Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Can't trick the DTS player anymore

This is topic Can't trick the DTS player anymore in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 12-14-2005, 05:58 PM:

I guess it must be new antipiracy software on the newer DTS disks, but I can't use my keyboard to play individual DTS files off the disks anymore. There doesn't seem to be an option for playing individual reels without time code like there used to be.
Is that an option that is gone with the wind?

Posted by Bruce Hansen (Member # 281) on 12-14-2005, 08:07 PM:

Yes, option #2, play without time code has been gone for a while now. The list goes from 1 to 3. You can't even enter 2, it will not work. I liked to use this function to spot check discs. Thank you DTS, for letting some silly antipiracy nonsence make your coustomers' lives harder. What a way to keep them comeing back.

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 12-15-2005, 12:51 AM:

I have a suspicion these anti-piracy measures were mandated by the studios. If DTS had failed to comply then said studios would probably stop using DTS on their films until they did.

And with good reason. Not every anti-piracy measure is an idiotic ineffective over-reaction (just most of them). When I was at Showest this year part of the film piracy seminar discussed how pirates were using stolen DTS discs to quickly 'translate' camcordered movies into multiple langauges. Heck, even a pirate didn't want to 'release' their movie in multiple langauges using stolen discs to provide a soundtrack to your camcordered movie would solve the problem of crappy/polluted sound.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 12-15-2005, 08:25 AM:

I want to say Return of the King was the first movie to switch over to the new anti-piracy format. If you search the archives, there is some discussion on it as it affected older units and the XD10 from being able to play the new discs without an upgrade.

Posted by Erick Akers (Member # 875) on 12-15-2005, 12:16 PM:

I could tell you how to do it,
but that would probibaly be dishonest!
Who said that???

Merry Christmas!!!

Posted by Bruce Hansen (Member # 281) on 12-15-2005, 04:57 PM:

You can change the jumper inside the DTS player to SMPTE time code, feed in a time code generator, and play anything you want. What DTS did will not stop pirates, it just makes it harder on the legal users.

The big question still remains, how would you keep the DTS audio in sync with video? We all know that the real problem is with the screener discs, but the studios do not want to admit it.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 12-15-2005, 05:09 PM:

quote: Erick Akers
I could tell you how to do it,
but that would probibaly be dishonest!
Who said that???

Bwahahahahaha.... wasn't that ***Phil of Philm-Tech*** that said that???

Actually Bruce you need a DTS time code generator do be able to do that... low and behold... they don't sell those anymore.....

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 12-15-2005, 10:54 PM:

Bruce said "You can change the jumper inside the DTS player to SMPTE time code, feed in a time code generator, and play anything you want. What DTS did will not stop pirates, it just makes it harder on the legal users."
The disks will not play if you move the jumper and try to drive it of a SMPTE generator

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 12-16-2005, 08:39 AM:

To make the explanation clearer DTS and SMPTE time codes are different and one will not you to play the others files and vise versa.

Mark

Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 12-16-2005, 09:09 AM:

I didn't want to go to all the trouble anyway. It just used to be a easy way to see if the disks were screwed up, or the print. And to test repairs or improvements to the system
Ah, progress.....

Posted by Erick Akers (Member # 875) on 12-16-2005, 10:02 AM:

There's an even easier way than that Mark!

quote: Mark Gulbrandson
Bwahahahahaha.... wasn't that ***Phil of Philm-Tech*** that said that???

MMmmmmm, Could Be. But he wasn't alone! [Big Grin]

That's why I have elected not to share this nice bit of software.

BTW: I've known about this for a few weeks now and it works great! (but what do I know I've been acused of being dishonest!)

Maybe Daryl could post it instead, if he can find it.

quote: Greg Mueller
I didn't want to go to all the trouble anyway. It just used to be a easy way to see if the disks were screwed up, or the print. And to test repairs or improvements to the system
Ah, progress.....

This only exsist due to progress! [fu]

too!

Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 12-16-2005, 10:04 AM:

It wasn't funny the first time

Posted by Erick Akers (Member # 875) on 12-16-2005, 10:07 AM:

I agree totally!
but there was no reason to get personal. [thumbsdown]

Want to to give in and publically apologize to me?

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 12-16-2005, 05:13 PM:

Oh Boy, here we go again... Crybaby Erick and Mark should get a room.

(Let's see if Erick (or Mark) can get this thread closed as well...)

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 12-16-2005, 08:25 PM:

Erick, knock it off. No one owes you an apology.

Posted by Frank Dubrois (Member # 3042) on 12-16-2005, 09:31 PM:

Erick why do you keep telling us that you know how to test the disc, and its easy, but cant tell us, but its easy, and you've known about it...blah blah...say it, or get over it. I HATE people that do that [bs]

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 12-17-2005, 06:45 AM:

I don't hate anyone, but like Greg, I DO want an easy way to force a DTS disc to play and for very legitimate technical reasons. Hmmm, let me amend that....I don't hate anyone, at least not during the holidays....well, maybe that's not 100% true, in fact, now that I think about it, I probably hate more people during the holidays than at other times, especially in the malls....OK, forget I even mentioned it....just tell me where to find this piece of code that will get the job don't and I promise I won't say anything personal, sarcastic or nasty, which for me is not a walk in the park. Come on Erik, give it up. Oh, and Happy Holidays. [Big Grin]

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 12-17-2005, 06:56 AM:

There isn't a way anymore Frank.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 12-17-2005, 07:24 AM:

Couldn't you just use a DTS disk for an older film? Or has the firmware update made it impossible to play _any_ disk without timecode? And doesn't DTS sell a timecode generator box that can provide the necessary timecode, anyway?

(I'm not very up to date on DTS--it's been several years since I've worked with the format.)

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 12-17-2005, 07:53 AM:

Scott,

DTS discontinued the TCG a while back. There was also another one available that was made by the guy that originally wrote the DTS software but that too is nnow unavailable. The latter one was commonly used in Large Format theatres.

Mark

Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 12-17-2005, 09:19 AM:

Scott...Yes you can still use an older set of disks if you want to test out your hardware, but what I was trying to do (when I discovered that you can't do it anymore) is test the disks themselves. I've gotten a good percentage of bad disks and unless you can play them apart from the film, you're never quite sure if it's bad film or bad disks. I've had both

Maybe this will fix the piracy issue (I doubt it) but if it doesn't, maybe they will go back to the old system

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 12-17-2005, 09:39 PM:

Even if you could get your hands on a TCG from DTS, how would that work? Doesn't the software in the player check to make sure the disk matches the title code on the film so that you cannot inadvertantly play a disk from another film?

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 12-18-2005, 01:59 AM:

You can still test the drive with the actual DTS test discs. If the drives test OK, and the digital sound drops out, it's either the discs, or the TC. Since the TC is indicated on the reader and the processor, you can still find out pretty easily which element is faulty. You don't even have to stand there and stare at the TC reader. I sometimes hook up my IE33 and let it write the time code signal level in a log chart. Then you can see immediately and exactly where the TC drops out.