Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: DTS causes sound dropout during trailers

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-13-1999, 05:59 PM:

My DTS unit has started an "occasional" problem...it only does it once in a while.

What happens is this: the unit encounters a trailer that has timecode but is not on the movie disks, and the processor switches to digital anyway, thereby cutting off the sound. Most recently it's done this with For Love of the Game trailer, while running the movie Sixth Sense.

I don't know if the machine would recover after a few moments, because I've been fast enough to race to the unit and press the Stereo button before it has a chance. Once the feature starts, the unit works fine.

My question is, is this problem in the DTS disks (or the software) themselves, or the unit, or my stereo processor? I'm running one of the 2-drive DTS units and an Ultra Stereo processor (don't have the model # in front of me, but it's about 3 years old). At this point, I'm ejecting the disks before each show and reloading them after the offending trailer has gone by, but that's a slight pain. Any advice?

Posted by Rick Long (Member # 213) on 10-13-1999, 07:34 PM:

Got a couple of questions. Does the timcode light come on? How about the CD-ROM light? I assume that the green "go" light comes on as this is the same logic line that triggers the processor into digital format. The logic, obviously, should be: IF CD-ROM AND TIMECODE THEN GO DIGITAL.

If only the timecode light is causing the unit to switch to digital, then I would suspect a hardware problem.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 10-13-1999, 08:01 PM:

I've never heard of this either. You could always disconnect the line that pulses the processor into digital if all else fails. This is the same thing as pulling the #25 pin from the automation connector on a 6-D unit. In this manner, it will never switch into digital until the automation tells it to...but will still have the failsafe to SR.

DTS is excellent in helping with their equipment though. I'd give them a call and ask to speak to one of their techs. They will definitely help you in one manner or another.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-14-1999, 06:34 PM:

The timecode light does come on, and the DTS unit's Timecode light is on, and the "ready" light is blinking. So, everything looks right, EXCEPT the Ultra-Stereo processor is switched to digital.

I'm going to wait and see if any kind of pattern develops before I call anyone, since intermittent problems are so hard to replicate. So far it's only done this with two trailers, but the maddening thing is it doesn't do it all the time. Just occasionally, like 2 or 3 shows per week.

Oh well, if I figure anything out I'll post it.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 10-15-1999, 04:42 PM:

A thought just occurred to me:

Is something in your automation system switching the Ultra*Stereo processor OUT of digital?

We have U.S. JS-1000 (?) processors with CFS automations. When the light cue goes through, the automation switches to STEREO. If the processor gets switched OUT of digital, the DTS can sense it and will NOT switch back to digital. (I guess it 'thinks' you wanted to do that for a good reason.)

The CFS automation tries to start the processor in Mono and switch to Stereo for the feature. (Why?)

We had the problem that our policy trailers were in DTS and the light/sound cue was before the trailer, causing the U.S proc to go to stereo.

We just disconnected the wire and our processors quit doing it.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-15-1999, 06:43 PM:

I had that same thing happening wayyyy back in the early-DTS days. Now, if I have a DTS trailer, I make sure to put it at the end of the trailers and put the lights-down cue just before that trailer begins.