Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Questions on going digital

This is topic Questions on going digital in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Scott Balko (Member # 438) on 12-28-2002, 04:19 PM:

I recently took over my hometown twin screen theatre and the sound is still exciters. I currently have an ultrastereo JS-205/295 processor. Since I have to go with an led reader, I want to install a digital system as well. Would it be less expensive to go with the combination dolby/analog reader or would DTS be the way to go? Will my processor do any digital format as is or would an upgrade be absolutely necessary? Any advice is greatly appreciated as would be the availability of used systems.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 12-28-2002, 06:16 PM:

I don't know enough about your current Ultra Stereo processor to tell whether you can use it with 5.1 digital formats. There are certainly others here who can give you the advice about that model. The Dolby CP-650 and DTS-6AD units will give you full cinema processor functions and digital sound playback in the same unit, so they are a very convenient replacement for an existing processor designed only for stereo matrix analog playback. The Dolby CP-650 even sports internal Dolby Digital Surround EX processing.

What kind of B-chain does your theater have? Are the amplifiers and speakers up to snuff on reproducing digital surround sound or will you replace any of those components?

Another thing to consider is wall treatment. Since you have a twin theater, are both auditoriums next to each other? With digital sound, bass leakage through walls into other auditoriums is a major challenge. Often that is figured into the design of a new theater (such as using thick masonry walls filled with sand and capped off with lots of thermafiber carpet and layers of gypsum board). And even in those theaters some bass can still leak through at reference level. In a theater only designed for analog playback, you may be stuck running digital at significantly lower volumes.

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 12-29-2002, 12:06 AM:

the Ultra-stereo JS 200 series will work with DTS units and Dolby Digital units SA 5's I believe is what they are. They just wire into the external inputs. You need to make sure that the Ultra-stereo units have the latest version of the format card that has the digital input selection button and Split surround Card. I am not much on the DTS all in one Idea. Sort of like the TV/VCR combo packages. When one goes out what do you have. To many problems there.