This is topic NO DTS DISCS ... AGAIN!!!! :( in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
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Posted by Matt Close (Member # 996) on 05-15-2002, 05:06 AM:
Now don't get me wrong .... DTS is the BEST (IMHO) 
.... but I'm getting tired of having to ring to chase discs!!!!! Tonight's problem?? I have my midnight premiere of Star Wars EpII if FOUR HOURS and guess what? ... NO DISCS!!!! 
... don't spose there's anyone out there who knows how to make ISO images, has a screamingly fast net connection and no upload limit???? 
Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 05-15-2002, 06:01 AM:
Have they told you why you wouldn't be getting them? We have ours.------------------
"It's not the years honey, it's the mileage". - Indiana Jones.
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 05-15-2002, 06:06 AM:
Well, our offer to host emergency downloads for people in your situation still stands, but the response is always the generic "discs are owned by the studio" and no one at dts seems concerned enough to pursue getting official permission for us to do so. Sorry Matt. Just get with a local theater the way most of us do when we receive damaged discs and burn you a set.
Posted by Matt Close (Member # 996) on 05-15-2002, 06:44 AM:
Oh Brad, if only it were that easy ..... We are the only theatre in town, there are others 30 mins south, and an 1 1/2 horus north .... but alas, they have no disc either. Here's the kicker... one of our other cinemas down the coast received their discs ..... but guess what? ... they don't have DTS ... Murphy strikes again!
Posted by Matt Close (Member # 996) on 05-15-2002, 06:47 AM:
Actually ... here's a question.... Do they produce the discs for 'every' print in existence? ... Or are the discs limited?
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 05-15-2002, 07:00 AM:
I know as far as US is concerned there is a set for every print. Couldn't tell you about Aussieland.
Posted by Karen Hultgren (Member # 395) on 05-15-2002, 06:20 PM:
Matt,Call the film distribuator right away and request discs. Also, be sure all future films are ordered in "DTS" - it should help to fix the problem.
Karen at DTS
khultgren@dtsonline.com
Posted by Karen Hultgren (Member # 395) on 05-15-2002, 06:21 PM:
Brad,It isn't that we (DTS) is not interested, the studios have flat out said "NO."
Karen at DTS
khultgren@dtsonline.com
Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-15-2002, 07:09 PM:
Oh how I wish we had a studio rep here on Film-Tech to explain some of that crazy warped logic.
Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 05-16-2002, 05:38 AM:
MattIn Australia, they use a percentage system ratio of prints to discs.
Logic seems not to enter into it.
Email me your address and I'll send you a set.
John
Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 05-16-2002, 06:21 AM:
Hi MattJust read your other post in 'How Does It Look' thread. I guess I don't need to send them now, eh?
John
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 05-16-2002, 08:23 AM:
Karen, have the studios specifically been asked? If so what was their reason. To date, you have never indicated that the question has ever even been queried to the studios, hence my comment. Defective and missing discs is a real problem sometimes and this is a real solution.
Posted by Karen Hultgren (Member # 395) on 05-16-2002, 11:55 AM:
Brad,Believe me, I am very senstive to the fact that some theaters are not getting discs. I know this continues to be an issue for theaters overseas. We are working on correcting that and it will take some time. It is very complicated because the company that handles the distribution of domestic films overseas is quite often a different company.
We have spoken to several studios about posting sound files of their films but they are not interested at this time. I am not at liberty to specify the studios.
Karen at DTS
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 05-16-2002, 02:28 PM:
Would the studios be more amenable to allowing downloads if there were some way of authenticating that the person doing the downloading is somehow associated with a theatre which is exhibiting the film for which he is downloading the ISO disk images? CD burners and high-speed net connections are common enough now that this would be a great advantage for repertory cinemas and others who don't always get DTS disks.I'm thinking along the lines of this: Projectionist calls the film depot and says "where the heck are my DTS disks." Film depot says "we don't have them, but give us the print number, the name of the theatre, the title of the film, and the serial number of your DTS unit." Given this information, the depot could then provide the theatre with a key which could be used to download (or decrypt) the disk images which would only be valid for a limited time.
This would prevent the disk images from falling into the hands of film pirates (which is presumably what makes the studios nervous), while ensuring that legitimate exhibitors have access to the materials that they need to present the studios' films in the best possible manner. This also provides a means of tracking which images were downloaded and by whom in the event of suspected misuse of the data.
(And why don't the foreign distributors make one set of disks per print, anyway? If the print itself costs $1500 to make, what's another $1.00 or so for a set of DTS disks?)
Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 05-16-2002, 02:42 PM:
'sounds like you're presenting technical solutions to a political problem, Scott. I suspect that the studios are not really concerned so much with the fear of piracy of DTS discs, but rather that they are large companies and are resistent to change without adequate motivation.So, it seems to me that the way to get this to happen is to convince them that it's a real problem. Personally, while I do see it as a "significant annoyance," it hasn't reached "real problem" for me. (Though, as an aside, I am kind of bummed lately about getting sneak preview prints too early for the DTS discs to exist. Makes me long for SR-D...)
--jhawk
Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 06-23-2002, 11:36 AM:
What whould a pirate do with a DTS disc anyway?
Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 06-23-2002, 01:58 PM:
A pirate might be able to use the disc as a drink coaster or frisbee. DTS CD-ROMs are completely useless without a complete DTS-equipped film projection setup. It is kind of funny to see some people trying to sell such items on E-Bay to people who automatically expect the CD-ROMs to play on their computer or home theater system.
Posted by Matt Close (Member # 996) on 06-23-2002, 07:03 PM:
Haven't seen this thread for a while .... But I have been thinking, why can't DTS host downloads themselves? Surely the studios would allow it, being oh so concerned about the quality of presentation for their product?? ... That's why everything's going to digital cinema isn't it? 
Anyhow, what are pirates really going to do with the discs? The AUD files are certainly not playable with home equipment .... and not easily converted with computer software.... but wait, those 'camcorder' versions of films off the net are so 'great' already, imagine if they had 5.1 sound!!!
I rang FOX this week re: Minority Report, because 2 of our locations didn't receive discs. Fox said .. "yeh, I knew you guys had DTS but I didn't know the other location did" ... my reply of course being , well if you knew we had DTS, WHY DIDN'T I GET MY DISCS??!?!? The thing that amazes me is that every time I call to 'remind' them, they always manage to get discs to me within a couple of days, so I would assume that the discs are just sitting there in the depot..... WHY WERE THEY NOT SENT TO BEGIN WITH??? Is someone from Dolby bribing the depots to cause havoc, and a loss of faith in DTS,in a fiendish plot to vanquish DTS forever?
So anyway, *catches breath* come on DTS, please, please, pleeeease make something improve with these depots, or start hosting fast downloads of ISO images for discs. If a studio type ever reads this... Isn't it painfully obvious how much we care about the quality of YOUR product?
Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 06-23-2002, 07:12 PM:
I beleive DTS has stated quiet clearly that the studios have said absolulty no to the issue of downloads
Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-23-2002, 07:52 PM:
Our current DTS players are being demoted to the smaller houses. The logic being that maybe by the time the movie is busted down from the larger rooms the discs could be here. Even so, I know there will be many instances where the discs won't ever come. I must say that Technicolor seems to have its act together in terms of sending chasers. They usually arrive with the following week's movies.The premiere auditoria are being equipped with Dolby Digital and I believe our aim is to be 100% Dolby Digital in the near future.
This is really sad because I actually like the DTS setup in theory...and the price was right. Unfortunately the trade-off is that you don't get to use it as often as you'd like. Anyway, that has been my experience for the past nine years. I hope things will improve.
Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 06-23-2002, 08:07 PM:
In Ontario anyway getting disks even for second run has not been a problem.
They always arrive if requested when booked
Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 06-23-2002, 08:16 PM:
It shouldn't be necessary to request them in the first place.In any event, I went through all of this with our agent and we always request DTS.
Judging from our low serial numbers (often lower than 00013) I think that the DTS discs are simply not ready when our prints are advanced to us. We often take delivery a few days in advance to allow our rating board to view the movie before opening day.
At least...I hope that's why the discs are always late. I'm annoyed, but I'm still giving DTS and the depots the benefit of the doubt.
I just find it a bit curious that Spielberg and Lucas movies always arrive with DTS. Maybe they've got "clout" or maybe they just have their act together and finish their post-production work on time.
Or maybe they don't leave anything to chance and send DTS with every print.
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 06-23-2002, 08:26 PM:
It's been _ages_ since I saw a first-run print with DTS timecode arrive without the disks in the US. (I'm not counting screening prints here, which almost never have disks.)Dolby seems to have a lock on the art-house market, however. I haven't seen an art or foreign film with DTS timecode since Amelie.... It's been much longer since I've seen one with an SDDS track.
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-23-2002, 11:36 PM:
We play about 95% of our movies within 4 weeks after the break and we hardly ever have a problem getting disks. The times they didn't arrive with the print, a phone call fixed it by the next day...usually in time for opening.The one time I really got aggravated was when we got a Technicolor print on a Friday, without disks. We don't get Saturday Airborne delivery in this small town, so I requested the disks be sent by the Postal Service....it's the only way we can get Saturday delivery. They said "We don't deal with the Postal Service" and therefore we had to play the whole first weekend without DTS.
Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 06-24-2002, 11:48 AM:
Mike:
Perhaps you don't get regular Saturday Airborne delivery, but Technicolor will often use "Sky Courier," which is Airborne's "next-flight-out" service. Yeah, it's pay-though-the-nose, but you're not paying. I would expect they would use them for this on request.--jhawk
Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 06-24-2002, 01:12 PM:
We should only hope that pirates find interest in copying DTS discs. Then the problem with not being able to download them would be a non-issue. 
LOL.=TMP=
Posted by Jamie Sanson (Member # 1161) on 06-24-2002, 11:40 PM:
Hi matt
We don't have DTS at all.But we still get DTS discs for every feature we show. We have told them many times,but they say the discs have to stay with the prints.
Posted by Matt Close (Member # 996) on 06-28-2002, 05:56 AM:
Jamie .... If only I had that problem!! Let's see ... this week ....
Collateral Damage - No discs
Hart's War - no discs - used print - sprocket damage to the sound-track ..... purs like a kitten
Are you reading this studio people?
Posted by Karen Hultgren (Member # 395) on 06-28-2002, 12:58 PM:
Matt,Is your theater ordering the films in DTS?
Karen at DTS
khultgren@dtsonline.com
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-28-2002, 01:37 PM:
John - Thanks, I'll have to try that if the need arises. We do get Sky Courier service on prints sometimes, but have never had a Saturday delivery from them.
Posted by Gracia L. Babbidge (Member # 582) on 06-28-2002, 01:54 PM:
Interesting... I just yesterday built up a print of 'Hey Arnold' that had a DTS timecode, and there weren't any discs shipped with it. I didn't freak out aobut it, as it wasn't slated to play in our one DTS house.
Now I'm wondering if I ought to call & be a pest and get the discs anyway, so that they will be with the print, should the next place to get the print need them. ...But then again, the majority of the cinemas around here that regularly get second-run prints are not equipped with any of the digital formats...
Posted by Karen Hultgren (Member # 395) on 06-28-2002, 07:28 PM:
No discs were made for HEY ARNOLD.Karen at DTS
khultgren@dtsonline.com
Posted by Matt Close (Member # 996) on 06-29-2002, 12:25 AM:
Karen,
Why do they still put DTS time-code on a print if no discs were made for it? ... just curious