This is topic broken dts discs from technicolor in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Jeremiah Teague (Member # 5052) on 12-20-2008, 01:05 PM:
 
does anyone else ever get broken dts disks from technicolor? every single movie we get from them is always busted, cracked or scratched up... and this is on NEW prints. everything we get from deluxe is fine, though.
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 12-20-2008, 02:03 PM:
 
Call up TECH 1-800-99FILMS and request new discs.

Welcome 2 Film-Tech!
 

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Posted by Jeremiah Teague (Member # 5052) on 12-21-2008, 03:20 AM:
 
thanks. i call them every week. i was just wondering if this is a rampant problem others have or if my theater is the lucky one that has the shipping company playing kick the can with the prints before they arrive.
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 12-21-2008, 04:51 PM:
 
You must get used prints then from TECH. For I get them as well, yet I've never received broken discs, yet interesting that it's a problem for you people when getting prints from them.

(Please use the CAPS key when needed in your conversations here on F.T. ..thx)
 

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Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 12-21-2008, 07:41 PM:
 
[[Feel free to write in all-lowercase if you want! It's not like there's a rule about it. More people get annoyed at Monte's all-caps abbreviations, I'll bet! What ever you do, don't use the Caps Lock key. The Shift key, sure...]]

Is this a recent phenomenon for you? Did it change when TES switched from DHL to UPS? We typically get 2 prints a week (40% of which are TES). This fall we had only 1 broken DTS disc (7% failure rate for TES, or 3% overall). And we don't play films on the break, so we almost never see a new print.

I'd say it's probably a local phenomenon for you. I'd suggest having a chat with your regular driver, but if it continued into UPS, well...

--jhawk
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 12-21-2008, 10:20 PM:
 
( used to other forums I attend where using proper capitalization is critical..lol)

What's funny is that with TECH with used prints is that there is that spacer reel in there that the CD cases are usually placed in. Course, we get our prints from the Ohio depot. Thus, wonder if other depots have different shipping procedures than what I'm used to.

I think then that Mr.J.Teague is getting his prints from the Denver depot and he should look on the label where his prints are coming from. Then he could call up TECH and explain in better detail what is going on.
 

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Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 12-21-2008, 11:33 PM:
 
Fort Collins, Colorado is served by the Wilmington, OH depot.

Denver? What Denver depot? TES has Wilmingon, Ohio, and Ontario, California. I believe that is it.

(DFS certainly has a Denver depot--4100 Grape--but I can't imagine that's what you mean...)

--jhawk
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 12-22-2008, 12:17 AM:
 
..oh well...DFS was prob it then.

He still need to tell TECH of this condition then from whatever depot he gets his prints from...
 

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Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 12-22-2008, 12:45 AM:
 

quote: Jeremiah Teague

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i call them every week.

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Posted by Kurt Zupin (Member # 2751) on 12-22-2008, 01:56 AM:
 
I just wanted to say....that was mildly amusing.

oh and never get broken discs, doesn't matter though. We don't use them.
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 12-22-2008, 02:49 AM:
 
...nor, do I play trailer discs. I'd rather be doing SR-D anyway - keep the discs in the cans.
 

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Posted by Jeremiah Teague (Member # 5052) on 12-23-2008, 04:43 PM:
 
Only 7 of out 16 screens use DTS (and one is busted, so that makes 6). And the prints are new, so I know it isn't some other theater's mal-practice.

We've used DHL for Technicolor since I can remember but we might actually be switching to UPS. It be pretty sweet if UPS is more gentle. I'm ganna call Technicolor and let them know the extend of the problem but I have a feeling they'd rather just order me a replacement each week than try to figure out AND solve the mystery of the Fort Collins broken DTS disks.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-23-2008, 05:58 PM:
 

quote: John Hawkinson

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Denver? What Denver depot?

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He is probably in the same boat we were with TES prints, at least before DHL stopped doing domestic shipping. After they pulled out of the small-town business, TES prints were shipped from Wilmington by DHL to the hub in Denver, where they were re-shipped by UPS to us. We got billed for both legs of the trip, going and coming. (I just found this out recently when I got a whopping bill from DHL for prints we played in September. Apparently they stopped the TES discount when this fiasco started...we paid almost $100 for incoming freight for one print.)

I'm not sure how all this is going to work in the future with TES prints. Hopefully they'll just UPS them from Wilmington direct to us. If not we'll definitely be leery of booking anything but blockbusters from the companies that use TES.
 

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Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 12-23-2008, 06:09 PM:
 
I would ask TES about that now if I were you--I very much doubt they intended that to happen ($100 o/w charges).

We're currently UPS ground (2 days) from TES Wilmington -> Boston, and then UPS ground from Boston to the UPS depot in Columbus for returns.

--jhawk
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 12-23-2008, 09:32 PM:
 
An interesting factor showed up today at one of our theatres: UPS shipped only one can (the mgr thought it was odd that this one feature was only one can in length) and I had the mgr tell his superiors of this shipment.

Superiors told the mgr that the 2nd can will be shipped tomorrow.

Since UPS sees each can as a separate shipment, is this going to be an up and coming problem using UPS with our TECH prints?
 

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Posted by Kenneth Wuepper (Member # 1174) on 12-23-2008, 10:15 PM:
 
The two cans as separate shipments
Cans are a Non-Boxed item and need special handling (extra cost)
Two cans taped together as one shipment still special handling and heavy
Two cans in a cardboard box is one shipment but heavy
All reels in a corrugated plastic (FOX) box is one shipment but less weight than cans plus box

You haven't seen anything until you get billed for "The Ten Commandments" on 12 70mm reels in 12 separate metal cases from Utah to Michigan at $518.00 one way by air!

KEN
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-23-2008, 11:00 PM:
 

quote:

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Since UPS sees each can as a separate shipment,

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quote:

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$518.00 one way by air!

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quote: Kenneth Wuepper

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"The Ten Commandments" on 12 70mm reels in 12 separate metal cases

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quote: Louis Belloisy

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i am having an epiphany on the treatment of the films at techincolor. i see hundreds of chimpanzees throwing film reels around, placing the DTS discs in the bottom of the can and then one for each reel, dropping the reel into the can from 10 feet. he who smashes the most gets a banana.

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..In the picts section, there are some frames that was taken at the TECH depot in Ohio..and you can imagine on what goes on inside this huge depot... to possbily solidify your theory.
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 12-24-2008, 11:59 PM:
 
This is interesting, as the ONLY time I get broken discs is when I get a print in those corrugated grey "Fox boxes". I can't think of the last time I had a busted disc when the film was shipped in cans, regardless of the depot.

Regardless of cans vs. boxes though, the cases are ALWAYS crushed.
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 12-25-2008, 04:16 AM:
 

quote: Brad Miller

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I get broken discs is when I get a print in those corrugated grey "Fox boxes".

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Esp when the depot doesn't check the contents on arrival, and the previous location that had this "fox box" let the CD container lay on the bottom of the box and allowed the edges of the reels to actually crush into the container...you can almost tell that this location had SRD where they didn't need the discs..
 

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Posted by Louis Belloisy (Member # 3836) on 12-25-2008, 12:00 PM:
 
Update on our broken discs for Bedtime Stories. after i found out that two of our theaters had broken DTS discs, i immediately called Technicolor and was informed that they would ship a set of discs to each of our theaters overnight. well yesterday afternoon our new UPS driver arrived with an overnight package. the label stated, replacement discs for Bedtime Stories, i was elated. the elation only lasted for a few minutes, for inside the package were two individual sets of DTS discs for the movie The Spirit. Somewhere there is a soul that needs these two discs and in their place, they have ours. another call to Technicolor and hopefully a set of discs will arrive tomorrow, day after the opening. when i was talking to the lass from technicolor, i swear i heard chimpanzees in the background, hooting and hollering and having a grand old time.
if this was not so pathetic, it might be funny.

Louis
 

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Posted by Blaine Young (Member # 3992) on 12-25-2008, 12:03 PM:
 
While completely off topic, we're STILL waiting for our print of "The Spirit" to show up. By my account, this transition to UPS has been a disaster. We get partial prints on different days, prints that never show up. It's a mess.
 

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Posted by John Hawkinson (Member # 1135) on 12-25-2008, 12:12 PM:
 
It's always a toss-up whether to have one tracking number for multiple packages, or multiple ones. With one number for 2 (or 3) pieces, sometimes you'll end up with 1 piece without the rest, and no way to track it. Ultimately, I think a separate number for each piece does work best.

For UPS, you can usually figure out the tracking number of the other piece if you're clever. If you sign up for an account on ups.com, then when you Track by tracking number, it will give you the reference information. Then you can Track by Reference for that reference info to your zipcode, and you should find the tracking number for the other half of your print. Hopefully this'll give you some insight into what is going on.

Blaine, how are your UPS prints coming? Are they coming air or ground? (I'm a little surprised ours come ground, but since it's two days from Wilmington to us, and the DHL prints shipped two-day air service, it's not unreasonable).

--jhawk
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 12-27-2008, 01:21 AM:
 
Dang, got a busted "B" disc with my "Role Models" print and sure enough: the DVD case was smashed in between two reels in the three reel can instead of of being in the other can with the "spacer" reel..Where I usually put the case in that "spacer" reel when returning prints..(irony here) so they don't get busted on the way back....

-Monte
 

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Posted by Jonathan Althaus (Member # 5042) on 12-27-2008, 02:23 AM:
 
I don't see any difference b/w cans or boxes, all of the cases seem to be busted. I have been at our depot and they dont exactly treat the boxes and cans gently
 

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Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 12-27-2008, 12:39 PM:
 

quote: Jonathan Althaus

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I don't see any difference b/w cans or boxes, all of the cases seem to be busted.

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The old metal cases were much easier to balance. You had half of the weight in each hand. You could toss them off the roof of your building without hurting anything. Can't do that with a fox Box. In the past year, I've had two handles pull loose on the way downstairs. The boxes didn't do so well on landing.
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 12-27-2008, 02:11 PM:
 
Yea, try lugging up a 70 lb, 8 reel Fox Box up 3 flight of stairs...I have to carry that one in front of me using both hands instead on the side..and the Fox Box aint too friendly with those plastic reels either...and finding the DTS carrier all smashed up under the reels..with both discs broken...
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-27-2008, 02:29 PM:
 
Yeah the top handle on a Fox box is pretty much useless.

To save the old back muscles, I set the box on the rewind bench, slide it to the back as far as possible, fold down the front flap and use some tape to keep it down, and work the print out of the box. If we only have one film that week, the box stays there the whole time or else I can move it if necessary and put it back up there to reload. That way I'm not having to set the full box onto the floor, or pick it up off the floor to carry it out.
 

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Posted by Tom Doyle (Member # 1474) on 12-29-2008, 01:10 AM:
 
I took this picture a while back. This DTS case was included with a film that had only been out a few months:



I forget, but it was probably only used by one theater, two at the most. At some point, the DTS case was put flat in the bottom of the can, under the reels. Needless to say, the disks were ruined.

I'm sure it would help a lot if DTS used better packing cases for the disks, but ultimately, I think it's dependent on whether or not the previous handler (or depot employee) takes good care of the disks. Unfortunately, I don't see that a lot of projectionists even take good care of the prints.
 

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Posted by Mike B. Smith (Member # 2829) on 01-01-2009, 12:45 AM:
 
Sorry for jumping in so late on this topic, first let me make it very clear DTS does care we do listen and although not always obvious we do our best in solving issues.

I’m not with disc operations at DTS and do not have current information on reported problems but will speak with them on Monday. I have no easy answer here, discs can get damaged. Why do they get damaged? Many causes and possibility’s such as improper shipping/packing, carelessness, and purpose intent. We get occasional calls that discs have been damaged in shipment but what I’m reading here it seems to be a regular occurrence. If it is coming this way from a depot it can be corrected. Unfortunately once it goes to a Theater and passes through careless hands there is not much we can do, except recommend if damaged discs are recieved call the distributor, if this is an on going occurrence please let us know.

quote: Frank Angel

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....because they claim any DTS disc problems are not their fault. The discs are owned by the studios and it's the studios' responsibility to get them to the theatres. Same with missing discs. DTS has always claimed, "Not our problem." Just like it's not Dolby's problem if some lab somewhere doesn't record the Dolby digital track properly.

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