|
|
This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
|
|
Author
|
Topic: Dolby Digital Reader Pricing and Needed Equipment.
|
Thomas Dieter
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 234
From: Yakima, WA
Registered: Jun 2004
|
posted 04-28-2007 10:47 PM
Hey everyone,
I was wanting to know if anyone could tell me a few things on this. We are looking to convince the owner to get us a Dolby auditorium, as he's already agreed to allow us to get another DTS. We would prefer a Dolby theatre instead of a DTS, but we need some information to convince him.
Currently we are running 5 screens with Center Surround Sound (SR), and one with DTS Digital, SR backup. One of our SR theatres is running a CP50, and another is running a CP55. I assume that these are compatible with a Dolby Digital reader, Yes?
Neither of these auditoriums have a sub behind the screen, but our DTS does. Would we need to purchase one? I would assume that it would be suggestible.
Does anyone have a price on a used DD unit?
If there is more information that you need, please either leave a message, or email me.
--Tom
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mark J. Marshall
Film God
Posts: 3188
From: New Castle, DE, USA
Registered: Aug 2002
|
posted 04-29-2007 08:56 AM
Be aware that the CP650 / Cat 702 combination setups that I've seen warble horribly unless there's another reader mounted on top of it. Ours have been like that for three years, and our "solution" was to move the SDDS reader on top of the Cat 702 to help dampen the bouncing motion of the film. Others here have reported the same problem. And according to our engineer, Dolby says "Yeah, it'll do that." But some of the folks here have claimed to have never heard it in any of their installations. So I'm not sure if it's a case of a batch of bad units, or if folks aren't sure what to listen for, but the fact is that there are at least some units out there with this problem. The CP65 / DA20 / Cat 699 or 700 installations that I've seen do not do that. But since you can't get those anymore, if you're determined to do Dolby, I would very highly recommend that you go with a basement reader if you're pairing it with a 650 because of the better dampening mechanism in that reader.
I also agree with Steve that sticking with DTS is a better option financially. Not to mention that the optimal DTS setup sounds very slightly better than an optimal Dolby setup. But that's not to say that your audience will tell the difference in the audio between Dolby and DTS because they won't. It's very hard for even trained ears to hear the difference, but there is one.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
Thomas Dieter
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 234
From: Yakima, WA
Registered: Jun 2004
|
posted 04-29-2007 10:03 AM
Here's my beaf with DTS. Yes it's a great Digital Sound setup. No you can't tell the difference between Dolby and DTS, atleast from a consumer stand point. When asked personally which I prefer, I usually say one or the other and never bash either, for each one has an excellent sound quality.
But in the sub run business, where just about everyone thinks "you get what you pay for," and other sub run businesses basicly encourage that mind set here why I don't like them. DTS discs don't always arrive with prints, and calling and getting a set of DTS discs from the distributor or whom ever is a pain in the ass. The DVD cases that they ship them in are worthless and do nothing to keep the discs from being scratched. Finally, although the trailers are DTS timecoded, not all the trailers are on their trailer discs, or atleast the same disc. So the feature always sounds louder and more clearer than some or all of the previews. Dolby, all the trailers are Dolby encoded, and there's no disc. No Hassel with worrying if this trailer isn't going to play in Digital or not, and the customer experience will be at a high from beginning to end.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
Frank Angel
Film God
Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999
|
posted 04-29-2007 12:22 PM
Thomas, when you say subrun, do you just play releases off the break or are you playing older titles as in a few years, retrospective or arthouse stuff? Because if it is older titles (more than a year or so), forget about DTS. We put ours in probably about 10yrs ago, mainly driven by economic considerations -- non-profits are always the poor boy in town, and no question, DTS was the cheaper of the systems. BUT, I regret to say, that it was money badly spent.
The number of older titles that actually come with discs I would say is no more than 40% of the time and that is probably a high guess. Then there are the previews that we get, where we play them a week or two before they open, and even there, we only get discs a little better than the older titles, maybe only half of the time -- the excuse always being that the discs aren't ready yet. So just from a practical, pragmatic point of view, DTS, while it works fine when you actually get the discs, is a waste of money unless you are running titles not more than a few months off the break. Even then, it is always a crapshoot if you will get discs. And as has been documented many times in these threads, getting the distributor to cough up discs even when you call, them is a big hassle, hence the very simple solution proposed on F-T about being able to download the soundtracks, but that hasn't happened.
If you run imports foreign titles, forget about DTS. No only will prints never come with discs, but 95% of the time they only have SRD anyway, hardly ever do you see DTS.
And of course, the trailer issue is always problematic with houses that are not first run. With DTS you have to just resign yourself to play the entire trailer reel in analog rather than have your program popping in and out of digital depending on what titles are on the disc that came with the feature.
| IP: Logged
|
|
Thomas Dieter
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 234
From: Yakima, WA
Registered: Jun 2004
|
posted 04-29-2007 01:24 PM
quote: Frank Angel
Thomas, when you say subrun, do you just play releases off the break or are you playing older titles as in a few years, retrospective or arthouse stuff?
We are plaing movie that have just left the frist run theatres, and no longer available at the Regal's and AMC's and any other theatres that play movies on the release date. Some times we get limited films, but not ofter. One of the major limited films that we got was Pride and Prejudice back in January and February of 06. We've gotten a few since then, but they haven't been as popular as the others. Most of our films are Family films, The Last Mimzy, Happy Feet, Night at the Museum, you get the idea. If it's no longer playing at a first run cinema near you, we more than likely are playing it.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All times are Central (GMT -6:00)
|
This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
|
Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM
6.3.1.2
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.
|
Home
Printer-friendly view of this topic