Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: DTS sync.

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Posted by Brian Tristam Williams (Member # 1235) on 07-02-2002, 01:13 PM:

Hi folks.

Yes, I did search for this topic, and received no joy.

My question is this: how is it possible for DTS audio to slowly drift out of sync with the picture? We are showing EP2. The distributor insists that we play it in DTS, despite the fact that our largest house also has SDDS and SRD. The technicians come and set the sync, and it's perfect. When they leave, we get complaints. I don't see any problem for quite some time, until I walk into the cinema and the sound is around 1 second out of sync. I rush up to the booth to switch to SR, and by the time I get there the sync is perfect again.

I know that if the time-code is lost for more than a few seconds, the switch back to SR is automatic, so I'm assuming it's not that.

What we have is a DTS-6D and a Dolby DA20 hooked up to a Sony 3000 SDDS unit. All the readers are on the penthouse.

Any tips on this? Even if you can just give me a decent way to trouble-shoot this? I have one idea - monitor the green LED on the reader, using a PC. Is there a way to check the status of this LED, perhaps via the 9-way D-Sub connector? I don't want to have to open the reader up and connect directly to the LED.

------------------
"One man can make a difference."

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 07-02-2002, 02:10 PM:

I don't think that's possible for the sync to wander, but a slow wow-ing is possible. It is always possible you have a defective timecode board in your player, but you need to give us more info. Projector model? Platter model? What is the order of digital penthouses on top of the projector? Which penthouses do you thread through to play dts? And anything else that may make a difference.

Posted by Brian Tristam Williams (Member # 1235) on 07-02-2002, 02:22 PM:

I didn't think it made a difference, but we have the Christie package - AW3R platters, P35GPS, lamphouse. The DTS reader comes first in the chain, and is all that we lace up - we operate the other two readers in by-pass mode.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 07-02-2002, 03:14 PM:

Are your springs in the brains still intact from the factory? Remove the center brain roller (the one with flanges) and look underneath. If there is a curved metal spring in there, remove it and throw it away. You don't need it unless your platter to projector distance is greater than 15 feet and it will only cause you trouble. Odds are the bouncing is causing you grief.

Posted by Brian Tristam Williams (Member # 1235) on 07-02-2002, 03:33 PM:

Can this bounce really cause up to 1 second of lost sync?

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 07-02-2002, 04:51 PM:

Yes, but it is usually "wowing" and would be quite noticeable in music.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 07-02-2002, 05:19 PM:

Another thing to look out for on the DTS is sometimes the lip-sync rotary switches become oxidized and will have an intermittent contact. This will cause the sync to wonder about (had it happen). RXed the card...problem gone.

Steve

------------------
"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"

Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 07-02-2002, 08:51 PM:

Does this happen on other prints?

--jhawk

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 07-03-2002, 03:06 AM:

While you are troubleshooting, flip the distributor the finger and play it in SRD. It is not his reputation that is on the line -- people are big fans of this title and having to have them sit through a mared presentation for some irrational demand by some idiot in the Fox branch office who will not be sitting in the theatre in the first place, is silly....and damaging to the theatre. Even if the suit who made this demand were to sit watching the show (what are the chances of that, especially with THAT movie which you KNOW they all saw at special company previews -- who could possibly watch it more than once, eh?!), he's not going to be able to tell if you are running DTS or SRD. And since you keep the booth door locked, it's your word against his, isn't it?!

Frank

What would they rather do, play it in SRD while you work out the DTS problem, or give back their 90% of every ticket that is given back for a refund?

Posted by Antonio Marcheselli (Member # 373) on 07-03-2002, 06:59 AM:

Brian,

I agree with Steve, probably your rotary switch is full of dust and/or oxidized. Try clean it.

I had a similar problem for that.

Bye
Antonio

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 07-03-2002, 08:17 AM:

I don`t understand why the distributor insists that you play dts. Maybe he read in some home audio magazine that dts was better, they always write that about dvd systems even though you can hardly hear a difference. But how can the distributor command you what format you select in your theater? If the print comes with other formats as well, why shouldn`t you be allowed to play them? BTW in German, this crap movie didn`t even have an SDDS track.
The effect you describe could also be caused when the 3 different digital formats are not set up properly and have slightly different offsets. Maybe not 1 second different, but people tend to exaggerate when they complain. Sync would wander if the processor kept switching between the formats. How is your automation and fallback cascade set up for the DFP?
Please don`t tell me it`s been setup by professional technicians, check for yourself! You should test-run the movie when there is no audience, and listen to the different tracks using a headphone connected to DFP. Use the optical track as a reference. If you have the SDDS setup and a notebook you can also configure the headphone output to play the analog center on one ear and the digital center on the other.
Do you have a very large auditorium?
Michael

> I only noticed after writing this post that you had already written that you were bypassing the other readers, so what I just wrote does not apply to your problem, but you should check anyway!

Posted by Karen Hultgren (Member # 395) on 07-03-2002, 12:06 PM:

Brian,

What model of DTS player do you have? And, it's serial number?

Is the whole film out of sync or some reels?

Do other films you play also have the sync drift problem? If not, it is a print problem and you should request a new print.

If other films do have the same problem, write down the OFFSET setting. Then, get a small flat bladed screwdriver and rotate each (of the two) rotarty switches two full revolutions. Once that's done, return to the OFFSET setting that you wrote down.

Sync is determined by counting the number of frames from the DTS reader's lens to the picture aperture and mutiply by 1.25. Subtract one from the result and that is your OFFSET setting. Be sure that is what is selected by the rotary switches on the player.

When threading, make the same size loops as you did when measuring the OFFSET.

Sync drift is not caused by a faulty reader or bad tension. It could be the rotary switches or the timecode board itself. Please send me an email for more information.

Karen at DTS
khultgren@dtsonline.com

Posted by Brian Tristam Williams (Member # 1235) on 07-03-2002, 02:37 PM:

It's probably not a print problem - we tested it in two other DTS houses, and it performed beautifully. The difference is that those houses have DTS-6ADs, and our largest (yes, it's a huge auditorium, with business-class seats and the largest screen in Africa, possibly larger than anything non-IMAX in Europe, I've been told) 510-seater house has a DTS-6D.

What I intend doing tonight is hooking up two processors simultaneously - DTS-6D and DTS-6AD - to the same reader, then comparing their center channels while running through the film. I've borrowed discs from another site. Results tomorrow.

By the way, is it true that the DTS disc may have a backup soundtrack? I sincerely doubt this, but this seems to be the understanding of the manager here, who spoke to the technician.

The lip sync problem has been apparent with other prints (E.T.), but it was simply 'out', then it was set 'in'. What we have confirmed now, only with Star Wars, is that it is, in fact, drifting.

Posted by Ken McFall (Member # 845) on 07-03-2002, 03:06 PM:

I had a similar problem at our cinema in Aberdeen, that I service.
with three DTS 6D.

I would test the whole thing out and find no problems....
A few days later they would phone and say they had wow
and out of sync.

DTS suggested I upgrade the firmware to the latest version as this was a known problem, which I've done and no complints since.
I've also done the same at my own theatre where we have two DTS 6 units. NO problems of any kind EVER!

I can't rememebr excatly what the firmware version I upgraded to
is (possibly 1.24 from memory?). It may be worth checking that out.

The IC is normally clearly labeled with it's version number so
check it out. DTS are VERY helpful in evey way so give them a call and they will keep you right and supply the required IC's.

Regards Ken.

Posted by Steve Scott (Member # 630) on 07-03-2002, 03:08 PM:

Steve and Antonio have my vote too. I've had DTS 6D units that just needed a good air dusting inside. Check to make sure the boards are all secure inside too. If that doesn't work, you might try swapping penthouse readers.

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 07-03-2002, 06:53 PM:

Karen
when applying the dts formula, are you supposed to count the frame directly at the LED as well or do you start counting the steps from there, making the next frame towards the aperture no.1? Also, at what viewing distance is the formula supposed to give you perfect lip-sync?
Michael

Posted by Antonio Marcheselli (Member # 373) on 07-04-2002, 04:29 AM:

Brian,

The DTS backup track is the analog track. When there is a problem reproducing the sound the player switch automatically in Dolby SR. This will happen if timecode is lost for more than 4.5 sec, CD rom problem or hardware failure. If your offset switches are bad, the player will see a different offset than what you set but it is not considered a fault! I cleaned the switch with a spray contact cleaner. I had the sync changin continuously during a show...
Do the A/B comparison and let us know!

Karen,
I wish add to Michael question: should count the frame when shutter has illuminated the print the first pass or the second?

Bye
Antonio

Posted by Brian Tristam Williams (Member # 1235) on 07-04-2002, 04:55 AM:

Well, I did the test - I ran both the DTS-6D and the DTS-6AD processors simultaneously, and I got the most unexpected result.

I expected that there must be a processor fault, because:

* We had run the print on several occasions in other houses, using the 6-ADs, and it was flawless.

* We had reports of similar problems from another site that has a DTS-6.

* The troubleshooting guide from DTS mentioned this 'drift' problem and suggested replacing the timecode board.

So, naturally, if it were a processor fault, I would expect that the faulty one would drift way out of sync with the working one. What really happened?

Both processors drifted out of sync, together! I don't even remotely know how that's possible. I mean, if the timecode is lost for over 4 seconds, the sound will cut out. How can even an intermittent time-code cause the sync to wander, slowly?

The technician who came by yesterday says that he aligned the reader. I asked if he aligned it with an oscilloscope, and he said that, well, the reader is something that either works or it doesn't. Since he was unable to correct the problem, and can't explain it, he now says that we don't know how to lace the projector correctly. That an incorrect upper loop size will cause a constant sync error (not a drift) is logic that seems to have eluded him. That the other three DTS houses work perfectly also doesn't phase him.

Karen, this is a mystery to me - do you have any ideas? We're talking two different processors out-syncing simultaneously!

Posted by Antonio Marcheselli (Member # 373) on 07-04-2002, 03:20 PM:

Brian,

Are you saying that the SAME print in a different house is ok and on that houses with two different processors has a sync problem?

Strange...

Wait for Karen's reply...

Bye
Antonio

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 07-04-2002, 03:37 PM:

It seems quite obvious to me that the problem must be with the reader, since your test setup and test runs on other screens appear to have ruled out all other possibilities. But I don`t have the slightest idea how the reader could cause such a sync drift. You also checked if the unit was still playing dts when the drifting occurred? Really the only reason for this to happen that I can think of would be if the reader failed periodically and send the system to a fallback format and then a slightly misaligned offset could become obvious. Remember that analogue can also be a little bit out of sync when the loop below the intermittent sprocket is very big or very small! If you are dealing with a very large audtorium, that can also add to the problem. In that case, you cannot check sync while listening to the monitor and watching the movie from the booth window because in the back of the auditorium, the sound will be late.
I am also curious if you have additional surround delays to deal with the size of the auditorium. On our two biggest screens, we have additional delays installed since the processors only offer a single delay setting for all the surrounds.
Good luck!
Michael

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 07-04-2002, 03:51 PM:

Is the timecode cable firmly seated and screwed down in the reader and in the DTS unit? Have you tried grounding the reader to the projector chassis with the wire provided on the timecode cable? Are the timecode cable connectors corroded? Have you tried a different timecode cable?

Posted by Brian Tristam Williams (Member # 1235) on 07-04-2002, 06:22 PM:

>Are you saying that the SAME print in a different house is ok and on >that houses with two different processors has a sync problem?

Antonio, yes, that's what I'm saying. And I'm saying that a processor with no problems at all, when moved to the troubled house, drifts out of sync too.

>Wait for Karen's reply...

That's a given!

Michael:
>You also checked if the unit was still playing dts when the drifting
>occurred?

Absolutely - there was NO analogue sound available. I hooked up ONLY the time-code to the two DTS processors, and monitored their outputs.

>Remember that analogue can also be a little bit out of sync when the
>loop below the intermittent sprocket is very big or very small!

Again, analogue wasn't an issue - it was non-existent.

>If
>you are dealing with a very large audtorium, that can also add to
>the problem. In that case, you cannot check sync while listening to
>the monitor and watching the movie from the booth window because in >the back of the auditorium, the sound will be late.

I agree, but the sound shouldn't drift that far out on the monitor.

Adam Martin:
>Is the timecode cable firmly seated and screwed down in the reader
>and in the DTS unit? Have you tried grounding the reader to the
>projector chassis with the wire provided on the timecode cable? Are
>the timecode cable connectors corroded? Have you tried a different
>timecode cable?

Adam, I made a completely new cable for the test, because I needed to run two processors simultaneously. So the old cable is not a suspect.

Very scientific, your responses were. But a scientist, I am. Already addressed in my test, your concerns have been. Meditate on this, I will.

Damn - I've watched that film a couple times too many!

Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 07-04-2002, 06:55 PM:

Sounds like the only option left is your timecode reader. You could hook up the timecode output (RS-232 levels, but you need to make a special cable) to a computer and timestamp the output and graph it and look for anomalies. Well perhaps not for the faint of heart, it might be fun and interesting.

Does it always fail in the same place by the same amount? What's the magnitude of the drift, by the way? Are we talking 500ms or 5 seconds, or...?

Have you tried cleaning the optics on the timecode reader?

--jhawk

Posted by Antonio Marcheselli (Member # 373) on 07-05-2002, 04:36 AM:

It sound strange to me that timecode reader can cause this problem but... it is the last "common" piece of equipment.

Brian, do you have another reader? If so, try to swap the "faulty" one and see if the problem disappear.

More: does the "Timecode" green led on the DTS6 is blinking all the time or is it steady?

Let us know!

Antonio

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 07-05-2002, 06:46 AM:

The reader is sending just a square wave output that is a image of the info on the film
The problem most likely is an intermitent Time Code board

Posted by Brian Tristam Williams (Member # 1235) on 07-05-2002, 09:39 AM:

John, not for the faint of heart? Doesn't scare me!

"I'm so cool; when I go to sleep, sheep count me..." I could even hook the time-code output to a microcontroller with a 7-segment display. This would display the time-code being output. But, because the time-code is not going to vary with one print (unless you slice the film down the middle and shift it a couple of frames, which, with some projectionists, you never know

), I don't see this as a lucrative avenue. I might try it just to learn something.

What I'd need to know is the data format of the time-code. Anyone know this? Is it standard SMPTE?

Answer to your question: I don't know if it always fails in the same place, because it doesn't always fail. But when it does, goes up to more than 500ms.

Antonio: I would have swapped readers, but the technicians have bolted a film roller to the top of the reader. This won't suit any of our other projectors, because the reader in this cinema is uniquely on top of both the Dolby and SDDS readers. The LED does flash on occasion, and the sound does drop out, despite the tech-head assuring me that he'd adjusted it.

Gordon: The problem is [b]not[/i] likely to be an intermittent time-code board, because it affected both the DTS-6D, and DTS-6AD equally. Unless there is a board in the reader to which you're referring.

Thanks for the useful responses. I await Karen's response.

Posted by Ken Lackner (Member # 1002) on 07-05-2002, 11:07 AM:

I am curious, how did you make a cable to connect two processors simultaneously? (spelling????)

Rollers on top of the reader shouldn't be a problem. If I remember correctly (it's been a while since I've worked with DTS), the reader itself is attatched to a bracket that the rollers are bolted to. Just remove the two readers from their brackets and swap them.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 07-05-2002, 01:01 PM:

The reader itseld only spits out a square wave style pattern. I believe it is not RS232 nor is it SMPTE timecode
I have had several timecode boards fail at the same time and require replacing

Posted by Brian Tristam Williams (Member # 1235) on 07-05-2002, 02:05 PM:

Ken, you just connect pins 1 and 6 of the time-code connector to the additional processor - that sends the tc to the extra processor, while the LED on the reader and the power are supplied by the first processor.

Gordon, the problem is not the board in the processor, because both processors were affected equally. The second processor was from another house, and is a known working.

Posted by Antonio Marcheselli (Member # 373) on 07-05-2002, 02:10 PM:

If the sound drop out so it means that the timecode signal went out for MORE than 4,5 seconds.
Did you ever saw the timecode LED blinking very fast? In that case I'd say that the timecode become unreliable: I remember when I tried to play DTS logo with a DTS movie without disks. I has an old set of a Fox movie and the running movie was from columbia.
The readers were old, very old and timecode was blinking a lot.
Well, after the DTS logo I had the Fox fanfare instead of the Columbia logo in the auditorium!!! And not just at the beginning: the sound kick and drop from DTS alterning Fox logo to Dolby Digital columbia one.

So I would say that if your reader has big problems perhaps you can reach also sync problem...

Before aligning the reader be sure that the reader itself is aligned with the projector and with film path. I would not recommend to correct the alignment of the reader/projector (physically) with the lateral screw, use that to correct the alignment of the reader.

Bye
Antonio

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 07-05-2002, 02:45 PM:

Is cable length an issue? What is the maximum length for DTS? (If it's not RS-232, then the RS-232 spec doesn't apply.)

Posted by Brian Tristam Williams (Member # 1235) on 07-05-2002, 04:23 PM:

I would suspect that the data rate of the TC is very slow, compared to the 9600 bps that we're used to now. I mean 9600 bps is 400 bits / frame - and clearly that's not how many bits you can see next to the analogue soundtrack.

So, if the DTS signal is at RS-232 levels (at least 6V, and up to 24V difference between positive and negative levels), then you should be able to get a very decent run. My test cable was about 5m long, but the installed cable may be up to 10m. (16' / 32')

Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 07-05-2002, 04:25 PM:

Hmm. I had it stuck in my mind for some reason that it was RS-232, but going back and checking, it's not so clear as I thought. Pins 3 and 4 are "serial data" (presumably RS-232), but there's nothing clearly stated in the manual about the timecode signals.

I'd really shocked if it wasn't within the RS-232 voltage spec, though (you could easily enough measure to be safe).

Sure, ideally you'd know the format. If anything's clear, we know it's not SMPTE timecode, since there's a special jumper for that. But you don't even really need to know the format (even if it is not RS-232, you don't really care). All you have to do is timestamp the data from the reader and look at the differences, and see if the rate of timecode coming from the reader changes. If they're opaque blobs or if your UART shows them up as "~~{{{{", as long they're regular, then you can make a useful measurement if you look for variations in that regularity.

But if the LED is flashing, then you have even more reason to suspect a problem with the reader. Assuming your print doesn't have a problem with the timecode, you should never have a flashing LED...

--jhawk

Posted by Karen Hultgren (Member # 395) on 07-05-2002, 04:31 PM:

All prints have a backup soundtrack - the stereo optical soundtrack.

Karen at DTS

Posted by Karen Hultgren (Member # 395) on 07-05-2002, 04:32 PM:

When you do the frame count formula - start counting at the reader's lens - that would be one. Then end at the picture aperture and do the calculation.

Karen at DTS

Posted by Brian Tristam Williams (Member # 1235) on 07-05-2002, 04:34 PM:

Looking forward to more from you, Karen!

Posted by Karen Hultgren (Member # 395) on 07-05-2002, 04:57 PM:

Brian,

I posted a lot of information for you in the first page of this thread! I also asked you to email me. I prefer to not handle on-going discussions or make lengthy postings on message boards.

Drifting sync is not caused by the length of the cable. It is possible for it to be caused by a bad reader but I have never seen that. If the reader has a problem, its green LED will start blinking. The voltage to the reader's LED should be checked and recalibrated when necessary. Details are posted in our online techcenter at www.dtsonline.com/cinema

It is possible for the player's timecode board, D422, to have a problem. I have seen that but it is not very common.

If sync drifts, it is most likely to be a print problem.

As mentioned in the first posting, if the entire print is out of sync, then either (1) the threading pattern has changed -or- (2) your OFFSET is not set correctly and needs to be recalibrated.

If only part of the print is out of sync, then you have either a print problem or hardware problem. The way to tell is if you move the print and the problem stays with the print, the print is bad and needs to be replaced. If the problem stays with the hardware, then you need to look at that.

The other possibility (sync temporarily off) is that is the way the sound track was intended.

I believe you said that you moved the reader and the problem followed the reader. If that is true, then the reader should be swapped (contact your local dealer for a repair/exchange).

If replacing the reader does not help, then the D422 timecode board inside the player is bad and should be replaced.

For more inforamtion, PLEASE SEND ME AN EMAIL.

Karen at DTS
khultgren@dtsonline.com

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 07-09-2002, 10:42 AM:

Hello Brian,
any new developments with the myterious dts sync? Let us all know.
Michael

Posted by Karen Hultgren (Member # 395) on 07-09-2002, 03:01 PM:

Brian,

One of the other techs here at work was reading this thread and reminded me of another possibility (HI MIKE!). Be sure to verify that the speed of your projector is constant. If the projector speeds up or slows down, it could effect the sync.

Karen at DTS

Posted by Ken McFall (Member # 845) on 07-09-2002, 03:07 PM:

earlier on in this topic I suggested checking the firmware version. The reason I was advised this was that earler versions were, by all accounts, prone to sync and wow problems especially if the projector speed was not constant. As I explained, I upgraded to the latest firmware version and no further problems. Also if your projectors are running off inverters check that they are in fact set to run at the correct speed.

Have you checked the firmware version yet?

Posted by Brian Tristam Williams (Member # 1235) on 07-10-2002, 05:59 AM:

No new developments, unfortunately. Star Wars has moved out of that house, and Blade II has moved in, without DTS discs. However, the constant-speed issue is interesting for me, because neither I nor our tech could see any reason why a faulty time-code reader could cause sync to drift out by a whole second.

However, the tech was knowledgeable enough to ponder whether it might be a power-phase issue. Bingo! If the Christies use the power phase to determine their speed, then that may well be it.

How to check the speed of the projector? Well, since quartz crystals are very accurate, I could use a quartz crystal-based battery-operated microcontroller circuit to count frames or perforations / sprocket holes and graph the frame-rate throughout the performance. If I graph that, I will post the graph here. Question to the Christie gurus: where can one find a frame/perf timing signal from the P35GPS that we can use to time it?

Sorry, I haven't checked the firmware version yet. Being in South Africa, it would not be a quick fix to change it, unless I write the EPROM myself. Unless, of course, the DTS-6D allows you to link your laptop for a firmware updatte... I will check the version and get back.

Posted by Ken McFall (Member # 845) on 07-10-2002, 07:14 AM:

DTS will send you the new firmware, in my case free of charge, so I would imagin there may be a charge to cover postage in your case.... just ask them.

At the end of the day... the reader either works or it don't! no if's no but's so that can be counted out.

When you think about it if the projector is running too fast, or for that matter too slow.... or even irregular how can the DTS keep up with it! The time code is fine, it knows where it is in the film. thats the easy bit. But what does the DTS unit do. Does it play back the sound faster or slower.... can it maintain the original pitch of the audio while its trying to keep pace with the position it should be in the film or does it just drop frames to keep sync.

Do your projectors have a speed control on them..... to allow 25fps running etc. if so cut the fingers off anyone playing with it...not very practical but satisfying none the less.
Check that everything is as it should be >> 24fps <<. Until you can be sure you have common ground then you may never find the solution.

Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 07-10-2002, 08:00 AM:

Power phase doesn't have anything to do with power frequency. You'd have to have a really Special electrical system to have one frequency on one phase and another frequency on another phase. [Like maybe you were running your projectors off of a generator and your processor off of utility power.]

But that's irrelevent. There is no requirement for consistent frequency of power between the DTS player and the timecode reader -- the player synchronizes itself to the pulses from the timecode reader. (I have an unfortunate problem of 2 projectors that run at slightly different speeds, and DTS handles it just fine, though in some cases you can hear the pitch bend across the changeover.)

So even if you run your projector at 25fps, that's not going to cause this problem. And ground is even less plausible to be relevent.

And no, the DTS 6D firmware is a socketted EPROM, not an EEPROM. To reprogram it you would need to remove it from the socket and burn it in an EPROM burner, and at that point, you'd be much better off just getting DTS to ship you a new IC.

--jhawk

Posted by Antonio Marcheselli (Member # 373) on 07-11-2002, 06:07 AM:

Brian,

I had a free firmware upgrade from DTS, contact Karen and she will help you. However, since both player went out of sync in the same moment I do not believe that firmware upgrade will help you in this case.
Perhaps proj speed is a thing to check.
Be sure that print enters the reader freely (it doesn't have violent pull that can cause the reader to see the print changing its velocity).

I had problem for a reader not firmly screwed to the projector.

Bye

------------------
Antonio Marcheselli
Florence, Italy

Posted by Brian Tristam Williams (Member # 1235) on 07-11-2002, 01:58 PM:

Well, I know that DTS specifies that the film should enter the DTS reader straight, with no twists in it. However, our techs have installed the roller above the reader 90 degrees away. Don't know how else you could do it, though, since the platters are on the left of the projector.

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 07-31-2002, 08:01 PM:

Hello Mr Williams!
We haven`t heard anything about the mysterious DTS sync problem in a while. But I am still curious. So, any new insights?
Michael

Posted by Brian Tristam Williams (Member # 1235) on 08-01-2002, 04:11 PM:

Well, since Star Wars left that house, we've had The Scorpion King, Ali G Indahouse, Men In Black II - all films without DTS discs. So, the problem is not solved, but I'm gonna have another crack at it when we get another DTS film.

I did ask all on this forum: How can one count frames on a Christie P35GPS? Is there anywhere I gan get a frame-passing signal, that I can pass to a sub-circuit that does the counting?

Anyone know this? Or do I have to start a new thread?

Posted by Lewis Bohannon (Member # 1387) on 08-02-2002, 02:14 AM:

I read on one of the first few pages that someone had a problem with 2 penthouse readers on the same projector. It has happened in mine as well. DTS on top, followed by SDDS. The two systems would fight for priority, causing very bad synch problems. The only cure was to turn one(SDDS)off, and run the other. But like Karen said, you still need to lace the other reader to maintain frame count.

A suggestion on how to count frames, why not lace up a length of leader through the projector, then mark the appropiate frames, unlace it then count them that way... Just a thought.

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Lewis Bohannon
"The Man Up-Stairs"