SX2001A update concerns

[Leo Enticknap]

I think that's a very sensible decision, given the age of this hardware. However, there are two issues to flag up.

1 - The lead time for new IMS3000 orders is long - about 6-8 weeks, the last I knew. Dolby have been seriously affected by the global semiconductor shortage. If this is still the case (ask your dealer), your existing GDC certificates will expire before the 3000s are delivered and installed. So even if you leave the batteries and secure clocks alone, I'm afraid you will still have to do the software and media block firmware updating in order to put the new certificates in. The silver lining to that is that once this is done, those servers could have a modest resale value.

2 - I would strongly suggest that the new IMS3000s are set up to sync to an NTP server at the outset. Some theaters neglect to do this, and only find out that they have a problem once secure clocks have drifted by hours, and a KDM closes before the start of the last show of the week. I've encountered this situation so often that I wrote the cheat sheet uploaded above. Most TMS systems act as an NTP server for their screen servers, but if you don't have one, a regular Windows PC will do, per my sheet above (as long as it has a reliable Internet connection).

The IMS3000's secure certificate battery is rechargeable. As long as the projector is powered up for at least a couple of days a month, you won't have to worry about that.

[Jon Dent]

Our installer said this morning that lead time was around 2 weeks and Dolby prioritizes GDC replacement orders, for whatever reason. He knows we're up against a deadline.

Our servers are currently networked into a central computer (not a TMS) and can be accessed via VNC, but it doesn't appear that they sync their clocks with it.

Plus side of all of this is that Dolby will know we have the servers (apparently nobody ever told GDC we had these ones), so maybe the next time this crops up we won't have to rely on Deluxe to tell us three weeks before D-Day.

[Leo Enticknap]

Dolby prioritizes GDC replacement orders...

Ooohhh - that is a juicy revelation! So all we have to do when placing an order with them is to let them know that we're replacing a geriatric GDC, and that unlocks the door to the secret stash!

[Jon Dent]

That's what our installer said, so it's not quite straight from the horses mouth. Use with caution...

[Leo Enticknap]

That particular horse is unlikely to do any bleating on the record. Not expecting to get one of Dolby's circular emails announcing their "Screw GDC Special!" anytime soon. But still, it's a variation of GDC's shtick whereby they'll give you a discount on a new server if you send them a video of yourself smashing up the old one with a sledgehammer (regardless of the manufacturer).

[Marcel Birgelen]

I'll be selling videos of me smashing some random server with a sledgehammer starting at $500 now. :P

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

"The SX2001 has had a mixed reliability. I'd say it is less so than the DSS line (definitely less so for us). The Mediablock is its weak link. Make sure it gets plenty of air flow. Their original fans were just recirculating, the later ones have a plenum to get the heat out but it still draws air from within the chassis. Keep the foam filters as clean as possible and don't choke it."
1 motherboard and one failed power supply out of about 300 of them is hardly "mixed reliability"

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

"The SX2001 has had a mixed reliability. I'd say it is less so than the DSS line (definitely less so for us). The Mediablock is its weak link. Make sure it gets plenty of air flow. Their original fans were just recirculating, the later ones have a plenum to get the heat out but it still draws air from within the chassis. Keep the foam filters as clean as possible and don't choke it."
1 motherboard and one failed power supply out of about 300 of them is hardly "mixed reliability"

I forgot to mention that on the media block GDC has a highr cfmvfan available.

[Steve Guttag]

Yeah Mark, you and only you boasts such things. The failure rate of SX-2000 series, for me is closer to 10:1 compared to Dolby DSS or even Doremi though I don't have enough Doremi to really throw them in there statistically. Shoot, I had one SX-2001A crater after 4-years of use with one mediablock failure at 3-years 1-month...the second one stopped reproducing audio less than a year later. I haven't had power supply failures but I have had a couple of motherboard failures but that isn't too common (for me).

But yeah, mixed reliability.

[Leo Enticknap]

I'm not sure that there is much to be gained by a Dolby vs. GDC (and vs. Barco) pissing competition. As installers and service techs, we're stuck with both, and both have a profile of strengths and weaknesses. The following IMHO: the IMS3000 has a relatively high sticker price, but support after you've bought it, including software/firmware upgrades, comes at no extra charge: only RTB hardware repairs for units that are out of warranty, and the cost of one-time repairs is very reasonable. GDC and Barco both have a slightly different business model: the up-front purchase price of the server is lower (and in the case of a Barco Alchemy bought bundled with a projector, a lot lower), but if it goes bad after the warranty has expired and not been renewed, you're looking at a big bill. And with GDC, software/firmware updates are not "free" after the warranty bundled with the initial purchase has expired.

Reliability of their currently supported products is, IMHO, much of a likeness (though admittedly, I'm drawing on a lot less experience looking after these things than Steve and Mark). For their legacy products, both the Dolby cat745 and the GDC SX-3000 have a high enough battery swapout failure rate to make me not want to try it if I don't have to. The IMS2000, IMS3000, DSP100, and cat862 having rechargeable cert batteries in them was a very good decision - since first working as a service tech (2017), I haven't seen one go bad through losing a certificate. I've also never had a certificate loss in swapping out a Doremi IMB battery, and only one with a Dolphin.

Both the Dolby/Doremi and GDC user interfaces have their fans and their detractors. Both evolved from a VNC UI to a web UI, and they both do the same things - it's really a matter of personal preference in navigating them.

[Steve Guttag]

Leo, I really don't consider it a pissing match and wasn't really intending it as a dig but reliability has to be factored in on a purchase decision. For instance, is anyone eager to buy into a Christie IMB after the IMB S2 debacle? I can tell you the ICMP in its various forms though no, I don't think I have the latest-latest ICMP-X, is far less reliable than either Dolby or GDC (I'm not sure I have more than one or two that hasn't been changed out that has been in service for 3 or more years). It also comes with 1-year less warranty.

As for pricing, I see them as similar with Barco's ICMP being the most pricey when comparing storage size to storage size. GDC normally comes in a lower end of the price scale. So, I'd put Dolby in the middle. But again, they are in the same ball park, give or take an upgrade discount. With GDC, you have to also factor in which storage one uses. I've had issues with most every PSD I've had to deal with (between the unit itself or the drives) that I only specify Enterprise storage (never had an issue with them). So, my price comparisons will take that into account. GDC also has the SR1000 in a 2K and a 4K form. At this point, we are mostly looking at 4K installations and Hollywood is also releasing a lot more 4K than before. If you look at the 4K versions of the SR1000 (and remember, the IMS3000 is always 4K capable), the prices get VERY close to one another. An aspect of the IMS3000 that can get pricey are the 2TB SSDs. GDC will expand the price difference here by moving to the Enterprise storage and using conventional 3.5" drives which are dirt cheap in that size compared to 2.5" SSD.

Barco is strange on the ICMP-X in that its price varies by projector model (compre its price in an SP4K-12C versus an SP4K-15C). It's the same server but the price is significantly different. It is like they are shifting the cost towards the larger projectors to make the cheaper projectors that much cheaper. As a stand-alone product, it moves to the most expensive and if you compare same-same (SDI input), then it becomes even more expensive. Factor in that it also only comes with 2-years of warranty compared to everyone else's 3-year (and GDC will kick in another year for an upgrade), Barco gets yet more pricey. However, the warranty add-on to a Barco projector extended warranty is typically pretty trivial and it covers everything but the disks (as is standard across the board). Naturally, if you are going with the ICMP-X, you are also not going to transfer that server to a different brand projector either...Dolby and GDC can get faceplate changes to move them over.

Speaking of warranty, Dolby can extend theirs out to 5-years and the current pricing for that is incredibly low. GDC will now extend an SR-1000 out to 10-years.

I do prefer the super-cap/rechargeable battery idea over a changeable battery. Even C19 didn't kill our super-cap servers (or enigmas) though we did have them set to power up periodically each week. A handful of battery based IMBs didn't fare so well.

All of the servers mentioned above will present movies such that the audience will be oblivious to what server is in use. If you are using a TMS system, the brand of server becomes even more inconsequential aside from service record (and possibly integration capabilities but most are similar now). Then again, with the ICMP-X one does have to be careful of what content is at the start of the show if the projector is not in a DCP format (the ICMP-X won't start a show if the projector is looking at alternative content with the exception of its own internal black pattern...then you can have a cue that switches it to a DCP format before the first actual DCP content hits...a really dumb restriction.

[Harold Hallikainen]

I think that the use of lithium metal primary cells to hold key memory was an effort to hold keys long term without power being present. The lithium metal cell has a very low self-discharge rate allowing keys to be held for about 10 years. I see now ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-d...y_battery_type ) that there is a low self-discharge NiMH cell. With .25% per month, or 3% per year, we'd only lose 30% charge over 10 years due to self discharge. Is that the kind of cell being used in new media blocks?

[Jon Dent]

After a brief bout of cold feet the owner committed to new Dolby's, which our installer said this morning that we'll get on time. We have about two weeks from today.

Better make sure my blood pressure meds are filled...

[Leo Enticknap]

Transitioning from a GDC to a Dolby would actually lower my blood pressure, but that's really a matter of personal preference.

[Jon Dent]

Transitioning from a GDC to a Dolby would actually lower my blood pressure, but that's really a matter of personal preference.

So I've heard. It's more the two week deadline...