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Topic: Auto Surround EX Question

Kyle Watkins
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 185
From: Stuart, FL, USA
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 03-03-2002 11:24 PM

I notice today on the display of our CP650. It said " Dolby Digtal Auto Surround EX". The print was We Were Soliders. Is this the first print encoded to automatic switch to EX, or ive never notice this before with other EX encode prints. Also will it automatic switch to DTS-ES, or is this auto surrround ex only in dolby digtal.
Kyle

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Karen Hultgren
Master Film Handler

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

posted 03-04-2002 04:43 PM

WE WERE SOILDERS discs are DTS-ES. I am not sure if the CP650 will automatically switch to "EX" with DTS-ES discs. My guess is that it will not - but there may be a way to program it to do so.

Karen at DTS

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Manny Knowles
"What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???"

Posts: 4247
From: Bloomington, IN, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 03-04-2002 11:44 PM

Are the DTS-ES surrounds matrixed to work with Dolby's SA-10 or is another surround adapter required for DTS-ES?

This is for clarification, because I remember reading a Dolby brochure where the wording wasn't specifically that the SA-10 would decode the extra surround channel on "Dolby Digital soundtracks." They simply referred to "digital soundtracks" so I automatically assumed that the same mix was used for all 6-track digital soundtracks and, thus, one box would decode them all.

One more thing...I haven't seen an actual DTS disc in a while, so I am curious if the label says "DTS 6-Track ES" or something like that to let you know that it's an ES mix.

------------------
And, hey! Let's be careful out there.

~Manny.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 03-05-2002 01:26 AM

In order to run DTS-ES you MUST have 3 SA-10's, two DTS units (one for the extra surround channel), a tuning fork, a black tile ceiling and a 6-bladed shutter in the projector.

Actually all films with Dolby EX are also in DTS-ES. The serial numbers on the disc are slightly different in that EX films end with an "ES" at the end of the serial number. You can route Dolby Digital sound through a DTS-ES unit and it will work fine. Likewise for routing DTS sound through a Dolby SA-10. Same result. But when you hook up a DTS unit to a DTS-ES unit (properly) then the timecode from the disc will automatically enable the ES unit when necessary. I've been standing by one when all of a sudden a trailer starts playing in ES! For the record I could never get the auto EX thing to work with a Dolby CP-500 and an SA-10, but I didn't really try too much. The whole unit is an afterthought. I could get it to shut on and off with a simple cue, though. And you can also enable the EX whenever it goes into digital. But that, in my opinion, is NOT auto-EX. The EX unit needs to know which films are in EX and which are not without me having to tell it.

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Don Sneed
Master Film Handler

Posts: 451
From: Texas City, TX, USA
Registered: Aug 2001

posted 03-05-2002 05:04 AM

I was told by Dolby that the CP-650 is set-up & ready for EX films to auto switch to that format, but the film are not encoded yet to tell the CP-650 tp auto switch from format 10 to u1( format 13 EX), it will be another 6-months or so when the films coming out with the EX information to tell the CP-650 to auto-switch, now we all have to manually switch to U1 or program the CP-650 to switch...until then we all have do it ourselves !!!

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Freddie Dobbs
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 115
From: Pinson, AL, USA
Registered: Jun 2001

posted 03-05-2002 04:12 PM

I spoke to Norman at Dolby today he told me that the prints are now starting to have the auto ex encoded in them.. and away we goooooooo.

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Freddie Dobbs
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 115
From: Pinson, AL, USA
Registered: Jun 2001

posted 03-05-2002 05:48 PM

He also tells me that the 814 will be replaced by the 814A in the SA10, and the SA10 will auto switch to EX if the film has EX flags.
.... Next they will be setting volume levels.......

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Ken Jacquart
Film Handler

Posts: 82
From: San Francisco, CA, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 03-05-2002 10:15 PM

Norman is correct. Dolby Digital Surround EX films will now have the EX flag encoded in the bitstream. A CP650 should switch to EX mode if you have enabled the Auto EX feature in the setup menu. The SA-10 will require the Cat 814A card for this feature to work. A serial connection is established between the DA20 serial port and the 814A serial port which will carry the flag.

ken

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