quote: Kyle Watkins

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You got a back up on your proj why they did not shut off with the power.

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Um.. I think I get what you're asking.

I've had this happen before with an outage that lasted under a second. The outage was so short that the projectors kept running, however, some of the E-Lights blinked on real qick, and one of our houses dumped out to non sync. So my quess is that their projectors do not have back up as you suggest. The power outage was so short that the projectors just sailed through them.
 

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Posted by Stephen Frazza (Member # 2320) on 07-16-2004, 12:43 AM:
 
What do you mean backup? The power loss caused the cinema processor to switch to non-sync and it stayed there till i put it back into optical or digital. The outage was short no more than a second or two But the projector just keep going and didn't fault and the lamps shut off but reignited.
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 07-16-2004, 12:48 AM:
 
Right. Thats exactly what i said. That you DONT have a power backup for your projector as Mr. Watkins asks about (I think) in the post abouve mine.

Same exact thing happened to me. Your outage must have been longer than mine, because we only lost sound in one theatre. The rest of our CP-500s stayed in digital, and our DTS all droped to analog.

We had far more passes over the brief "blink" of the e-lights.
 

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Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 07-16-2004, 01:39 AM:
 
Every sound rack should have a UPS to help protect against power problems.
 

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Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 07-16-2004, 02:54 AM:
 
Boy, the climate sure has changed from when I started working in theatres!
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 07-16-2004, 06:05 AM:
 
I have started putting UPS battery backups on:

*Sound processor
*Automation
*Platters

Now I just need to find a dimmer that I like which I can power the control circuit off of the UPS and the load on a seperate circuit and I'll be set. Power goes out? No biggie. The shows will automatically resume exactly where they were when the power is restored.
 

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Posted by R. Andrew Diercks (Member # 1725) on 07-16-2004, 12:00 PM:
 
I realize there is nothing you can do to prevent power outages, but the customers did not get the best presentation. I would give out passes before anyone asked me. You can make a lot more money being nice to people than to try to pass the buck to the power company.
 

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Posted by Christian Volpi (Member # 2370) on 07-16-2004, 02:30 PM:
 
If the presentation wasn't 100% then it should be common sense to give out passes. Customers come into the theater expected the best quality. If you did not give them the quality that they expected then they are entitled to a pass. Heck, there just going to come back and buy more concessions anyways and that's what gaurantees that I get a check each week.
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 07-16-2004, 02:49 PM:
 
As a customer, I would expect to be offered passes if the sound or picture outage was more than a few seconds, such that I missed significant picture continuity.

Whether I would demand passes would depend on what I missed. If the outage occured during a scene critical to understanding/enjoying the movie, I would want to see the movie again. If it occured during the trailers or closing credits, I might let it go.

The investment in having a UPS for the critical components Brad mentioned would be worth it, especially for theatres that often suffer "burps" in their electrical service. The UPS also conditions the power, eliminating troublesome transients that can throw digital electronics into a "tizzy".
 

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Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 07-16-2004, 03:33 PM:
 
UPS on the platter strikes me as a very good idea indeed, not least because if some issue caused the platter to fail while the projector kept on running (e.g. a breaker tripping when it shouldn't do), you could end up with a pretty nasty wrap.

quote: Mike Blakesley

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When we were installing our DTS, we were without surrounds for 2 days. We put a sign at the boxoffice offering refunds if anyone wasn't satisfied.

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Personally I'd say that was asking for trouble, because you're bound to get some jokers who are going to watch the film and then try it on for a refund by claiming that the absence of surrounds affected their experience. In the absence of a sign, then if anyone really does notice that the surrounds are down then I wouldn't hesitate to explain the situation and then offer a refund or pass; but I'd be reluctant to advertise the fact and thereby actually invite people to request one.
 

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 07-16-2004, 03:37 PM:
 
What is the preferred model of UPS for a sound rack? I assume that it would only be powering the processor and any digital units, correct?
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 07-16-2004, 04:04 PM:
 
I have been using regular "brick" UPS backups, by ADC or whatever company that is. They are around $50-60 and are not the cheapest model, but aren't the high end either. There is one in each sound rack and a large one one per 2-3 platters. When you think about it, the sound / automation isn't really sucking any amount of power, and after a few seconds once the platter slows to a stop it won't be using any power to speak of either.

By the way, those of you with cat702 penthouse readers be aware that your leds will never turn off if you are using a CP500 or CP650. You will have to install a seperate switch to use that reader and not burn the leds all night long. Does anyone know if the BACP equivalent derives it's power from the processor? It seemed like a bonus at first, but in reality it's a negative.

Anyone have recommendations on 4 step dimmers with seperate control and load power circuits?
 

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 07-16-2004, 04:43 PM:
 
The BACP reader is definitely powered by the processor. There is no separate power cord like on the cat. 700.
 

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Posted by Ken Lackner (Member # 1002) on 07-17-2004, 03:23 AM:
 
So Brad, am I to understand by your comment about burning the LED's all night long, that you never turn the sound processor off?

I worked in a booth that had 701's and 500's. I installed APC's for the processors, but they would go off every night. (I know the 701 doesn't get its power from the processor, I was just pointing out the fact that I turned the APC's off at night.)
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 07-17-2004, 04:18 AM:
 
APC is generally regarded as the best brand of UPS (other than UPS themselves, but FedEx is better anyway. har har) in the mission critical computer world. You should be aware that not every outlet on a UPS offers battery backup, so know what you are plugging into it and where. [av=n]
 

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Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 07-17-2004, 04:59 AM:
 
John's rational perspective is exactly how we deal with this situation. In any case where we can't present a show with uniform quality, I will: A): make a pass available if the problem is only a few seconds in length... and then only if the customer asks for it... B): Offer passes en-masse if the interruption is significant or C): offer full refunds if the interruption is substantial and we're not at least half-way through the show.. or so. I will not offer any pass or refund for problems with trailers or credits. In any case, we allow people to leave with a full refund if the show hasn't started, so trailers don't really qualify.

Now, by saying "uniform quality", I mean the best I can offer at the moment. For example, I don't agree with offering refunds if my digital is down and the audience has to suffer through a show in SR. There are chain houses here with mono sound, and my SR kicks much bootie. Half of you guys wouldn't notice (and I won't say which half! )

Anyhow... we do have a compensation policy in place... but it is not a free-for-all. Remember the kids that would come in and watch the trailers, then leave and get a full refund? Talk about disrupting your seat counts!
 

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Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 07-17-2004, 08:14 AM:
 
I usually install a UPS for the processor, monitor, crossover, digital device and afterburner (basically any device before the power amps to prevent unwanted thumps
Also in several locations I added a relay that once the power drops it stays off till reset to prevent repeated on off cycles if the power becomes unsteady
 

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Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 07-17-2004, 09:53 AM:
 
UPS for Processor/monitor and automation has been the norm for export clients. One client who is building e-cinema systems has his presentation rack and projector on a rack based UPS set-up.
 

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Posted by Cory Isemann (Member # 2517) on 07-18-2004, 07:03 PM:
 
Tell you one thing, ensure all the fail-safes are in good working order, since the last time our power blinked, not only did most go into non-sync, I found the last two reels of "White Chicks" on the floor in front of the projector because the fail-safe stuck. Bummer!
 

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Posted by Martin Brooks (Member # 1269) on 07-18-2004, 07:27 PM:
 

quote: Jack Ondracek

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For example, I don't agree with offering refunds if my digital is down and the audience has to suffer through a show in SR.

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