Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Options for running intermission Music

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Posted by Stephen Frazza (Member # 2320) on 08-28-2012, 11:29 AM:

We are about to wire our theater so we can use the Dolby Show Library. We have 6 spread out booths and when we run the cable for the library I want to also run cable so we can run all of our Non-sync from one location. Right now we have a dvd player in each both to play music. It is all going to be run out to cp650 & 750's.

I just wanted to see how everybody handles this and also figure out what kind of cable would be best to run for this(not the Cat6 but for the non-sync).

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 08-28-2012, 12:44 PM:

Thread

Posted by Stephen Frazza (Member # 2320) on 08-28-2012, 01:04 PM:

Thank you, but I was talking about how to run it hardware wise not
what to play.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 08-28-2012, 01:34 PM:

I hate centralized non-sync music systems. If a theatre cannot cough up $200 or so per screen for a CD player, then it deserves to go out of business.

That said, the usual method is to use a distribution amplifier (Smart and Ultra-Stereo made/make these) and long runs of shielded cable. This often results in hum, as these systems are typically unbalanced. A better approach is to use transformers at either end to balance the signal and unbalance it at the processor end. Sadly, transformers are not cheap.

Posted by Ron Funderburg (Member # 4561) on 08-28-2012, 01:42 PM:

quote: Scott Norwood
I hate centralized non-sync music systems. If a theatre cannot cough up $200 or so per screen for a CD player, then it deserves to go out of business.

Why do you hate centralized non-sync music? What is wrong with each auditorium having the same music at the same time? Small theaters it would be disturbing to have the hall flooded with 6 or 7 theaters all playing a different song at the sometime. I doubt you can be in more than one theater at the same time can you? So what is your beef on it?

If the system is set up right there will be no hum.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 08-28-2012, 01:51 PM:

I like to pick out music that is appropriate for the film being shown. Action films get different music from foreign films, etc. Also, I dislike the idea that if the theatre's one CD player fails, no theatre gets intermission music.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 08-28-2012, 01:56 PM:

quote: Scott Norwood
This often results in hum, as these systems are typically unbalanced.

quote: Ron Funderburg
If the system is set up right there will be no hum.

Nonsequitur. His complaint is that hums occur in many instances of these installs, not that it happens in all of them.

Posted by Ron Funderburg (Member # 4561) on 08-28-2012, 01:57 PM:

OIC! I have done the same thing from time to time. I prefer music and a trivia slide show to the umm way we do it here. I don't like ad's in a theater other than static slide type advertising. Was just curious.

Chris, I wasn't saying his complaint was valid I was saying it doesn't happen when it is installed right.

Posted by Ken Lackner (Member # 1002) on 08-28-2012, 07:20 PM:

Component Engineering makes a transmitter/receiver music distribution system that works very well. One transmitter is installed at the CD/DVD/MP3/etc player, and one receiver is installed in each sound rack. The receivers are daisy-chained, so no need for home run from each sound rack back to the DA.

http://www.componentengineering.com/audio_dist.html

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 08-28-2012, 07:34 PM:

Given that a lot of cinema sound systems have gone to utilizing cat 5/6 ethernet cabling for most of the run, I'd think something similar for this would work pretty well. I'd imagine with having significantly shorter audio wiring, you'd have much less of a chance for the hum (but I've been wrong before [Smile]

Posted by Tom Wienholt (Member # 1510) on 08-28-2012, 07:51 PM:

If you have a hum problem, you could always use a ground loop isolator to stop it. Yes, I understand that "if wired properly" there will not be a hum. But, the ground loop isolator is a simple fix if the problem cannot be diagnosed.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 08-28-2012, 11:06 PM:

The Component Engineering thing looks interesting. Is it a new product? I have not seen it before (although I have pretty much been out of the multiplex business for the last couple of years).

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 08-29-2012, 06:52 AM:

You can have a networked consumer-type media player installed for each screen.

Like a WD-TV. They can be configured to play from ethernet, or local storage (USB stick). All options there. You can also control them remotely, either all playing the same content, or each or some of them play individual playlists. It's certainly a bit more complicated to set-up than just a distributed audio wiring, but it may be worth it. The cost of about 80-100US$ per unit could be less, using the existing CAT6 cables, compared against a dedicated symmetrical analog cabling or the like.

Aditional bonus - these can also play images, video, etc. through the digital projector - intermission slides, ads, private photos if the auditorium is rented for a party or something.

- Carsten

Posted by Ken Lackner (Member # 1002) on 08-29-2012, 08:29 AM:

quote: Scott Norwood
The Component Engineering thing looks interesting. Is it a new product?

Not at all. My first encounter with the system was over 12 years ago.

Posted by Stephen Frazza (Member # 2320) on 08-31-2012, 01:53 PM:

Any idea to the cost of the Component Engineering system?

Posted by Stephen Frazza (Member # 2320) on 09-04-2012, 02:33 PM:

Does anyone have any experience using something like this- CAT-5 stereo audio balun

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 09-05-2012, 10:12 AM:

Yes, I use these things regularly and it's a great and cheap option to transmit audio (and analog video signals) over existing network cables.

You can get them a lot cheaper if needed, depends a bit on how much you depend on a plug-and-play device (fitting connectors, mounting options, etc.).

A 8wire=4pair CAT5 cable can carry up to 4 balanced signals, e.g. a stereo signal forward and backward.

You can find Quad-Baluns at ebay for as little as 20US$. They let you choose to connect a mix of audio and video signals to transmit over a single cable. The video option nowadays is mostly used for security applications only.

Usually they are called 'Baluns', but esentially they contain audio tranformers. These are passive devices, and unless some for special applications, need no active power.

- Carsten