Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Cat.150 & Pro Logic?

This is topic Cat.150 & Pro Logic? in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 12-24-2017, 04:13 PM:

How good were the final Cat.150's? Was the last the Cat.150E? Did they incorporate Pro Logic decoding or was that just a name for the same 2:4 channel decoding as all along? I was under the impression it was something better.

I have an old CP50 I was given. I am only using it to provide EQ for L/C/R with a home video projection setup. (I have a Midiland ADS4000 freestanding decoder to decode DD or DTS from BD and feed the CP50 at the midpoint.)

My CP50 is missing the Cat.150 which is fine since I have no plans to run film with it.

BUT...and here is the reason for being in this forum... *IF* I was going to run film, I can take the signals from the 50 after the NR cards, and feed it to the two channel analog input on the decoder box as it can do Pro-Logic. Then go back to the 50 for EQ and fader.

Or I can just find a Cat.150 and do it "right."

BUT, what is 'hypothetically' better? Pro Logic decoding by the outboard box OR the decoding done by the Cat.150?

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 12-24-2017, 07:13 PM:

The last generation was the CAT150F but the 150E had the better headroom. The CAT150 is a Pro Logic decoder.

The CAT150E used a Sanyo ProLogic chip and the CAT150F used an Analog Devices chip. Earlier CAT150s used more discrete technology and where sandwich boards with one being the delay and surround decoder while the other was the LCR decoder. It all started with the Sansui QS quad decoder for the surrounds.

ProLogic, unlike mere L+R/L-R (decoders) applies steering to the channels so one should be able to pan a signal to any channel.

I would use the CAT150 over an external decoder for film. That is what the movie was QCed on.