This is topic Ultra Stereo in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Oliver Harper (Member # 4245) on 04-18-2007, 04:44 AM:
 
this has probably been discussed before, but ive always wondered if Ultra Stereo is still in use?..ive never been to a theatre with it equiped. Ive noticed alot of movies in the 80s and early 90s were encoded with Ultra Stereo, was a cheaper alternative to Dolby?.Was it superior?
 

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Posted by Alex Grueneberg (Member # 2652) on 04-18-2007, 12:59 PM:
 
As far as I know the theater I started at (an old twined 800 seater) still uses 2 JSx-1000s with the old "8-track" style push buttons on the format cards. All the surround function did was basically a glorified quadraphonic surround but we had so many blown speakers it didn't really matter. They are great processors though that hold up, never had a problem. Actually I just was talking to my tech last night about Cinemark and their love for the Js-200.

edit: I wanted to add one more thing. It was a great processor to learn on if not one of the best.

[ 04-18-2007, 03:28 PM: Message edited by: Alex Grueneberg ]
 

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Posted by Clint Koch (Member # 1179) on 04-18-2007, 01:10 PM:
 
Yes, Ultra Stereo Labs, or USL, Inc. as it is now known, is still in business. In fact we are celebrating our 25th year in business. Actually it is more than 25 years, we were incorporated 25 years ago.

USL encoded many movies over the years including the ever popular "Headless Body in a Topless Bar" and "Attack of the KIller Bimbos". Actually we did do a few realy good movies, Robert Altmans "The Player" comes to mind along with a bucket load of "B" movies.

We still produce a vast product line of cinema equipment. If anyone has questions on USL please feel free to e-mail me.

Clint
 

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Posted by Richard May (Member # 2627) on 04-18-2007, 01:37 PM:
 
I have not seen any decline in Ultra Stereo equipment in theaters. I still install their processors and service lots of theaters with their equipment. Parts are no problem to get for them either.
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 04-18-2007, 02:27 PM:
 
I service a 6plex loaded with USL units - 2 JSX-1000's 3 JB series, and one JS-200

Used to service a 4plex that had one JS-5/95 unit.
Service a single with a JS-200

Service a drive-in with a JS-200 (with L/R cards removed and just running Center channel option for the lobby sound - being the drive-in uses FM stereo)

The USL people are great to work with and I commend and recommend them highly for what they've done.

They're quite an easy processor to work with.

Yes, I remember back in the late 80's and early 90's that UltraStereo was giving Dolby a decent run for sound encoding with the film releases of that time. Seems that about every 3rd to 5th movie release was encoded in UltraStereo

-Monte
 

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Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 04-18-2007, 02:47 PM:
 
With the possible exception of the Stars and Stripes Drive-in (I don't know what sound equipment is used there), Lubbock is 100% Ultra-Stereo. 33 First run screens (Cinemark's 2 complexes), and the independently owned sub-run theatre Showplace 6. 39 screens total.
 

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Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 04-18-2007, 02:49 PM:
 
"The Limits Of Thermal Travelling"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113659/

This one sticks in my mind because the director was a lecturer at the university I attended. Quite a nice, if wacky, bloke.

It also sticks in my mind as we'd never seen or heard an Ultra Stereo print before, it was a premier screening for the Edinburgh Internation Film Festival, and no one had a clue wether to run it 03, 04 or 05. In the end we did a few test screenings and 04 seemed to do the business the best.

I've got a few USL processors on service, apart from not having the correct pink noise generator (I inject pink noise from my Abacus RTA via the back door, as it were), they seem to be decent units, only ever had PSU isues with them, which were easily enough resolved.
 

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Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 04-18-2007, 04:52 PM:
 
I always appreciated the Ultra "pink" noise generators.
 

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Posted by Richard May (Member # 2627) on 04-18-2007, 05:28 PM:
 
I painted mine black.
 

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Posted by Don Anderson (Member # 397) on 04-18-2007, 07:56 PM:
 
We have UltraStereo processors in our two lower auditoriums. Work great, and tech support/parts from USL is awesome!
 

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Posted by Timothy Eiler (Member # 383) on 04-18-2007, 08:23 PM:
 
I have several Ultra-Stereo units in my drive-in that have been working great for years.

quote: Clint Koch

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USL encoded many movies over the years including the ever popular "Headless Body in a Topless Bar" and "Attack of the KIller Bimbos". Actually we did do a few realy good movies, Robert Altmans "The Player" comes to mind along with a bucket load of "B" movies.

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