Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Megamind Sound issues

This is topic Megamind Sound issues in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Kurt Zupin (Member # 2751) on 11-05-2010, 06:14 AM:

Did anyone else have an issue with there digital copy of Megamind 3D? Tonight after the midnight we had a couple guests complain they heard a constant whisper during the movie. We struck the show up and listened in the theatre. Sure enough, you could hear coming from the left side a person talking in a whisper. At first I thought it might be a Descriptive audio file mixed in. But I don't think thats the issue either. I called Technicolor and talked to a guy who I don't think had any idea what I was talking about. He took my info and said someone would be calling me shortly about the issue.

Another one of our theatres had this same issue, they said when they moved it to another house they didn't have it. So that leads me to think there might be an issue with the software or something of the like maybe? Thoughts?

Posted by Mike Babb (Member # 1379) on 11-05-2010, 07:49 AM:

I know of a theatre getting descriptive audio through the surrounds, I don't know how it was resolved yet or all the details but my guess was the descriptive audio coming in on 7/8.

Posted by Kurt Zupin (Member # 2751) on 11-05-2010, 08:26 AM:

After talking with the Technicolor "tech" guy he said that this was most likly the issue. I looked all over our Dolby server with no luck of finding where the turn this off. The openers will have to page our Eng department. They will know where its at if its there, if not. They can brainstorm on how to fix the issue.

Posted by Dusty Thomas (Member # 5801) on 11-05-2010, 09:23 AM:

Kurt,
I am interested to know what audio processor is being used with the Dolby server?
I am trying to track how wide-spread this is and if only those systems with the ability to reassign channel outputs will be able to resolve it in software.
I am actually really surprised this has not occurred more often in the past across digital cinema installations, as there was always that possibility (as Mike Babb mentioned) of channels 7&8 getting HI and VI-N on them in a 5.1 SMPTE-DCP mix, but I don't understand why 7&8 would be wired up to the surrounds instead of 5&6 in that case anyways.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 11-05-2010, 10:25 AM:

Descriptive audio? Are theaters catering to the massive blind moviegoer market now?

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 11-05-2010, 01:56 PM:

The standard Megamind in digital came with 4 files. Two were for 2D and two were for 3D.

Are you playing the version with "71" in the filename or "51"? (Unless you have different systems, you probably only have keys to unlock one file.)

Due Date had 4 different 2D versions, 3 of them were for descriptive audio and the like, but I don't think the standard Megamind drives came with it.

Posted by David Zylstra (Member # 4230) on 11-05-2010, 07:22 PM:

I've heard of this issue with GDC and DoReMi as well.

So far my 4 locations claim they do not have the issue.

Update: I helped my dealer track down one of his customer's issue and the result in his case seems to be that a wrong cable was used from their digital adapter to a DTS-6AD. They had used a straight through cable to the DTS-6AD input and the DTS requires the negative for each channel to be on specific pins (it sounds to me that some installs are getting straight through cables installed with certain pins removed). I know many phase 1 Cinedigm sites with DTS-6ADs may have gotten a wrong analog audio cable installed as well (I know because I was one of them - all the negatives were scrambled).

Posted by Jeremy Weigel (Member # 4208) on 11-05-2010, 08:31 PM:

quote: David Zylstra
I helped my dealer track down one of his customer's issue and the result in his case seems to be that a wrong cable was used from their digital adapter to a DTS-6AD. They had used a straight through cable to the DTS-6AD input and the DTS requires the negative for each channel to be on specific pins (it sounds to me that some installs are getting straight through cables installed with certain pins removed). I know many phase 1 Cinedigm sites with DTS-6ADs may have gotten a wrong analog audio cable installed as well (I know because I was one of them - all the negatives were scrambled).

Yep. Had this very same issue when our 2 GDC's were installed last year. They tried to use a straight thru 25 pin and it doesn't match up. If I remember correctly you'll get stage signal thru the surrounds. You have to make a custom cable.

Posted by Kurt Zupin (Member # 2751) on 11-06-2010, 03:27 AM:

Brad: I only downloaded the 5.1 3D since our location does not have the 7.1 We also only had the key for the one.

I didn't work today but they did get it fixed. I'll find out what happened and update when I find out.

Posted by Joseph Pandolfi (Member # 223) on 11-06-2010, 05:50 AM:

When I QC'd the feature and the trailers It seemed that the surrounds had a louder volume than the L-C-R screen speakers. I had to raise the volume to compensate. And had to do the same in the two other 3D houses we were running it in after my walkthroughs in the there.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 11-12-2010, 03:41 PM:

...and sadly, our 35MM print of it ran fine - both sound and picture..

What's really wrong with running good ol' film? Playing film doesn't freeze up the unit, no playlist to build to get the cues in correctly, or if cues starts to go corrupt and no software issues to worry about?

You put it together, thread up the machine, start the thing and run it for the gazillon weeks of engagement, then break the film down and put back in that 50lb box to huff back downstairs and start the cycle over again..

Posted by Jonathan Althaus (Member # 5042) on 11-12-2010, 08:39 PM:

One thing wrong with film......Idiotic booth monkeys who can't pay attention to what they're doing and scratch my brand new print. Oh wait, that's not a fault of film

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 11-12-2010, 10:00 PM:

quote: Monte L Fullmer
...and sadly, our 35MM print of it ran fine - both sound and picture..

Dude that totally sucks!

Posted by Jonathan Goeldner (Member # 4854) on 11-14-2010, 09:59 AM:

Kurt: maybe you have a ghost haunting your theatre [Wink]