Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Dolby Digital Reader Pricing and Needed Equipment.

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Topic: Dolby Digital Reader Pricing and Needed Equipment.

Dustin Mitchell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1865
From: Mondovi, WI, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 04-29-2007 04:10 PM

You're likely right Ken. I do believe Carmike keeps a lot of things in their warehouse as spare parts/extra equipment too.

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Ron Curran
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 504
From: Springwood NSW Australia
Registered: Feb 2006

posted 04-29-2007 09:46 PM

Also check the thread Cleaning Up Prints. There are issues with getting discs and scratched discs. We have had one set of unplayable discs in the past 12 months but we have experienced many more unplayable DD tracks on used prints. Your boss might not be pleased if he invests lots of cash for a system that doesn't work, so pre-warn him that occasional failures are to be expected.

Be sure to accompany the DD investment with a film cleaner and religiously apply FilmGuard. It will slightly increase the reliability factor.

With all that, it is worth it for the times it works. Good Luck.

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Demetris Thoupis
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1240
From: Aradippou, Larnaca, Cyprus
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 04-30-2007 03:04 AM

A well setup A-Chain on the projector will give you tremendous results on Audio playback in Analogue and combined with a decent Reverse Scan Reader like the BACP ones will surely have you puzzling whether the film is playing in Digital or Analogue. In the first theater I worked we had 2 V5 projectors with stereo sollar cells and then installed a DTS unit for changeover operation. The analogue did sound tremendously good even on the stereo sollar cells and when the DTS popped in the only thing you could distinguish is the seperation of the surrounds and of course a more booming sound but the analogue did sound very very good. We did not mind showing the trailers in analogue and the feature in DTS but in our case we always got the DTS discs from the distributor. What I believe you should do is send continues faxes and e-mails reminding your distributor that you do have DTS and ask for a written confirmation from them that the feature they are sending will have the DTS discs included. Its much cost effective to move to a DTS unit rather than a Dolby Digital upgrade for surely you will need the CP650D. Does anyone know if Dolby is to make another Digital Adaptor for playing Dolby Digital on other processors as well?

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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 04-30-2007 06:47 AM

Dolby scrapped plans for the DA20 replacement years before the DA20 ran out...so no they have zero plans for a DA20 replacement...as it would only serve to cut into CP650 sales.

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Stephen Furley
Film God

Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002

posted 04-30-2007 07:44 AM

What was the difference between the DA-10 and the DA-20? Are secondhand DA10s available?

Also, Does anybody know where I could obtain a DTS 6 with the original caddy loading drives? Even one with one drive failed would do, as I have a spare drive of the same model in an old computer at home.

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-30-2007 09:03 AM

Aside from the disk issue, the other disadvantage to DTS is that many titles just aren't available in DTS, whereas pretty much any film with any digital track will have (at least) SRD. DTS is pretty much nonexistent for art-house and small releases.

I agree with the comment above that it might be better to improve the analog system. Does the CP50 have all the options and upgrades, including SR, matrix card, and EQ cards? Are the amps, loudspeakers, and auditorium acoustics all top-notch? Have the projectors been converted to LED readers (probably yes, but some theatres still haven't converted)? If the answer to any one of these is "no," then I would strongly recommend doing all of those things before considering digital sound.

On the topic of service: what are the most failure-prone Dolby cards?

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Sam D. Chavez
Film God

Posts: 2153
From: Martinez, CA USA
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 04-30-2007 10:18 AM

The DA10's were recalled and replaced by DA20's. They are no longer supported and will not play the current revision of software in any case, if you should find the odd one someone did not turn in in excahnge for a DA20.

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