Dolby DSS 200 ingest sources

[Stefan Scholz]

I know, this is about legacy hardware, and the product shall not be used actively these days.
Reason, I was given a NEC NC 2000C projector from a friend, when his server died. So another friend friend had a DSS 200 and IMB laying around, that was replaced with an IMS 3k in his screen some month ago.

For me, I do not have much "hand on experience" on the boxes, and even the Sony or GDC is way more intuitive to work on. A little bit reminding me of Aplle products, that are also not really intuitive, when you're outside the end user applications...
It was a quite straight forward process in getting the projector to play back content, to set up the networks etc. As a single unit, it is used in SMS mode. I can ingest on USB with slow speed.
My question, how to add networked storage devices for ingest. I can still find a list of ingest sources, used at their theatre, Eclair play, Gofilex, and others common here, offered as ingest sources.
Do I miss any of the "dolby" console scripts here?
Same question applies to the question "how to change names in the serial automation ques, and whre to enter data for the device".

Sorry to ask these questions on something dead a while, but maybe I'm just not having the clue here.

[Steve Guttag]

Content can be pushed or pulled to a Dolby DSS server. To push to the server, one only need to set up a standard FTP transfer with an easily obtained user/password. To pull content, in the Content/Network Content page, on the left column, you can set up your networked sources like Eclair. When Dolby pulls content in this manner, the files will not look pretty...they will be their individual file names but you can pull over an entire folder this way...hopefully it is well named. If it is named the UUID of the CPL...hopefully, you know that number or the sifting though can be annoying.

[Stefan Scholz]

Thanks, Steve for the quick reply.

Figured out, go for networked content click on the circle with triangle, and then you can set up an ftp connection, give it an alias name. Seems to work, plus it's relatively fast over bi- directional GB ethernet.
I am getting acquainted with my system.

[Marco Giustini]

As long as it works well I don’t see why it shouldn’t be used ?
just bear in mind it’s not supported and that some faults cannot be fixed.

[Stefan Scholz]

It's not to be used in a commercial environment, that's also why it was replaced at the site it came from. Just never had one, or many clients using them. My personal interest to play with it, and it does, what it is supposed to do. So place projector in garden in summer, and watch some afternoon movies.

[Steve Guttag]

On the serial automation thing. For the name or commands that you want to change, merely go to System>serial automation, then double-click on the part of the serial command you want to change and then click on "save changes." Done. Repeat for whatever commands you want to change.

[Carsten Kurz]

The Dolby DSS software release notes have some instructions on features. There is also an outdated manual. Is this actually a DSS200 with an IMB (CAT745)? The CAT745 security battery is a real risc in this setup, even as it was a gift. You should probably open the DSS200 and check wether the CAT 862 is still present in it.

Dailymotion and VIMEO also have some of Dolbys official training videos for DSS200.

[Steve Guttag]

No need to open it up...if there are BNC connectors sticking out of the rear of the unit, it has a CAT862 of unknown condition. The check the condition your can either obtain the Mediablock software from Dolby and use a USB cable to see what version and if anything is amiss or plug in the link cable (short CAT cable between the link ports) and reconfigure the server for CAT862 and see what happens when it boots up.

[Ioannis Syrogiannis]

If the interest on the serial automation is for controlling the projector, what you might want to do is to configure the projector's info (and IP) on the server and while having the projector connected and on, to let the server retrieve the macros/presets from the projector.
Unfortunately, on the DSS200/NC2000 combination, you will have "MacroKey No.#" instead of the Titles you gave to the preset keys. Also, only the 8 macros that are assigned to the key panel will be available. But I guess that 8 macros would be enough for a garden.

[Pete Naples]

I really wouldn't describe GDC or Sony as more intuitive than Dolby's ShowManager.

[Leo Enticknap]

Quite the opposite - I'd say that it is the most intuitive, for the end user, of any of the SMS UIs out there. The configuration functions are deliberately kept hidden from the operator's front end (you have to press ctrl+alt+F1, then run a script outside the GUI), but IMHO that makes sense: an untrained operator simply cannot make changes that could totally break the system, such as changing IP addresses.

It's not to be used in a commercial environment, that's also why it was replaced at the site it came from.

I wouldn't go as far as "not to be" - in fact, I look after one 11-plex, 10 screens of which are still running DSS220/cat745s. But there is a risk. The manager of that theater knows what that risk is, but thanks to the mask and vax passport requirement in LA County, business is so slow that there would be no significant loss of revenue for him in taking a screen down for a day or two while our loaner IMS is installed, and then again in a few weeks' time when the permanent replacement arrives. I have advised him that if business recovers to the point at which all 11 screens are packed out on Friday and Saturday nights, then ordering an IMS3000 plus a battery charge cage preemptively, and keeping them on the shelf for immediate installation if one of the cat745s kicks the bucket, would be a prudent move, given the lead time for them.

So just because a OEM ends support for a product, there isn't an absolute requirement to replace all of them in revenue earning service immediately. However, the end of that support does create a risk, which, like any other risk, needs to be managed and mitigated. Sometimes you have no choice but to keep the obsolete equipment in service, because there is no viable replacement: hence the old cliche in aviation that the only viable replacement for a DC-3 is another DC-3. The same applies to CP650s if you're an arthouse running 35mm (and, arguably, CP200s if you're running 70mm mag).