my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Will DTS XD10 end SDDS? (Page 1)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1  2  3

Author Topic: Will DTS XD10 end SDDS? Thomas Jonsson Expert Film Handler Posts: 216 From: Bromolla, Sweden Registered: Sep 2003 posted 05-18-2004 02:37 PM                       From what I´ve heard SDDS has stopped production of new equipment, and will supply spare parts for about 7(?) more years. SDDS is a great system (when it works), but with the new DTS XD10, with up to 10 channels, will film-producers still supply prints with SDDS-tracks? Anyone with inside information on this? Thomas  |  IP: Logged Peter Mork Expert Film Handler Posts: 181 From: Newton, MA, USA Registered: Jun 2002 posted 05-18-2004 04:50 PM                     No inside dope, but I have noted over the years that many Sony and Columbia (Sony-owned) films didn't have SDDS tracks, but did have SR-D or DTS. Which didn't inspire confidence!  |  IP: Logged Antonio Marcheselli Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1260 From: Florence, Italy Registered: Mar 2000 posted 05-18-2004 05:01 PM                        Perhaps, with new added equipment able to play 8 channel sound the producers will decide to make more 8 channel prints... Ah, and remember that DTS 8 channel will be with no compression, better than sdds!! Bye A  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 05-18-2004 05:09 PM                     Antonio, not to burst your bubble, but DTS is compressed. Just because the sound is on a disc instead of the film doesn't mean it isn't. Most everyone I have spoken to in direct A/B testing (done fairly) finds SDDS to sound better than DTS too. 8 channel is not going to happen. Just watch.  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 05-18-2004 05:48 PM                     Yeah, Brad, but fitting 8 channels on a DVD requires a lot less compression than 5 channels on 2 CDROMS. --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Aaron Sisemore Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day! Posts: 3061 From: Rockwall TX USA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 05-18-2004 06:53 PM                     You are correct, Thomas, Sony Cinema Products has failed to exist for about 2 years now. Don't expect much, if any, support from Sony [Consumer products] if something breaks. Robbie Hidalgo at Cinematech might be your only hope. Good Luck. -Aaron  |  IP: Logged Ken McFall Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 615 From: Haringey, London. Registered: Apr 2001 posted 05-18-2004 06:56 PM                     You should also remember that DTS, while compressed, does not suffer from error correction in the same way that SRD and SDDS does. Provided the timecode can be read then DTS will always playback perfectly.... unlike SRD where the playback deteriorates with print age and error rates rise. DTS is effectivly a loss less playback system. If, when, DTS moves to DVD then the need to compress data will reduce and the result will be much better sound than SRD and SDDS can ever achive in the real world.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 05-18-2004 08:01 PM                     The DTS XD10 does offer the option of uncompressed LPCM playback, even at 24-bit/96kHz levels. It will also play back tracks using DTS' own 2:1 lossless encoding system as well. The machine also plays back all the "home" version formats of DTS, including DTS-ES 6.1 Discrete. This is built in partly for the video handling capability of the unit, where .VOB files are sent to a video projection system. You will not get the high rez audio formats on a normal DTS CD-ROM though. The CDs use the old APT-X100 compression system, running at 820 kilobits per second. I'm skeptical about the DTS 8-channel (or 10-channel) formats getting off the ground, at least in normal theatrical releases. The XD-10 has been available for a year now and there has not been a single release featuring any "next generation" DTS audio tracks for use with this unit. It's all still the 5.1 and 5.1-ES stuff. Regular film studios seem perfectly happy with 5.1 and gearing all theatrical releases as pre-marketing tools for the DVD release. My prediction is special venue films will be the only thing to potentially use DTS-8 or DTS-10 formats any time in the near future. Some major market shakeup (such as a filmmaker with balls pushing technology forward with a good film) will be what it takes to get Hollywood studios to think about audio in any form higher than 5.1 channels. Oh, and DTS isn't killing SDDS. It seems like SDDS is doing a good job of that on its own. But I do think SDDS' absence from home theater gear and DVD does lend to its problems.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-18-2004 08:24 PM                     Haveing been able to listen to either the Mag Masters or the DA88 digtital masters I have found the closest source to the orignal has always been the DTS on playback compared to the other two  |  IP: Logged Ron Lacheur Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 650 From: British Columbia, Canada Registered: Feb 2002 posted 05-18-2004 08:39 PM                     quote: Bobby Henderson But I do think SDDS' absence from home theater gear and DVD does lend to its problems. Do you think that SDDS had a place in the home market? What would they have to offer that wasn't already been taken care of by the current Dolby Digital and DTS formats?  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-18-2004 09:59 PM                     "Antonio, not to burst your bubble, but DTS is compressed." _________________________________________________________________ Actually DTS does have ready a no compression or lossless playback system and we are about to install the very first one in the large format theatre at Thanksgiving Point. The losless system works similar to a ZIP disk in which the data is zipped up and then unzipped when ever the data is read. Pretty simple and very elegant if you ask me. I doubt that DTS will pick up where Sony left off with 8 channel, but that sure is a possibility now. I think you'll see the next big advancement in digital playback come from DTS as the XD-10 player is already capable of 96khz/24 bit playback. As for SDDS.... it pretty much killed itself before the first unit was installed simply by its location on the film edges and the penthouse/LED/Firmware problems that just about everyone experienced. Mark @ CLACO  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 05-19-2004 12:13 AM                     Film doesn't wear if you handle it right. Done properly, SRD and SDDS error rates lower with use. I see 8 channel DTS becoming a mainstream possibility just like seeing 70mm prints being struck again for mainstream release. It's not going to happen. Sure there will be a few titles and a few theaters will put forth the bucks to install it, but even EX didn't really make it off the ground. Besides, even if it ever caught on and 8 channel DVD discs were shipped with prints, it still wouldn't fix the problem of DTS not caring about how many discs arrive scratched up from those piece of shit DVD-style cases they are shipping the discs in. The old "DTS reel" coupled with the thick soft plastic jewel cases offered the best protection to date. They should have stuck with that. Around here, nobody is installing new DTS systems anymore just because of the damaged disc issue. Everyone (except the "cheaper is better" theaters) is installing SRD. Anyway, keep dreaming boys.  |  IP: Logged Dean Kollet Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 591 From: Florida State University Registered: Jul 2003 posted 05-19-2004 01:44 AM                     As far as SR-D deteriorating....if you handle the film right...how are people loosing their Dolby Digital Track...I know it's between the sprocket holes and whatnot, but if you handle it right, there should be NO problem... oh yeah...the company I work for thought that 8-channel was going to be HUGE. Needless to say we just keep those extra amplifiers off now  |  IP: Logged Aaron Garman Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1470 From: Toledo, OH USA Registered: Mar 2003 posted 05-19-2004 02:34 AM                     I don't know about you all, but we haven't had any damaged discs due to the new DTS cases. Things are running as smoothly as ever. I don't really know how 8 or 10 channel will get kicked off, but we would need some major film to really show it off. Jurassic Park was the perfect film for DTS 6, and we'd need something of that caliber I believe to really push for DTS 8 or 10. Actually, what ever happen to the idea of tactile sound systems? I figured instead of more channels, this would be the next step for motion picture evolution. Sure, you can get them at home and run your subwoofer output into them, but it'd be neat to have a dedicated channel that literally shakes the room. I'd like to actually demo one, as I have only read about these tactile tranducers. AJG  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 05-19-2004 03:46 AM                        Unfortunately, Brad is right here. It just won`t happen. If we still had a situation where only select big theatres play the big movies on the first run, then a new format or additional channels or high resolution releases on 70mm or whatever would make a noticeable difference. Because people would think, do we go to Movie Palace A or Movie Palace B? - Let`s go to B, I read they have a new sound system. As it is now, we all play the same movies on screens of the same sizes with the same standardized equipment on thousands of screens everywhere. It just doesn`t make a difference anymore. All you can do is give the audience a nice presentation and have a good feeling about it. They come to your Extremeplex for no other reason than that it`s closest to where they live or because they want to redeem the coupons for the MegaPopcornCombo.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 3 pages: 1  2  3

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.