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Topic: Digital Changeover...

Tony Bandiera Jr
Film God

Posts: 3067
From: Moreland Idaho
Registered: Apr 2004

posted 04-20-2009 12:42 AM

quote: Steve Guttag
Tony...no need to "eat crow"...unless you like doing that sort of thing. There is no shame in putting in either digial or film. I do it all the time. Just do your best with whichever you are working with.

Thanks for the kind words Steve. [Big Grin]

I made that comment keeping in mind that virtually all of my posts here on F-T in regards to D-Cinema have not exactly been positive. [Big Grin]

Andrew, congrats.. but why is your boss so worried about secrecy? As the main man in the booth, you certainly are well within your rights to know what the hell they're installing so you can get your questions answered in advance of opening night. Open (carefully) the bloody boxes yourself and get the brand info so we can all help you!!

And if you boss has a fit about that, then that proves to me he's not someone worth working for....

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Andrew Bangs
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 148
From: Kerrville, Texas, United States
Registered: Sep 2008

posted 04-21-2009 01:49 AM

Tony it was not a matter of secrecy but of security and protection from the booth monkeys. I am sure he was fine with me going through it and I did.
We have Nec Equipment with a GDC Server. At least that is what I got from the boxes. we are installing it tomorrow (Tuesday). I will let you all know more after that.

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Stephen Furley
Film God

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

posted 04-21-2009 03:20 AM

quote:
Open (carefully) the bloody boxes yourself and get the brand info so we can all help you!!

Where equipment is to be installed and commissioned by the supplier, or a third party, rather than you doing it yourself, as seems likely to be the case with digital cinema equipment, opening the boxes may not be a good idea. If anything is missing or broken when the instllallers open the boxes then it is not your problem if the seals are intact at the time.

Most of our I.T. equipment at work we install ourselves, but in the few cases where installation is included in the purchase, e.g. a 16 kVA three phase in single phase out UPS that we put in last year, it's usually specified that we must not open the boxes ourselves.

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Demetris Thoupis
Phenomenal Film Handler

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

posted 04-22-2009 12:43 PM

Ermmm..

What is a GDC Server [Confused]

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Julio Roberto
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 938
From: Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Registered: Oct 2008

posted 04-22-2009 01:12 PM

LOL

One of these:

http://www.gdc-tech.com/sa2100A.htm

quote:
GDC Technology is proud to introduce the SA-2100A Digital Cinema Server, our fourth generation digital cinema playback server designed to fully comply with DCI specifications and FIPS-140 security requirements.

The SA-2100A is the advanced version of the highly successful model SA-2100, retaining all its features such as:

2K/4K DCI MXF JPEG2000 playback
DCI MXF JPEG2000 3D playback
MPEG2 MXF Interop playback
CineLink II™ link encryption
CineCanvas™ image and subtitling management
FIPS-140 security features
DCI approved forensic watermarking
HDTV live streaming/store-and-forward capabilities
Highly stable Linux-based operating system
Touch screen user interface
Ingest of Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) via physical media, network and satellite
In addition, the SA-2100A offers increased storage capacity and flexibility with the following new features offered as standard.

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Demetris Thoupis
Phenomenal Film Handler

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

posted 04-22-2009 01:23 PM

Well ok. Why didn't you go with a Dolby or a Doremi which at least have a good reputation. How many have used the GDC server? Have you heard any comments about it? I know it's not your choice but at least you could have been consulted about what equipment you would suggest to your manager.
Demetris

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Todd McCracken
Master Film Handler

Posts: 263
From: Northridge, CA, USA
Registered: Mar 2008

posted 04-22-2009 01:48 PM

Ive used a GDC and it seems to be a fine player with a easy to use interface.

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Julio Roberto
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 938
From: Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Registered: Oct 2008

posted 04-22-2009 02:00 PM

It looks like a really fine player to me, and watch for the mandatory fips certification in all DCI certified equipment.

Most people don't realize that virtually all DCI equipment today (servers and projectors) do NOT meet DCI specifications and will soon have to be upgraded once studios start demanding it, specially if VPF are involved.

But his feature I find interesting.

quote:
Quad Link Option (SA-2100AQ)
The SA-2100A can also be upgraded to the SA-2100AQ which features four HD-SDI outputs. This option enables the SA-2100AQ to be used for:

• Highest quality 3D playback with dual stream 12-bit 4:4:4 output images to two projectors simultaneously

• Independent playback of two separate 2D content streams to two projectors simultaneously (Available from Q1 2009)

So you could use just one server to playback two movies to two projectors? This could perhaps reduce costs for those on a shoestring budget that can't afford to have backups and whatnot.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-22-2009 02:49 PM

Well, if the North invades the South and if Chicken Cookers alone can't support th US NEC distributer you're really sunk.

quote:
Highest quality 3D playback with dual stream 12-bit 4:4:4 output images to two projectors simultaneously

• Independent playback of two separate 2D content streams to two projectors simultaneously (Available from Q1 2009)

Julio... The Qube has been able to do that for quite some time and it is standard, not an option.

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Julio Roberto
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 938
From: Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Registered: Oct 2008

posted 04-23-2009 03:51 AM

quote:
GDC Technology (“GDC”) is a subsidiary of the Hong Kong publicly listed company - Global Digital Creations Holdings Limited. GDC’s shareholders include Global Digital Creations Holdings Limited and Mr Li Ka-Shing (the world’s 11th wealthiest person according to Forbes 2008). GDC is a leading global digital cinema solution provider with a number of world-first achievements: The first company to develop a software-based digital cinema server (2000); first to use encrypted mobile hard disk drives for content delivery (2000); first to deploy 2K digital cinema multiplexes (2003, Singapore); and first to deliver quad-link digital cinema servers (2008). GDC is currently the world’s second largest provider of digital cinema servers with an installation base of more than 1000, serving its customers through offices in the U.S., Singapore, Hong Kong and China.

Not sure if it's true any longer, but until recently, they were the number 2 server in number of worldwide installations.

NEC, of course, a major japanese electronics manufacturer, number 10 worldwide in semiconductors (and one of the very few doing better in the last couple of years rather than worse)

In the US, NEC has little brand recognition anymore, but in Asia their PC division rules. They are also cool in laptops and other areas. In the US perhaps their Packard Bell brand is the better known in IT.

So I guess one of the 4 top DCinema projector manufacturers is european (Barco) and the other 3 are japanese (NEC, Sony and Christie/Ushio).

quote:
1992 April Ushio acquired projector division of Christie Electric Corp. and established Christie, Inc., as a xenon lamp production and sales base in the United States (Christie Digital Systems U.S.A, Inc.)

1999 September Ushio established Christie Digital Systems Canada, Inc. after the acquisition of the visual equipment division of Electrohome Ltd. of Canada.

2001 April Ushio restructured Christie Group (Christie Digital Systems, Inc., Christie Digital Systems U.S.A., Inc. and Christie Digital Systems Canada, Inc.)

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Tony Bandiera Jr
Film God

Posts: 3067
From: Moreland Idaho
Registered: Apr 2004

posted 04-30-2009 01:50 PM

Andrew:

So how did the install go? Are you up and running yet? Any set-up or operational issues to report?

Inquiring minds want to know... [Big Grin]

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Andrew Bangs
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 148
From: Kerrville, Texas, United States
Registered: Sep 2008

posted 05-02-2009 01:20 AM

Well the install went relatively smooth. We did have one issue today but it is minor in relative terms our scheduler on one of the projectors has a funky 2hr delay. We programmed the movie to start at 13:27:00 but nothing happened at 13:27. so we started it by hitting the play button the movie ran smooth for a total run time of 1:46:00 then at 15:27:00 it started playing on it's own we had some patrons come out saying the movie had already started when it was supposed to start in ten minutes. We checked and stopped it then ran it through the last cues to et it ready for the next show but we deleted the Scheduled start times and just started it on the computer for the rest of the night. other wise It is a beautiful picture and nice crisp sound. Our Second Projector played it's schedule fine all day the Projectionist just had to turn it on in the morning and off at night. Wonderful!!!

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Demetris Thoupis
Phenomenal Film Handler

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

posted 05-02-2009 02:22 AM

And the final models of equipment are......?

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