Film-Tech Cinema Systems
Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE


  
my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home
  next oldest topic   next newest topic
» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Digital Cinema Forum   » Digital Marriage Proposal

   
Author Topic: Digital Marriage Proposal
Lee Eady
Film Handler

Posts: 9
From: Homewood, AL USA
Registered: Jul 2011


 - posted 12-18-2012 08:34 AM      Profile for Lee Eady   Email Lee Eady   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
hi guys and ladies,
this is my third or 4th stupid question to curse the forum with.

ok so this guy made a short film, like 1:30 that starts off with the green trailer screen, making it look like a preview... then it becomes evident that the guy is proposing, and at the end he says"will you marry me?" he is proposing in our theatre and its a mess. so i got the laptop hooked up thru the DVI-1 port under the projector,
(it a Christie CP-2000SB) and HDMI cable plugs into the laptop. theres a pre set computer channel I can choose and it looks ok.
Then I have the sound running from the headfone jack, then splits to an adapter making it into a coax like you put in the back of yr TV or VCR. the end of the wires are stripped down and I have them going into the back of the amp where the old 35mm projector sound used to be plugd up... , Lemme think....
its an old MODII-C I think- cant recall on spur of the moment.
anyway, when i first set this up, I bought a brandnew movie, a cartoon movie for my daughter, SPIRITED AWAY. and it sounded SOOOOOOOOOOOO good set on stereo A or SR I cant recall. but this guy's proposal sounds ;like hell. they are doing the deal on the 22nd and Im getn nervous. whats up with the sound and what should i do?

 |  IP: Logged

Marcel Birgelen
Film God

Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012


 - posted 12-18-2012 10:25 AM      Profile for Marcel Birgelen   Email Marcel Birgelen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Why don't you create a DCP from the movie you're about to show and ingest it into your system just like you would do with other movies and/or trailers? Woudn't be that the easiest and most professional way to do it?

There are some instructions how to do it on this forum.

 |  IP: Logged

Jim Cassedy
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1661
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: Dec 2006


 - posted 12-18-2012 12:44 PM      Profile for Jim Cassedy   Email Jim Cassedy   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Have you tried listening to the audio on the original source
material? Mabye it was recorded badly, in which case it's
going to suck no matter what you do.

 |  IP: Logged

Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 12-18-2012 03:09 PM      Profile for Scott Norwood   Author's Homepage   Email Scott Norwood   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
So you are using the laptop headphone output into the optical input on the processor? The only way that there might be any hope of that working out well would be if you used a DI box between the laptop and the optical input.

A much better approach would be to use the non-sync input, since that will expect a line-level source (which is approximately what the laptop will do), not a solar-cell-level source (which is what the optical input expects). It will also bypass the noise-reduction circuit in the processor.

 |  IP: Logged

Dennis Benjamin
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1445
From: Denton, MD
Registered: Feb 2002


 - posted 12-18-2012 06:37 PM      Profile for Dennis Benjamin   Author's Homepage   Email Dennis Benjamin   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
When I saw the name of this post I honestly that it had something to do with a Christie Projector having a Marriage Tamper Issue. I thought someone had a proposed fix or work around for when this problem occurs.

 |  IP: Logged

John Roddy
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 114
From: Spring, TX, United States
Registered: Dec 2012


 - posted 12-18-2012 06:37 PM      Profile for John Roddy   Author's Homepage   Email John Roddy   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I had to do the exact same thing at my theater a few months ago. Someone brought a homemade proposal trailer and gave it to us to test it out a few days before the deal. For that, I connected my laptop to the projector through VGA via a scaler box (projector was a Barco DP1500) and hooked up the audio through a 3.5mm jack converted to stereo RCA which I plugged into the non-sync plugs on our audio processor. It looked and sounded pretty decent, although it was a pain to set up.

I opted to go for the custom DCP route instead. I used ffmpeg, SoX, and OpenDCP to build a functioning DCP, (luckily, I've toyed around with this idea in the past) which I just threw into a modified playlist. That worked perfectly.

I would strongly recommend going for a custom DCP instead. In addition to solving the potential audio issues, it makes automation and seamless transition a cakewalk. But, if you're set on going for the laptop method, just try troubleshooting the issue with as many possible solutions as you can think of.

Does the source audio sound OK?
Is there any other way you can connect the audio?
Do any of those other ways sound even marginally better?
Have you tried different cables?
Have you tried this setup on another audio system?

 |  IP: Logged

Lee Eady
Film Handler

Posts: 9
From: Homewood, AL USA
Registered: Jul 2011


 - posted 12-19-2012 10:44 AM      Profile for Lee Eady   Email Lee Eady   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
THANKS SOOOO MUCH FOR THE INPUT!!!

1st- I would LOVE to create a DCP and I WILL try that, Ive just been too intimidated by that prospect in the past as Ive been hearing about folks doing that.
2nd- the 'trailer proposal' DOES sound like crap, although its halfway decent it just wasnt mixed well. I have tried cleaning it up a bit with MIXCRAFT recording software and i just cant do anything with it. the good thing is that it only has to be shown ONCE.
3rd- I thought I read the MODIIC manual thoroughly but obviously not- because I missed the non-sync input approach. I will Box is...
4th-this guy "hooked up the audio through a 3.5mm jack converted to stereo RCA which I plugged into the non-sync plugs on our audio processor. It looked and sounded pretty decent, although it was a pain to set up." this is making me feel hopeful. and no I havent tried other cables. I HAVE to figure out this DCP thing! thanks again. [Confused] [Eek!] [Confused]

 |  IP: Logged

Carsten Kurz
Film God

Posts: 4340
From: Cologne, NRW, Germany
Registered: Aug 2009


 - posted 12-19-2012 10:58 AM      Profile for Carsten Kurz   Email Carsten Kurz   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Go the NonSync way. If there is a hum on the sound, try to run the laptop from battery, not mains supply (but check beforehand if it is fully charged and able to survive the session).

If you do this more often, get a 'DI-Box', isolating transformer, etc. for it.

- Carsten

 |  IP: Logged



All times are Central (GMT -6:00)  
   Close Topic    Move Topic    Delete Topic    next oldest topic   next newest topic
 - Printer-friendly view of this topic
Hop To:



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.

© 1999-2020 Film-Tech Cinema Systems, LLC. All rights reserved.