Keeping the equipment going during a shutdown

[Leo Enticknap]

Also, I'm interested in how one would use a DSP100 in place of the Cat.862.

Dolby have a cheat sheet to walk you through it. It has "Confidential - do not pass it around" footers on it, so I don't feel comfortable uploading it here; but I'm sure they would send it to you if you emailed them. Essentially, you either need to configure the DSS200 to use whatever is the DSP100's existing IP address for the link data NIC (i.e. override the cat862 default), or configure the DSP100 to use whatever is the DSS200 to cat862 default. And of course, you'll also be limited to 24 frames per second CPLs, because that is the only frame rate that the DSP100 can play.

Mark - it's in GDC tech bulletin #126. It cites a "reasonable usage" life of 3.5 years, and a "shelf life" of 1.5 years (i.e. 18 months). Given that during the shutdown, it is essentially on the shelf, I put the 18-month figure in that table put together around this time last year.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

The funny thing was I had that SX-3000 fail before GDC even knew what the battery life was. They covered that one under warranty anyway. I always went by 3 years once we all knew about it, because some theaters only got one visit per year and that might take it a little beyond the three year point. Never had one brick after that first unit did... They told me they were going to build a battery level meter into the SR-1000, but it does not look like that ever happened. ...

[Leo Enticknap]

The biggest problem I've had with the SX-3000 has been when end users try the battery swapout themselves, and the rubber plugs are stuck hard both to the top of the batteries and the bar holding them in place. They undo the screws holding the bar down, pull the bar up, both batteries come with it, and then it's time for some R-rated language (especially if the SX-3000 is not in warranty). After hearing the second report of this I have always pressed down on both batteries with my fingers as I remove the bar, and have emphasized as strongly as I can to any end user who wants to try replacing the batteries, that they need to do likewise.

All of the incidents I've heard about where this has happened have been with the Tadiran batteries. Dunno if this is also a risk with the GDC IMBs that take CR2354s: I've never encountered one in the flesh.

[Steve Kraus]

Dolby furnished the instructions for using the DSP100 in place of the Cat.862, were that to fail. Actually it's more like the DSS200 substitutes for the DSS100 but potato potahto.

First, I put in an alt set of drives for the DSS200 and loaded the system, just in case I messed things up. Connected up the DSP100 and followed the directions. Instead of "Searching for Showstore" the DSP said "connecting." But it hung on that. I played around with config and rebooting but no change. I thought the issue was the connection between boxes. Then I noticed that the DSP100 could see content on the DSS200 and other 200-related info I realized it was the projector connection it was referring to. More rebooting and general fooling around and in the end, given that I had a nearly empty RAID and thus nothing to lose, I reloaded the system again. Didn't think that would help since it seemed to make no change to the DSP100. Probably unnecessary but in the end everything connected and I could play content. So I do have a working backup for the Cat.862. Now to get the DSS100 running again and I will have a full backup server. One less concern.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Atta Boy Steve! You should post the video...

[Marcel Birgelen]

Dolby furnished the instructions for using the DSP100 in place of the Cat.862, were that to fail. Actually it's more like the DSS200 substitutes for the DSS100 but potato potahto.

Great to know you managed to get this even going. I agree with Mark, but maybe you should first ask Dolby if you're allowed to shared their instructions, even though this is hardly a supported configuration...