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Author Topic: DTS To Discontinue Support of DTS 6 Units In One Year Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-07-2003 04:20 PM                     We received notofication of this from DTS last week. For those with model 6 players, they are offering a trade in program towards the new HD based player. So either stock up on DTS 6 parts or partake in the program before it expires. After one year once your player dies its gone forever. I was surprised they were able to support that old AT computer stuff even this long!! Mark  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 06-07-2003 04:46 PM                        That upsets me a bit, but at the same time I can see why they are doing it. Their technology is so ancient that it has been obsolete for a long time, and very difficult to support when certain components are no longer even made (similar reason to why Christie switched LED styles in their AW3 platter system from what I've heard). I guess that's what happens when you base your product on a standard computer. Which leads to the question: Is the new DTS unit running on consumer grade hardware (albeit more advanced)? If so, then DTS will eventually have to drop that, too. Probably wouldn't be for at least a decade, though.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-07-2003 05:17 PM                        This is a preview for what will happen with systems. (They are still supporting the 6D units though...for the moment at least.)  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-07-2003 06:20 PM                     They did switch the mommie board on the 6D to ATX from the older obsolete AT style as is used in older 6D's abd the 6. I usually go to the resale shop to get good power supplies for any of the DTS units with AT style boards. Now that they have gone to ATX that makes buying new supplies easy. Far as I know the 6D will be around for a very long time....if not the new HD based XD unit is an even better choice anyway. All of this is is a very good example of why I still prefer to install a really good analog processor and just hang a digital whatever onto it...... In theory, the analog processor should have a life span of at least three times what any digital based product will, perhaps even longer. Mark  |  IP: Logged Per Hauberg Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 883 From: Malling, Denmark Registered: Jul 2000 posted 06-07-2003 07:10 PM                        This again confirms, i'm getting old. -I still find dts a new invention, even if my first unit is 9 years old by now. Buy, plug, play and throw away has never been my lifestyle (DP70, Happy thoughts and so..) The dts-6 has never failed yet, why the f... change it. (The 6-D went down after 13 months and again one year later - will next chapter be like that ?) I have always found dts very supportive, and if they are going to drop customers, who supported dts from start, i'll be most disappointed. But once again: if a manufacturer makes his stuff too solid, he'll be out of business someday, cause noone needs to chance for new model. I can get parts for DP70, for CP65 and all, then why not for DTS... This better be good, Karen Per  |  IP: Logged Greg Mueller Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1687 From: Port Gamble, WA Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-07-2003 07:30 PM                        Some enterprising soul might make a business of keeping "6"s alive and supplied with parts!  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 06-07-2003 07:35 PM                        Hmmm... I've got boxes full of 386 and 486 mother and daughter boards.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-07-2003 07:40 PM                        This is unfortunate, but probably the inevitable result that one would expect with any product which is based on hardware which becomes obsolete quickly. The good thing is that DTS units tend to be fairly reliable, except for a few parts (drives and power supplies) which are fairly standard and are user-replaceable with parts which can be found in junk piles. As long as the older units will still play disks for current films (they do), I don't see much of a problem. Isn't the DTS 6D still a current product? If so, I doubt that DTS would drop support for it for a long time. There are lots of 6Ds out there and DTS would have many angry customers if they were to drop support for it.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-07-2003 09:43 PM                     I agree that they will live for a long time....I've only replaced two motherboards(but many drives and power supplies) since they came out...and thats two out of hundreds of units I've either installed, or serviced over the years. However this obsolescence has extended to the time code and d to a boards as well....DTS is basically abandoning the whole player. On the other hand they are offering the trade in/up so one is not left in the dark with the old unit and this is more than fair if you ask me. Not many manufacturers offer any credit for older equipment they made over a decade ago! Mark @ CLACO  |  IP: Logged Jonathan M. Crist Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 531 From: Hershey, PA, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 06-07-2003 11:06 PM                     The DTS 6 which I have was only manufactured 5/96 - a scant 7 years ago (as compared to my 45 year old Simplex XL's). If I had any inkling that DTS would not support their products, I would have bought Dolby.  |  IP: Logged Richard Fowler Film God Posts: 2392 From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA Registered: Jun 2001 posted 06-07-2003 11:32 PM                     Seriously how many 45 year old RCA Photophone, Mirrophonic or Simplex sound systems are still operating, or the techs or existing factory support......Both DTS and Dolby are doing a good job, within reason, in supporting their products. Some items such as real estate have long multidecade depreciation and other items such as computers and other state of the art products, much less so....in seven years you should of received a greater financial return due to your wise decision to purchase digital sound. Richard Fowler Kinoton America Inc.  |  IP: Logged Marc Jones Film Handler Posts: 82 From: Elizabethtown, KY Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-07-2003 11:57 PM                     just curious I know my DTs 6, and 6d use ISA cards which present a problem if your trying to find replacements mother boards. Is the DTS (analog processor/DTS ) processor on this same platform or filled with ISA type of cards?  |  IP: Logged Thomas Procyk Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1842 From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 06-08-2003 09:09 AM                     Hey, look on the bright side. If it was just a regular computer, it would already be WAAAAAY past its warranty. Computers you buy today have at MOST a 3-year warranty (with an option to buy a 5 year) but nothing more than that. After the warranty runs out, you're SOL. I had my graphics card AND a CD-ROM go bad in my computer just a few months after the warranty... The fact that DTS has supported these units for almost ten years is great. Like others have said though, parts get harder and harder to find as the unit gets older. It's not the first time a company has discontinued support for a... oh what's that fancy word they use now.... "LEGACY" product! This could also be a good thing... maybe we'll see some cheap DTS-6 units show up on the used market, allowing for a cheap upgrade to digital sound for the little guy. =TMP=  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 06-09-2003 09:43 AM                     I was under the impression the manufacturer was supposed to support their specific model product for 10 years after it was introduced....  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 06-09-2003 10:04 AM                        We have a room literally FULL of old ATs 386s, 486s, etc. -- all the old computers. I am sure there are high schools and colleges which, unlike most corporate entities, tend to be very reluctant junk equipment, no matter how obsolete. The CUNY system to which we are attached has a bureaucratic merry-go-round that you have to ride on before you can dispose of any equipement. They create this system but then cut back the personnel to impliment it so no one can throw anything out so it just sits there. We have enough working 386s to repair the DTS units for decades. The real question is, will the disks eventually be phased out? Or will the tracks still come on disks and uploaded to the HD and then run from it? Frank  |  IP: Logged

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