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» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Your Favourite Projector and Booth (Page 3)

 
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Author Topic: Your Favourite Projector and Booth
Frank Prete
Film Handler

Posts: 55
From: Victoria, Australia
Registered: Sep 2000

- posted 10-07-2000 12:22 AM      Profile for Frank Prete   Email Frank Prete   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Hey Scott, I've worked wth CP65's and CP500's a fair bit. I've also worked with CP45's and CP55's and have seen a CP200 in action. The 200's are nice if you have the rack space!

From what I have heard between the CP65's analogue EQ and the CP500's digital EQ I think that they both do the job pretty well.

Personally, I think that the EQ's in a processor can best be used when they are under utilised - that is to say more is less. Having better speakers, amps, cabling and good acoustic design goes much further than trying to compensate for room ineffiencies by EQing the crap out the signal - regardless of which EQ you are using (Digital or Analogue).

The quality of the digital EQ is very good. I would challenge anyone to sit in a theatre watching a film and be able to say if it had been set up using digital or analogue EQ's without already knowing it. Please feel free to say that you can, but I will call you a liar

A bigger problem with the 500's is their general stability. They just love to do strange things!!! I'm sure we can all share 500 mysteries around the campfire one day...

Ari, thank for the info, I'll look it up.

Frank.

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Matthew Bailey
Master Film Handler

Posts: 461
From: Port Arthur,TX
Registered: Sep 2000

- posted 10-09-2000 04:32 PM      Profile for Matthew Bailey   Email Matthew Bailey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Favorite booth? A toolshed with a Simplex
1014 & 5 star soundhead I have in my
backyard. I am using a Telex slide projector
as a lamphouse. The 6-plex nearby closed
down with zilch electricity. Have to use
a flashlight to obtain from it the Simplex
parts i need.

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David Kilderry
Master Film Handler

Posts: 355
From: Melbourne Australia
Registered: Sep 1999

- posted 10-10-2000 12:28 AM      Profile for David Kilderry   Author's Homepage   Email David Kilderry   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Frank,

The Century's you speak of are DAW. That means in Century speak: D = Drive-in shutter (since modified for indoor use, A = A series projector, W = water cooled head for big lamps at drive-ins or indoor.

These machines were used to re-equip our drive-in circuit (40 strong back then)when Bauer went out of business in the late 1970's. The Centurys from new were not without there problems from the New York factory. Several drive shaft failures and one movement seized under warranty! The good ones have not skipped a beat in 20 years.

They are indeed difficult to frame, but so are most others that have there basic design dating back around 50 years, C & W, Super Standard, Simplex etc.

David

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

- posted 10-10-2000 06:29 PM      Profile for Gordon McLeod   Email Gordon McLeod   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 

" The Century's you speak of are DAW. That means in Century speak: D = Drive-in shutter (since
modified for indoor use, A = A series projector, W = water cooled head for big lamps at drive-ins or
indoor."
The D stands for double shutter
ie a DAW is a double shutter model a with water cell
a SAW is a single shutter model A with a water cell

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Ari Nordström
Master Film Handler

Posts: 283
From: Göteborg, Sweden
Registered: Jan 2000

- posted 10-11-2000 03:00 AM      Profile for Ari Nordström   Email Ari Nordström   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
>>The quality of the digital EQ is very good. I would challenge anyone to sit in a theatre watching a film and be able to say if it had been set up using digital or analogue EQ's without already knowing it. Please feel free to say that you can, but I will call you a liar <<


I wouldn't dream of doing that. I'm very happy with our CP500 EQs. but to bring up a related subject: how about the digital SR and A NR in a CP650? How are they when compared to the "real thing"? Does anyone have any comments or first-hand experience?

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Frank Prete
Film Handler

Posts: 55
From: Victoria, Australia
Registered: Sep 2000

- posted 10-11-2000 05:59 AM      Profile for Frank Prete   Email Frank Prete   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Ari,

I believe that the 500 is still the cheapest way to get Dolby Digital, but the 650 is the cheapest way to get EX.

It is typical of Dolby to bring out a new processor that incorporates their latest product. CP65 incorporated SR, CP500's have SRD and now 650 has EX. What will be next? Inner left and right like SDDS? Ceiling channels? Subs in the seats?

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

- posted 10-11-2000 08:08 AM      Profile for Mark Gulbrandsen   Email Mark Gulbrandsen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I happen to agree with Ari on the CP-500 eq. I think Dolby did a remarkable job for a first generation digital processor. I have to agree that if anyone can tell the difference between it and the CP-65 on a blindfold test listening to very high quality sound track material then I'll treat them to dinner. I have installed countless CP-500's and have never had an edgy, harsh, or shrill top end out of them like other techs here have claimed. Yes, the 500 does have its problems and limitations but overall performs as well, or better than any 35mm processor out there. I have also had an alomst 0 failure rate with them out of well over 200 I have installed. I have to really think hard on this but I'd like to say that I have had to replace 6 or 7 cards out of the bunch. Thats pretty darn good IMHO.
Mark


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Ari Nordström
Master Film Handler

Posts: 283
From: Göteborg, Sweden
Registered: Jan 2000

- posted 10-11-2000 10:07 AM      Profile for Ari Nordström   Email Ari Nordström   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Our tech says his experience is rather similar to yours, Mark. He did replace one processor soon after installation, though, after first trying to replace cards a couple of times. As I understand it was the first time he had to replace the whole processor.

Frank, nothing would make me happier in regard to Dolby processor development if they reintroduced the left and right extra channels. I'd recommend our management to upgrade, without doubt.

Hey Dolby, how about that AUX rack to the CP500?

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Frank Prete
Film Handler

Posts: 55
From: Victoria, Australia
Registered: Sep 2000

- posted 10-12-2000 02:54 AM      Profile for Frank Prete   Email Frank Prete   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Ari, as good as it would be, I don't think the current information comression/encryption allows enough room to upgrade to have inner left and inner right - they could do aother EX and have a matrix decoding between left and centre and right and centre. I think that the lack of information space is why EX is an analogue matrix of the left and right surrounds - I mean if you have the abilty to have six descreet channels, wouldn't you have seven if you could? Maybee we will see the Double D logo appearing on both sides of the film in the future??????

Mark, I am curious as to whether the units you've installed have internal or external crossovers? I think the CAT 683 card has caused us more problems than any other card. We also have a few power supplys blow.

Are there any quirks that are inherent with the CP650's? How common are they these days?

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Ari Nordström
Master Film Handler

Posts: 283
From: Göteborg, Sweden
Registered: Jan 2000

- posted 10-12-2000 07:21 AM      Profile for Ari Nordström   Email Ari Nordström   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
We have the 683 crossover card and it's performed flawlessly so far.

The only quirks we have with the CP500 are the usual ones with the LCD display and the event logging. Nothing that affects the actual operation.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

- posted 10-12-2000 05:10 PM      Profile for Mark Gulbrandsen   Email Mark Gulbrandsen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I have only installed CP-500's with the 683 x-over in about 20 booths. I have had good luck with the 683 card and it does work flawlesly with JBL 4675's and 4670D's. I have not used it on any other speakers. I think I may have had one CP500 loose a supply, one lost a non-sync card, and several lost video cards. Thats about it. The other stories I have heard form other techs having bizarre problems are certainly entertaining to hear but I have never experienced any funky things with any 500's. The only glitch and one they(Dolby)can not solve is the subwoofer level indicator problem on the LCD. It will sometimes jump up and down and if you reset the unit it goes away till.....next time. Its a computer after all. But a darn good one.
Mark

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David M. Huskinson
Film Handler

Posts: 7
From: Las Vegas, NV, USA
Registered: Sep 2000

- posted 10-12-2000 05:44 PM      Profile for David M. Huskinson   Email David M. Huskinson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I guess because I learned on them, I would have to say Simplex XL's on SH 1,000's (?) with Strong Futura II Lamphouses. The Theatre was the Thunderbird Drive-in in Northern California. A single screen with an asphalt lot and almost 1800 speakers. PVC connectors on the base of poles so the lot always looked perfect. You could fix a 'down' pole in just under 5 minutes. The port glass ran almost the length of the booth and the view in the summertime was phenomenal. Changeovers on 2,000 foot reels made this a real dream job.

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John Eickhof
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 588
From: Wendell, ID USA
Registered: Jan 2000

- posted 10-12-2000 08:34 PM      Profile for John Eickhof   Author's Homepage   Email John Eickhof   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I have to digress further than old Dave...
Gloss black Super Simplex on RCA 9030s with
Peerless type E lamps...they ran so quiet,
I didn't know the #2 machine was on one night while running Sound Of Music to a full house
at Lake Tahoe! When the old 'can't scratch' reel end alarm went off, I only had 1 minute
to unload, rewind & reload the #2 machine!
Needless to say, we had a dark screen for about 45 seconds!!! Oh Well!

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Ari Nordström
Master Film Handler

Posts: 283
From: Göteborg, Sweden
Registered: Jan 2000

- posted 10-13-2000 04:11 PM      Profile for Ari Nordström   Email Ari Nordström   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Mark,

As I heard it, the reason why Dolby can't solve that annoying subwoofer level indicator problem is simply that the (damned good) computer is rather old by now. It doesn't have enough memory or computing power to have a subsequent software release fix the problem. Simply put, there's not enough room. That's what our tech says, anyway.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

- posted 10-13-2000 04:44 PM      Profile for Mark Gulbrandsen   Email Mark Gulbrandsen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Arri, Your tech is absolutely right. The 500 is at its software digesting limits. Then subwoofer thing doesn't really matter anyway, its kind of amusing.
Mark

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