Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: cp 500 format change question

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Posted by Patrick de Groot (Member # 858) on 06-23-2004, 07:54 AM:

With our cp 500's we have the following problem:
We play our commercials at a lower volume than the trailers and main feature. We have two different formats. However, we put our automation marks on short black film (with no soundtrack). When the format changes from A to B the CP doesnt'read a digital track so it says ...not ready and switches back to format A with the lower volume. So when selecting a format that reads Dolby digital (at another volume) there must be digital data or otherwise it won't change at all. Rather stupid... Is there a workaround?

Posted by Steve Scott (Member # 630) on 06-23-2004, 08:44 AM:

It sounds like you have the auto digital feature enabled. Do you run the trailers in digital or analog?

You may need to assign multiple formats with different fader settings that your automation can steer its commands to. What kind of automation do you have?

Posted by Ferdinando Innocenti (Member # 2477) on 06-23-2004, 08:56 AM:

You can use a trick; configure 3 sound format, the first for the ads in DD or SR, let's say format 6; then format 4 for the movie, and format 2 as SR with the same volume as format 4.

When your cue passes after ads, automation goes on format 2, no problem because it's SR with auto target in DD. When you have a DD soundtrack, CP500 operates change format in DD with the same volume. With my automation it works good, try with yours.

Nando

Posted by Steve Scott (Member # 630) on 06-23-2004, 09:09 AM:

I agree with what Ferdinando is saying, but just to be clear, you'd be steering the automation to Softkey 2,4,6, etc... not formats. Although you could run old school rules and show the film in format 02, Dolby Mono, you'll get credit from projectionists who've been in the business since those days [thumbsup]

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 06-23-2004, 04:14 PM:

How odd, by simply typing "cp500 format change question" into the forum's search engine, this link came up. WOW! [Wink]

Posted by Patrick de Groot (Member # 858) on 06-24-2004, 06:53 AM:

Thanks for the hint! It worked.

Well, I did a search first, but it wasn't about this particular "feature" of the cp500 (format switch failing)...

I have things set up now so that on startup Dolby Digital 3.8 is selected for the ads. It keeps the fader setting on revertion to analog (Dolby SR, but the format Dolby SR 5.0 is highlighted). When the trailers start the automation selects the format settings Dolby SR 5.0 (which never fails in contrast with selecting Dolby Digital 5.0) and because it is a user request format change it changes the fader to 5.0. Because this format is an auto digital source as soon as it reads valid Dolby Digital data it switches to the target format Dolby Digital 5.0.

(off topic) I know the CP should be calibrated for a fader setting of 7.0, but here in the Netherlands various technicians seems to set them around 5.0.