At our theater, we originally put in just a CP65 (no digital) in one house. Then, we put use a Xetron cue detector with reflective cues on the film to "tell" the automation what to do. We have cues one thru eight. For example, a "six" cue (six reflective cues one frame apart) is; go to "scope" and analog "SR."

OK, so then we added a DTS 6D (three drawer) unit. When it detects DTS timecode, and the right disks are in, it automatically switches the CP65 to "digital." We were glad it did it by itself, because we didn't have to wire up the cue detector to do it.

The problem was that people kept putting cues on the film, shortly after the actual feature had started (about 3 feet in.)

What was happening was:
the film would run in mono (for ads);
then the timecode went through and switched the CP65 to "digital."
Then the cues would go through and set the CP65 back to analog SR, and run the rest of the show that way. It looked like a fault, but it was only doing what it was told.
 

The player will be running normally, with all the right lights blinking (or NOT blinking, as the case may be...) but the processor will be in SR. If you press the <DIGITAL> button on the processor it'll go bck to DTS without problems.

If that's what happens to you, my bet it that it's your automation
 

At different theaters, a power glitch would have a different effect. At one place I worked, the projectors would stop, but at another a similar glitch would only bring up all the house lights.

I still can't figure out the LED right on the CD ROM itself. I know it's blinks while being read. But, when it's not being used- sometimes it's on (steady), sometimes it's off.

Is there anyway to tell what kind of drive (TDK, etc.) it is without taking it apart?

I probably would have taken the chance and pressed "digital" on the CP65 and/or even rebooted the DTS unit. It is pretty reliable, but if worst came to worst, you could fallback to emergency. It's not that I want the patrons to suffer, but (at my theater) if it doesn't get fixed or at least fully 'documented', it will stay that way until I work again a week later. So, even more people will suffer. I wouldn't take that policy to an extreme, but the DTS/ Dolby combo is pretty reliable.

I bet it burns Dolby's butt to have you press, "Dolby Stereo Digital" to switch in a DTS unit.
 

If you have a DTS reel that isn't reading correctly, measure the position of the image on the film before you change the "factory setting" of the reader.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
 

First, use a DTS Setup disc to check the DTS player. Load the disc and verify it pulses the CP to digital. Then, eject the disc to verify the CP is pulsed to optical. On a DTS-6 (2-drive unit), the default format is determined by a jumper on the DTS logic (accessory) board. For a CP65, its the D564.
If this works OK, then the problem is somewhere else.

Check that no cues are added to the film within timecode. The DTS player cannot "see" cues, it only "knows" timecode.

Verify the automation is not pulsing the CP back to optical after the DTS pulses it to digital. The DTS player will never "know" that the CP is in optical. The only way it "knows" it's no longer in digital is if timecode is interrupted or the discs fail. At show end, the DTS player should pulse the CP to NONSYNC.

After loading discs, verify the SYSTEM light is blinking. If it's nt blinking, the player is not ready. It usually means that the discs are not loaded.

When playing film, be sure the timecode light is on solid and not blinking a lot. Occassional blink is OK. But a reader that blinks all the time is not a good thing. If it happens on one reel only, it's probably a bad reel that needs replacement. If it happens on one film only, check the film & discs. See if moving the discs to another drive fixes the problem. A soild (amber) light on a drive indicates the drive cannot read the disc. The drive's amber light should wink when reading it's disc.

If the timecode light blinks all the time, it's a system problem, usually a tension problem. We have a troubleshooting guide to help. If you'd like it, send me an email.

BTW, removing the reader's "do not remove" sticker VOIDS warranty. Lateral adjustments may be made only as directed by DTS cinema field engineers (of which I am one). The lens is factory adjusted exactly to the width of our timecode track. Old readers (JURASSIC PARK era) w/o serial numbers do not have the same lens design.

If the reader's L.E.D. (red ro green) seem dim, then get a repair/exchange. I do not reccommend trying to fix readers in the field. They should be returned to DTS.

And, never -- EEEVER -- adjust the reader's lens!!! You'll get into hot water that will most likely force you into a repair/exchange.

I hope this assits you. Please let me know if you need any help.

Karen at DTS
khultgren@dtsonline.com

I don't know if this is of any use, but we had a problem where the green LED on the DTS reader blinked often. It would loose sync once in a while (about every ten minutes.)

It turned out to be the speed of the projector. My understanding is that DTS timecode can't track if the projector speed is less than 18fps or above 30fps (I'm sure Karen will correct me if wrong.) Some limit of the PLL they use, I guess.

So, maybe a quick check of the speed might be a good idea?

We were using an Enerman 15 projector. I forgot the exact voltages, but it was originally made to run at (say) 200V; we put a stepdown transformer which made it 100V but that was too low. So we added another transformer to boost the voltage a little.
 

So, did you try connecting the grounding wire (under the shrink sleeving)? Yes, I am the same 'karen' who answers tech calls over the phone. There is only one female field tech here at DTS.

If the drives' amber lights are winking when reading discs, that's good and the drives are working as they should. A solid amber light means it cannot read the disc = that's bad.

If the reader's LED is blinking a lot, that is probably your problem...
First, try connecting the ground wire to the timecode cable connector (on the reader). This wire will ground your projector's chassis. The only way to tell a projector is properly grounded is to use an ohm meter and check its chassis to earth ground. It should be zero ohms.
Next thing to try is to put a little tension in the film path as the film runs. Use your finger to add a little drag as the film enters the reader. If that clears up the timecode LED to read steadily, you need to add tension to the system. This can be done by adding a cleaning roller or readjusting the auxillary roller so that it has more contact with the film. If the LED does not clear up, use your finger to add drap as the film exits the reader. If this clears up the LED, it means the projector motor is off-speed or one of the gears is slipping.
The last thing to attempt (or could be first if you have a known good reader) is to swap out the reader to see if that fixes it.
The changes of a bad cable is remote. To rule that out, try swapping out the cable from a working house first.

Let me know how it goes. This type of problem is usually simple to fix, but it may take a little time and work on your part to determine the cause. Feel free to call, or email me at khultgren@dtsonline.com

Karen at DTS