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Author Topic: SDDS Paul Linfesty Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1383 From: Bakersfield, CA, USA Registered: Nov 1999 posted 05-31-2003 05:22 PM                     The Westside Pavilion installed DTS in 1995 for RICHARD III. I believe a few other attrractions followed. I don't remember seeing anything advertised in DTS for this theatre in a long time. Gosford Park was certainly advertised as being in DTS Digital for GOSFORD PARK at the NuWilshire in the Landmark directory and by display ad in the LA Times (since I didn't see it there, I can't verify it). Also, the Landmark website still shows the theatre as having DTS. BTW, does the Fine Arts Theatre really have 70mm equipment (per the Landmark website) and, if so, do you know when it was installed?  |  IP: Logged Mathew Molloy Master Film Handler Posts: 357 From: The Santa Cruz Mountains Registered: Nov 2000 posted 05-31-2003 11:29 PM                     It must be a new group of folks around there because nobody's heard of there being DTS in the Westside. You're probably right about Gosford Park in DTS at the NuWilshire - that was showing my last month working there and the DTS was removed around that time - I just thought it was beforehand. The Fine Arts has Century JJ's but they don't have the conversion kits...and apparently they only have SRD when there's a premiere and the studio brings it it.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-11-2003 06:31 PM                     Pytlak's link -- on page one of this thread -- leads us to a grim depiction of the future: If the info on the SDDS website is to be believed, it looks like SDDS is coming to an abrupt end. Just one more SDDS release this year (The Three Stooges) and then one movie announced for 2004 and another for 2005. All three films are Sony releases.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 07-11-2003 08:26 PM                       According to the company that owns the rights to the 3 Stooges, the movie is supposed to be released by Warner Bros. next year. It isn't even supposed to start production until now. New Three Stooges film by Farrelly Bros.  |  IP: Logged Aaron Sisemore Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day! Posts: 3061 From: Rockwall TX USA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 07-12-2003 11:13 AM                     That list is notorious for not being updated... I am sure there are many more titles to come. -Aaron  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 07-12-2003 12:06 PM                     Aaron is correct, the SDDS website is often not up to date. Sometimes the site goes for years without an update. I would at least expect all Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures releases (except perhaps for some small films) to continue to be released in quad format. Fox, Paramount, MGM and others are much more unpredictable on support for SDDS, often dropping SDDS support for major event releases. If I were to open a new multiplex, I would perhaps only have 1 or 2 SDDS units on rollaround carts to plug into racks featuring either Dolby Digital or DTS. But even then, what is the last SDDS release that didn't also include Dolby Digital or even DTS? Nearly all Sony releases go out quad format these days. [ 07-13-2003, 03:20 PM: Message edited by: Bobby Henderson ]  |  IP: Logged Ken Lackner Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1907 From: Atlanta, GA, USA Registered: Sep 2001 posted 07-12-2003 01:01 PM                     Can someone please explain to my why, oh why, AMC things SDDS is so great? Why the heck do they spend all that money putting it in every auditorium? I, too, would only install one or two if I were opening a new multiplex. And do they at least have other digital formats as backups?  |  IP: Logged John Walsh Film God Posts: 2490 From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way Registered: Oct 1999 posted 07-12-2003 01:08 PM                     My own feeling is: There's just no point in installing any SDDS equipment. While there were a few films where the only digital track was SDDS, any studio would be crazy to do that today. I would not bother with SDDS at all unless I wanted to put in an 8-channel system (not that there are any films being released to play.) I would only install a DFP2500 because, if it dies, the system will revert to the next avaiable sound format. If you install their DFP3000, and it dies, there will be no sound at all. Gordon had an idea awhile ago that Sony should make a sort of DA20-type SDDS unit, that could just be plugged in... which I thought made sense. You could then only buy one, put it in a roll around rack and move it where needed.  |  IP: Logged Ken Lackner Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1907 From: Atlanta, GA, USA Registered: Sep 2001 posted 07-12-2003 03:19 PM                     I used to work at a theater that has one DFP-3000. It would revert to Dolby Digital if SDDS died, and to SR if SRD died.  |  IP: Logged John Walsh Film God Posts: 2490 From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way Registered: Oct 1999 posted 07-12-2003 03:42 PM                     Not if the APR-34 PC board goes. Among other things, it has the final preamp output amplifiers. If the DEC-20 PC board goes, only the SDDS digital is affected and you could run in analog. Most times, if the DEC-20 becomes defective, the DFP3000 doesn't "know" there's a problem and will not automatically revert to the next sound format. Several people (including people here at FT) have commented on the lack of replacement PC boards for SDDS units. Someone had to pay additional for the seperate DA20 to get SR-D. It sure doesn't come with it.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 07-12-2003 04:44 PM                       quote: Can someone please explain to my why, oh why, AMC things SDDS is so great? Easy. Somebody sold the right person in the home office a bill of goods.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-12-2003 06:23 PM                     As near as I've been able to tell, it seems AMC cut a deal with Sony back in the early 1990s. In short: AMC got the units at a discounted rate and was able to boast having digital sound in every theatre. SDDS got a boost to their screen count. The number of installations evidently plays a major role in the marketing of digital sound systems; all of them use their screen count as part of their bragging rights. So...here's why I'm interested in SDDS... I've got a small multiplex that's about to close down -- actually it's going to be moving over to a new location with new equipment -- and in the meantime I would like a cheap sound-on-film format until we close down the joint (in about 18 months). Right now, I have 2 DTS units over there but we've had too many new movies with analog sound because the CD-ROMs were a no-show. Anyway, I've got a hunch that says we'll start seeing a lot of trade-ins of SDDS units. Or is this a nutty idea? The alternative would be to get hold of some used DA-20 units I guess. BTW, isn't the DFP-2000 unit an add-on? I may have the model number wrong but IIRC we used them with Ultra-Stereo analog processors at AMC (circa 1997).  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 07-12-2003 07:41 PM                        Yes. The difference is that it is not installed as an AUX unit like dts-6A or DA-20, but it comes after the analog processor in the audio chain, before the crossovers. The output of the analog processor is routed through the DFP. When it receives SDDS data, it interrupts the input and switches to SDDS output. When the unit is switched off, broken or sees no SDDS, the analog input goes through because the relays are closed. It does not sound like a good idea. The 2000 is difficult to troubleshoot and often the LED arrays in the reader are gone. I was a big fan of SDDS, but those BEEEEEEEEP at Sony dropped the ball - just when more 8-channel mixes started to be released and they had a really good processor (DFP-D3000).  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 07-12-2003 11:22 PM                     John, The DFP-D2500 is no more...I installed the last three units into the AFI/Silver. I had two failures within the first month...DSP-94 boards. Sony cant supply their 50m cables so it is impractical for 2-projector booths unless the soundrack(s) are very close to both projectors and one runs the cables naked. The DFP-2500 could be hooked up like the DA-20. It even had pulsed outputs for "digital" and "fault." Steve  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 07-13-2003 03:30 AM                        On a recent screening at a Seattle AMC (formerly GCC) venue, the sound was definitely out or whack. The dialog all seemed to come out of right side and the music all came off the left. If there was any center or surround audio coming out of this performance, it wasn't apparent. The theatre manager said it was an SDDS system and that they were yarding them out as fast as they could get replacement equipment in. He made it very clear that they were not interested in repairing the Sony equipment.  |  IP: Logged

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