external channel as the target to switch to when the cue went through and that did not work either as it stayed on external channel even when our policy went through which isn't DTS. So, my predicament is how do I put it so when the feature start cue goes through, it will switch to DTS and NOT Dolby Digital. The wierd thing is is that we have CP65's in our smaller houses that do this flawlessly (although they don't have basement readers) so I'm pretty sure it can be done.
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Rick Long Jr
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 211
From: Toronto, Canada
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted 02-10-2002 10:40 PM
The auto digital functions on a CP-500 ONLY work with SR-D (Dolby Digital) and will not work with DTS. The system was intended to switch to SR-D only when the processor is currently in a film format. Which is why 01, 04, and 05, are assigned as scource formats (the little 's' indicates this) and format 10 is the target (indicated by the little 'a') if you assign format 11 (external) you could end up with NO sound. The system switches only when valid DOLBY Digital data is read, therefore if no DTS is being read and you had format 11 as a target, guess what would happen.
DTS is designed to pulse the processor to format 11 as soon as timecode is read irregardless of what format the unit is currently in.
If the DTS system is portable, what kind of interface is used between the automation connector on the back of the DTS unit and the CP500. The interface card used for this in permanent mount situations is the D-715 and is usually found on the back of the CP500,but may noy be there if its a homemade interface.
As for the problem with your SR-D reader. If your reading 6F6F it could be an instability issue with the sound drum. Higher readings, like 7 or 8F could be alignment. I'm not very familiar with Christie machines as we don't have many up here (something I've become thankfull for as I learn more about them), but as a start, you could check for a loose or rubbing flywheel on the sounddrum shaft, or it could be something as simple as crud on one of the soundhead rollers.
Try cleaning the soundhead optics as well.
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Karen Hultgren
Master Film Handler
Posts: 492
From: Agoura Hills, CA, USA
Registered: Mar 2000
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posted 02-11-2002 11:59 AM
Aldo,When conencting the DTS to CP500, you must use the D715 logic interface board to steer the pulses from the DTS to the CP500. DTS sends one pulse when it's in digital and then another one when it drops out. If it drops out during the feature, it will drop to 04 or 05, if at the end of the feature, it will drop to nonsync. I suggest you get a DTS setup disc and test the setup. You don't have to add any sound cues to pulse the CP for DTS. But if you must use cues, remember to never put any cues on film that has timecode, it will over-ride the DTS pulse. Put all sound cues on black leader before timecode starts. For DTS - CP500, we normally appear on Format 11 (external). I hope this helps. If you have more questions. Please send me an email. Karen at DTS
khultgren@dtsonline.com
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Aldo Baez
Master Film Handler
Posts: 266
From: USA
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 02-12-2002 02:49 PM
<As for the problem with your SR-D reader. If your reading 6F6F it could be an instability issue with the sound drum. Higher readings, like 7 or 8F could be alignment. I'm not very familiar with Christie machines as we don't have many up here (something I've become thankfull for as I learn more about them), but as a start, you could check for a loose or rubbing flywheel on the sounddrum shaft, or it could be something as simple as crud on one of the soundhead rollers.
Try cleaning the soundhead optics as well. >Believe me, I've tried *everything* to try and get it to read digital, thing is we have 5 exact same houses, and two of them are like this, the other three run perfect every single time. Brad as for the connection of the DTS, I know there is an automation cable connected to the DTS unit, and it is a 3-disc drive. I will try and take some pictures of it because I cannot remember all the technical names yet, but what I'm thinking is that when the cue goes through it signals the processor to go to auto-digital but the film is still a non-digital soundtrack (such as the 8 foot black leader on black hawk down) so it stays on SR until digital comes, by that time there is no pulse or anything from DTS, and Dolby Digital read is bad.
This explains the fact that I forgot to mention earlier that sometimes it kicks into DTS perfectly, but most of the time it doesn't.
And Karen our feature start cue goes on the middle of the film on our feature presentation policy so I don't think that is ever a problem. Thanks !
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Karen Hultgren
Master Film Handler
Posts: 492
From: Agoura Hills, CA, USA
Registered: Mar 2000
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posted 02-14-2002 06:03 PM
Aldo,Test the DTS system with a setup disc. If it the CP500 is automatically pulsed into external (for DTS) and then, when the disc is ejected the CP500 goes to optical, then the DTS is working correctly and something external is overriding our pluses. CP500 factory units come setup for External to appear on SK5. That is where we normally send the DTS pulse. I hope that helps. Karen at DTS
khultgren@dtsonline.com
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Aldo Baez
Master Film Handler
Posts: 266
From: USA
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 02-18-2002 07:32 PM
Brad, I tried your idea of turning off all the sources and targets and that did not work either. The feature start cue would go through, I place it at the very end of our feature presentation trailer (right before the feature film), but it would kick back to Dolby SR. Here are some pictures of the unit: 
Where the unit plugs into. 
The unit itself (yes I've dusted it you can't even see that in the dark! hehe) 
The back into the CP500, the thick white cord you see on the left is from the dts unit as well as the reader, it connects to that green board. I've tried not putting a cue, I've tried putting a cue on the actually movie instead of our feature presentation, it doesn't work unless you actually manually put it in. Karen, I started working at this theatre 1 year after it opened and I haven't seen any setup disks. If possible could we be sent one? My email is abaez@mediaone.net for the address. Thanks alot everyone I will keep trying.
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