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Author Topic: DTS 6AD Problems Jeremy Spracklen Film Handler Posts: 39 From: Arlington, TX, USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-28-2002 11:05 PM                     The theater that I work at opened a little over a year ago with brand new DTS 6ADs. By now, everyone has become used to them not working (this week there is only one that will make it through an entire show in digital). The fact that most of the units will not play in DTS is not really that much of an issue, as they will typically just drop to the emulated SR. However, one of the units (#4), takes the opposite approach and plays DTS too much. One week, we had a ‘double up’ and the player would cut in and out with the audio from the other film. It was playing DTS from the wrong title, then when it dropped out, it would play the SR from the correct one, switching randomly back and forth between the two tracks every couple of seconds. I am also now hearing complaints that it plays the movie audio between shows when it should be playing non-sync! Does anyone know how we can fix this problem, or is this just something that that happens when the players get about six months worth of use on them? Perhaps this is just a freak thing with this particular batch of 6AD units. Please help!  |  IP: Logged Tristan Lane Master Film Handler Posts: 444 From: Nampa, Idaho Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-28-2002 11:41 PM                     Sounds like maybe you should check to see if the software and firmware is current. Also, DTS units don't like it when there are more than one set of feature disks in the drives. Use only the needed featured disks for that particular show, and then switch em out. Seen some problems with these units displaying strange behavior because of trailer disks as well.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 12-29-2002 12:57 AM                    Am I to understand that you have disks from different films loaded at the same time? Load only the correct disks (and trailer disk if any) and then get back to us.  |  IP: Logged Darren Crimmins Expert Film Handler Posts: 130 From: Dallas, TX, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 12-29-2002 01:53 AM                     While the theater should have had the correct discs in, that is not the issue he is talking about, it is only a side note. It should not even matter becasue the units are not supposed to play the wrong discs. If anything it is good that the wrong ones were in there because now he knows that there is another technical problem that needs to be dealt with. And I am sure that that was a one time mistake by the projectionists that anybody can make. I know those guys over there and I know that does not happen often. So if there is anyone who can give Jeremy a hand with the real problems that he is having from his posts, please let "us" know.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 12-29-2002 02:22 AM                        Also, knowing which theater Jeremy works at, not all of his movies are in DTS. He said that DTS was playing when Non-Sync should be playing. If that is happening I think it could also play DTS from one movie when the other is supposed to play in fake SR. Do the discs really need to be removed every other show when only one feature of a double up is in DTS? Do they need to be removed when the machine is supposed to be in non-sync as well? Personally I think all DTS units should have at least 6 drives so multiple movies can be loaded at once. Switching discs can cause scratches and other really bad things to happen to them even when you are super careful, thus limiting the effective life of any movie in DTS until replacements can be had.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 12-29-2002 08:38 AM                     Steve, part of the big hoopla when dts was introduced was that it was "smart" enough to know the difference between one movie and another. I have ran double ups for years and in many instances an operator has forgot to change out the discs and the dts unit (digital only player) did what it is supposed to do and sat there quietly letting the SR play. So regardless of whether Jeremy's dts issue was intentional or accidental really doesn't matter. Also, is he supposed to be there when the show is over to remove the discs and then reload them when he restarts the feature? Of course not. How would you like it if you were running a feature in your screening room in dts, then due to a series of events you somehow forgot to remove the set of discs and they started to play over your next movie and during your intermission? I think you would be here asking the same questions. Personally I've never heard of this happening on any dts player, and it should not be happening. Jeremy, what is the firmware version? I think it states upon power up. If not, check the label on the backside of the processors.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 12-29-2002 10:40 AM                    Brad, I'm aware of how it ought to work. I'm simply suggesting that perhaps the firmware didn't anticipate the situation of two different movie ID's (something that can most likely only occur by deliberate choice of the operator, as opposed to accidently leaving the wrong disks in) OR has some bugs that only this misuse will trigger. Once we are off into glitch-land, anything is possible including acting up when it should just be playing NS. Therefore it is entirely reasonable to suggest that he try using the unit by the book and see if that eliminates the problem. If it does then it becomes a separate issue -- one of update or modification, as opposed to malfunction -- as to whether DTS ought to alter their firmware to allow him to use it the way he was. Or perhaps other versions of the firmware did or do.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 12-29-2002 11:45 AM                     But that's just it, "the book" says that if the wrong discs are loaded that it will not play the "wrong sound". That's the whole point of serial numbers. I see what you are trying to get at though. BTW, does anyone know if you are supposed to reboot the system when changing discs? I have done some screenings at Jeremy's theater and found that the system will ignore newly loaded discs if the power is not cycled. I've never minded doing this on the stand-along dts6 or dts6-D units, but with this processor also carrying the non-sync and analog sound, that's pretty annoying.  |  IP: Logged Antonio Marcheselli Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1260 From: Florence, Italy Registered: Mar 2000 posted 12-29-2002 03:06 PM                        Jeremy and all others, I believe that having the wrong disk is not an issue, as Brad said. Having two disk of one film and one disk of another simultaneously it is instead. In a situation like this I had once a movie started in "DIGITAL" but with no sound from the player. If I understood correctly, this happens because two movie's disk can have two different version of "DTS.EXE" file inside that conflicts each other. This is why DTS suggest to power cycle the unit when disk are changed. So, begin checking if you usually MIX disks in the players. If so, stop doing it! About DTS sound in the intermission: are you sure that you leaders are not DTS encoded? You mean that DTS players will play sound while projector is completely stop? In this case I would think of some kind of interference (RF?) that cause the player to see a "ghost" timecode and to start playing randomly. This kind of interferences can explain (I believe) the continuously digital-sr switching. What about DTS "timecode" LED on the player while film is running? Is it green and steady (not blinking?). I know a friend that worked for few years in a theater with 5 DTS 6AD with absolutely NO problem at all! If all of your player has these behaviours... I would not think as a defective ones, I bet that something in your installation is wrong. let us know better your situation so that we can help you. I know that Karen from DTS is out of office for christmas right now, she surely will help you better when she'll come back. Bye  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-29-2002 03:47 PM                     You need to reboot when changeing disks  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 12-29-2002 04:05 PM                     Brad and Steve, From what I'm reading here...Steve is going on the possibility that the theatre is loading two different feature discs at the same time whereas Brad seems to be going on the belief that wrong feature disc(s) (but only one feature disc(s) are in). If Steve's pick up on this is right then yes, cease loading more than one feature in the player at a time and then we can start diagnosis. As to rebooting, DTS has always recommended that one reboot the player each time the discs are changed. This will clear its memory, search all disc trays and load the program in a systematic way. Steve  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 12-29-2002 04:07 PM                     Steve's pick up is not right in this instance. Jeremy's post was clear to me and I have verified this with him. There has never been two different features loaded up in the 6-AD players. On Jeremy's "double up", only one of the two movies being ran in that auditorium was encoded in dts. The other was SRD only (no dts timecode). It seems like dts could have put a "reset" button on the front panel that could be used when changing discs. If the discs are not put into the unit and the power cycled before the audience starts seating, then they get their non-sync treated to a nice thump/dropout.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-29-2002 04:12 PM                     One more reason to use a standalone dts player witha real cinema processor such as the csp1200  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 12-29-2002 04:38 PM                    That is why I began my comments by asking if that (differing movie disks in at once) was the case. Until now no one clarified it. DTS could stand to come up with some more varied model numbers. DTS-6, DTS-6D, DTS-6AD are all too similar.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 12-29-2002 04:47 PM                     Well if no "reboot" button at least a set of "Control", "Alt" and "Delete" buttons! Steve  |  IP: Logged

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