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Author Topic: SDDS Dino Panagiotopoulos Expert Film Handler Posts: 139 From: Windor, Ontario, Canada Registered: Jan 2003 posted 07-13-2003 04:11 AM                     I know that AMC theaters use SDDS as their main format in all of their theaters but do they use SRD as their back up or is it just good old SR backing it up?  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-13-2003 09:48 AM                     The AMC's that I've seen had SDDS as the digital format with analog as the backup. I couldn't call it "SR" because they don't use a lot of Dolby products. All of the processors I saw were by Ultra-Stereo. I wonder if that was another bulk deal... Our largest house was an exception. It was equipped with SDDS and Dolby SR-D (via a DA-20). The analog (and SR-D) were processed with a CP-65. In daily practice, if the feature had a working SDDS track, that's what we played. I only recall using the Dolby system for one film. That screen was also equipped for dual-system magnetic for test screenings of movies. I always assumed that was why they had to have the CP-65 installed there. I didn't see anything to indicate that the Ultra-Stereo units could handle mag. Can someone confirm/deny this?  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 07-13-2003 02:45 PM                    You ought to be able to feed a USL unit 6 track mag using outboarded NR just as you would feed it the output of a digital box. 2-track matrix might be trickier but only slightly so. If there is a preamp output on the back you can feed it in there (pulling the preamp card). Otherwise tack solder connections to the backplane.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-13-2003 03:54 PM                     Sounds like WORK!!!  |  IP: Logged Mark J. Marshall Film God Posts: 3188 From: New Castle, DE, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 07-13-2003 11:11 PM                    The Ultra Stereos I've worked with @ AMC do not have the SR cards installed, so the Fox/Paramount/MGM stuff runs in good old Ultra Stereo. I inquired about installing SR cards, and was told no because 1) SR sounds better playing through A (huh?) and 2) If someone happens to play A through SR, it sounds horrible - which is probably true, although I don't agree with that logic.  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 07-14-2003 12:04 AM                        Yes, but practically no film today is A-type encoded anymore. It is just a cheap excuse. Of course, since the installed digital format (whichever it may be) is supposed to work, the analog format is supposedly only the fallback. It does not necessarily make sense to buy SR cards for every single processor - it certainly is not cheap either. That is why I have surveyed the processors we have and soon those SR cards that we have will be evenly distributed in the chain and then I will teach the chief projectionists how to change the cards to move them to the auditorium where they are really needed. For instance, when a film does not play in digital at all like Bruce Almighty.  |  IP: Logged Mark J. Marshall Film God Posts: 3188 From: New Castle, DE, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 07-14-2003 09:07 AM                    quote: It is just a cheap excuse. I agree with that 100%. quote: the installed digital format ... is supposed to work, the analog format is supposedly only the fallback. It does not necessarily make sense to buy SR cards for every single processor - it certainly is not cheap either. But when the digital format installed in every house is something shrinking in popularity, then increasingly, the films will be playing in analog using the wrong noise reduction. It seems kind of silly to me to spend money sending engineers around to do B Chains all the time, if they don't care enough to make sure their analog product (typically 1/4 - 1/2 of the films we're running) is playing in the proper format. Someone here on this forum was going to give me a pretty good deal on the cards I needed, but they (AMC) didn't want to go for it.  |  IP: Logged Larry Zuverink Film Handler Posts: 98 From: Caledonia, MI, USA Registered: Nov 2002 posted 07-14-2003 01:12 PM                     We've started pulling all SDDS unit as they are having problems. We have several in storage and several others in racks waiting to be pulled. Most of the installs that had SDDS had all digital formats anyway. We think they make pretty good boat anchors.  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 07-14-2003 01:30 PM                        quote: We think they make pretty good boat anchors. Read the manuals. Many of the problems can be figured out. Many technicians do not understand how this format works and take the situation Sony has created as an excuse not to deal with the problems. Still, your company has paid a lot of money at one time for the units. That investment does not need to be completely lost.  |  IP: Logged Mark J. Marshall Film God Posts: 3188 From: New Castle, DE, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 07-15-2003 08:46 AM                    quote: We think they make pretty good boat anchors. quote: That investment does not need to be completely lost. I agree. Make sure the rope is secure, Larry.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-15-2003 10:22 AM                     UltraStereo can definitly handle mag in fact the company started out building mag systems for studios  |  IP: Logged Thomas Procyk Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1842 From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 07-15-2003 11:41 AM                     There's a sub-run that just opened in a fromer GCC-turned-EFW location, and they have SDDS in the largest house (390) and DTS in the next one (345). The problem with running SDDS on sub-run prints is that it WILL drop out. No matter what. Even if it works for 90% of the movie, there will be instances where the dropouts are so bad, you're just wishing it would stay in SR. It doesn't help that the SDDS plays louder than the SR either. Everything plays in SR in there now, which sounds VERY good. It's a real shame, too. This is a 70mm house, so it's also set up for 8-channel SDDS. (but because of the lack of releases it really wouldn't matter, I guess)... =TMP=  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 07-15-2003 12:19 PM                        Can I interject one of my stupid questions here? SDDS prints have primary and backup SDDS tracks, one on each edge. Correct? It was my understanding that the backup track is printed to lag the primary track by some amount. The idea is that if the data on the primary track is unreadable, the system will seamlessly switch to the backup track, kind of like having limited "free wheeling" capability, then switch back to the primary track when it stabilizes. If this is in fact how it works (is it?), then why is SDDS so susceptible to dropouts? Is it as simple as both tracks are usually trashed at the same time? Or is it more complicated than that, like maybe the reader is rarely aligned correctly or some other technical issue that could be corrected or at least mitigated by a skilled tech.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 07-15-2003 01:44 PM                     Two problems. If one edge of the film is abraded, then both sides will generally be abraded. The backup track is of lower quality. Anyone with decent hearing can hear the main and backup track switching back and forth and believe me the SR track sounds better than digital backup track.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 07-15-2003 02:42 PM                        I often wonder if the space used for the SDDS backup track would have been better utilized as extra error-correction data, reducing the chance of dropouts in the first place.  |  IP: Logged

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