Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Ideas for an automated announcement system

This is topic Ideas for an automated announcement system in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 07-31-2016, 11:09 PM:

At our drive-in we do an announcement at intermission to remind people to run their engine, visit the snack bar, and so forth.

We would like to come up with a solution to play a pre-recorded message as soon as the movie's credits start. We though about making a DCP with the announcement and a blank screen, but then we have to wait until the credits are done - which is sometimes 10 minutes into the intermission.

The basic goal is to have a cue right after the credits cue which would trigger a playback device to start, change the audio input, then switch back the audio input after 30 seconds. The audio cues are no problem. It's the playback device I need help with. It could be an optical media or a solid state media. We've though about a situation where we have a message on a constant loop, but this might cause the announcement to start in the middle.

I am assuming we would need to have a device which could take a GPIO input.

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 08-01-2016, 12:19 AM:

Are you sure that your agreements with the distributors allow you to interrupt the credits like that?

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 08-01-2016, 12:22 AM:

The credits would still be on screen, we would just talk.

Posted by Tom Ruff (Member # 6153) on 08-01-2016, 01:22 AM:

A Gilderfluke &co SD-25 will do that. It can either take an external stereo signal and mix it with the announcement or it has a trigger line to activate a relay while it is playing its announcements. The relay can be used to switch between it and the normal source

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 08-01-2016, 01:35 AM:

Tom, that makes me wonder if a Raspberry Pi might also work for the application.

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 08-01-2016, 07:24 AM:

For the past 15 years, I've used a "Simian" broadcast automation system to do exactly what you're asking about. The same automation manages my pre-show, intermission and post-show messages and music content in the fields and downstairs in the snack bar. It also starts/restarts the projectors as directed by a program log that's not drastically different from the playlists you're building on your server now. Everything I would normally say to the audience in the course of the evening is pre-recorded and plays out through the automation. I only use a live mic for emergencies, which may happen once or twice in an entire season out here. I literally push one button, make sure I have good picture and sound on all 3 screens, note that the air conditioners are running, and I'm done in the booth until the end of the evening, when my daughter or I go back up to shut things down. Between the projector servers and the Simian system, the entire evening is handled through the automations.

My system might, or might not be overkill, based on what you're looking for, but as a broadcast engineer, it was a fairly natural thing to do here. You might come up with something more simple, and possibly less expensive than my solution, but it definitely can be done.

Here are a couple of links, showing the system as it was before we converted. The film gear is all gone, but the automation remained. Prior to converting, Simian was interfaced to the projectors through their TA-10 automations. When I converted, I put the new interface board in the TA-10s, which now communicate with the servers and really have no idea anything changed.

http://www.rodeodrivein.com/gallery/Booth-Rebuild/Dsc00104

http://www.rodeodrivein.com/gallery/Booth-Rebuild/Dsc00039

Posted by David Buckley (Member # 2600) on 08-01-2016, 11:33 PM:

quote: Tom Ruff
A Gilderfluke &co SD-25

I like the Gilderfluke stuff a lot, but I'd be tempted to drop a buck and changed on a MP3 decoder board to see how that works out.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-02-2016, 04:20 AM:

Or, use DCP-o-Matic.

Record a .wav file and convert it with this program to make a DCP to add into the SPL.

At least, this program could be used for your intermission audio tags, which is between the two features, and the DCP can be added as such.

-Monte

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 08-02-2016, 09:02 AM:

That's true, Monte. But I think the idea is to lay the audio announcement over the film audio while the credits are playing... like when you'd switch over to mic to make intermission announcements, etc. Making a DCP would work, but it wouldn't play until the movie file ran out.

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 08-04-2016, 04:19 PM:

Justin - google e.g. 'WTV020-SD', or:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/U-Disk-Mini-MP3-DFPlayer-Player-Module-Audio-Voice-Board-Shield- For-Arduino-UNO-/271726316962?hash=item3f44268da2:g:lroAAOSwKfVXKxnd

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SD-SDHC-Card-MP3-WAV-Player-Board-Module-TTL-External-IO-Control-3-3V-5VDC-/301923629394?hash=item464c0cf952:g:6o0AAOSw0QFXCH~P

There are lots of these devices available on ebay for very little money. Yes, the smallest/cheapest PI could do it just as well, but even a PI would be overkill for it.

The question is, how much D.I.Y. are you able to?

- Carsten