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Author Topic: DOLBY DIGITAL EX
Raj Sheth
Film Handler

Posts: 13
From: Indiana
Registered: Aug 1999


 - posted 08-18-1999 03:07 AM      Profile for Raj Sheth   Email Raj Sheth   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I was wondering if anyone who has a Dolby Digital EX Processor (SA-10) installed in any of they're theaters has experienced a dramatic difference with the added "rear" surround channel. After having viewed SW:TPM, Austin Powers 2, and The Haunting, I am yet to fully appreciate the capability of Dolby EX. Although The Haunting provided the most noticable "rear" channel separation, I am still not impressed. I was just wondering about others encounters with the SA-10.

Thanks,

Raj

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99


 - posted 08-18-1999 04:53 AM      Profile for Brad Miller   Author's Homepage   Email Brad Miller       Edit/Delete Post 
Personally, until the sound mixers start utilizing the rear center channel more, I think it is a waste...especially at it's price tag!

For substantially less, one can modify their CP65 to house a second matrix card in the spare slot for EX.

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 08-18-1999 10:20 AM      Profile for Gordon McLeod   Email Gordon McLeod   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
For even less one can use the smart circle surround ex or the dts or the panalogic units
the panmalogic also alows for 1/3 octave eq
If you have a cp200 with the aux cage you can put a 150 in the extra delay slot and wire it to the P/Q/ M surround eq cards

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99


 - posted 08-18-1999 02:27 PM      Profile for Joe Redifer   Author's Homepage   Email Joe Redifer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I personally think that the DTS-ES unit is far better than the Dolby SA-10. But as far as the "EX Experience" goes, I think it is mostly a gimmick. I can hear the rear surround channel if I tilt my head sideways, but when I am looking at the screen, forget it. It does make the left and right surrounds seem a bit more "discrete" however.

I think that the sound mixers have had plenty of time to mix the soundtracks so that we actually notice a difference. I just think the idea sucks, that's all.

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RICK HAMILTON
Film Handler

Posts: 28

Registered: Aug 1999


 - posted 08-22-1999 12:29 AM      Profile for RICK HAMILTON   Email RICK HAMILTON   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Raj....I had the opportunity to "experience" your theatre in question, and I found the rear channel to be very noticable. Of course there were only 2 other people in the room and i was sitting in the 2nd row from the back!!!!Just kidding... I think there are too many variables for the ex channel. In a stadium theatre with Highback chairs, can you even hear the surrounds behind you???? I thought that this was the reason for the highbacks...to eliminate the noise of the popcorn munching behind you. Unless you sit in the back row, how could you hear the surrounds back there? Maybe twenty of them in an array with a separate rack full of MX1500's??

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timothy johnson
Film Handler

Posts: 50
From: minneapolis, mN 55419
Registered: Jul 99


 - posted 08-22-1999 01:23 PM      Profile for timothy johnson   Email timothy johnson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I think it was a waste of time and money, just like
sense-surround for films like battlestar gallactica and roller coaster, it was a fly-by-night fad. In ten
years people will laugh, dolby-ex?

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 08-22-1999 02:12 PM      Profile for Scott Norwood   Author's Homepage   Email Scott Norwood   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Agreed with all the comments posted here. It's sort of a cheesy faddish thing that doesn't add much to the film experience. It might be worth $100 or so, but $5k for an SA-10 is more than a bit much for such a small "improvement" in a sound system. A lot of theatres could make far more significant improvements to their sound systems for $5k.

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RICK HAMILTON
Film Handler

Posts: 28

Registered: Aug 1999


 - posted 08-22-1999 07:24 PM      Profile for RICK HAMILTON   Email RICK HAMILTON   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Just wait until we have to go back and add the surrounds in the ceiling for the next surround channel!!

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99


 - posted 08-22-1999 07:30 PM      Profile for Brad Miller   Author's Homepage   Email Brad Miller       Edit/Delete Post 
That is easily done with a homemade modified EX processor as I had mentioned above. Just take the LS and RS into the matrix and use the following outputs from that card...

L=LS
C=EX (or center surround)
R=RS
S=CS (ceiling surround)

For that matter, let's all add 2 more matrix cards so we can create more channels between the LS and L as well as the RS and R! Wow! It's just like SDDS and that "8 channel difference" no one can hear nor cares about!

I think the whole matrixing/EX thing is taking it a bit too far, though. If the sound mixers really wanted more channels, why not just add a second DTS unit and another reader to give 6 more DISCRETE channels to play with?

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99


 - posted 08-22-1999 08:12 PM      Profile for Joe Redifer   Author's Homepage   Email Joe Redifer   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I totally agree with Brad on this one. A second DTS unit would be awesome, and cheaper (and tons better) than an SA-10. I also think Scott summed up his comments nicely. I can't really add to that.

What's the next big fad? Mono?

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System Notices
Forum Watchdog / Soup Nazi

Posts: 215

Registered: Apr 2004


 - posted 07-15-2005 08:22 AM      Profile for System Notices         Edit/Delete Post 

It has been 2153 days since the last post.


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Andy Summers
Master Film Handler

Posts: 397
From: Bournemouth Dorset United kingdom
Registered: Jun 2005


 - posted 07-15-2005 08:22 AM      Profile for Andy Summers         Edit/Delete Post 
I seam to remember thinking about this idea in the middle of 1998 and talking to Dolby New York with a “Kris Kristofferson” not the vampire killer guys this one however was sucking on my idea about using a Dolby Pro-Logic processor for creating a different mix out of the split-surrounds.

You see I was about to buy a DTS millennium decoder, for the home cinema and thinking like a projectionists, I thought to myself would this work so a 25min to 30min conversation with a Dolby technician to see what they think of the possibilities, “Kris Kristofferson” was saying “why would I what to do that” I said “disorientation, this will remove the phantom signal and hopefully give a more open sound to the left and right spilt-surrounds and creating a new dimension in the sound.”

After the conversation ended, and about one week later when I got the “DTS” millennium 2.4.6. decoder and re-plugging the split-surrounds and playing “Goldeneye” in “DTS” was totally awesome, there is no way in hell I’m changing it back to the other configuration, although a the press of the button I can, but this was too exciting.

As for “Sensurround” that was not a bad sound system sure it didn’t last long but the sub bass in the cinema on reel 3 holy sub bass that was in my face, yes I’m still suffering Sensurround syndrome to this day…..

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Paul H. Rayton
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 210
From: Los Angeles, CA , USA
Registered: Aug 2003


 - posted 07-15-2005 07:45 PM      Profile for Paul H. Rayton     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Well, I gotta agree that the "promise" of Surround EX hasn't exactly set the cinema audio world on fire! I think nowadays everyones' attention is focused on d- and e- cinema.
But, for what it's worth, my theatre (the Egyptian, of the American Cinematheque, in L.A.) recently played a multi-day engagement of the newest Godzilla film ("Godzilla: Final Wars"), which was in EX. And man, it did work! One of our floor workers commented to me, later on, words to the effect that "Gee, that sound was incredible! It was circling around and and around the theatre, almost enough to make my head spin!" She wasn't technical enough to know what we had done, but the desired effect sure happened!

Unfortunately, it appears that "Godzilla: Final Wars" (which originally opened in Japan back in Dec. 2004) is not destined for U.S. distribution. Not that I know of, anyway. We had the "exclusive engagement", at least for L.A., so it may yet show up somewhere else. If so, be sure that you engage the Surround EX buttons (or whatever else you do on the other systems), for best results.

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Louis Bornwasser
Film God

Posts: 4441
From: prospect ky usa
Registered: Mar 2005


 - posted 07-17-2005 07:28 AM      Profile for Louis Bornwasser   Author's Homepage   Email Louis Bornwasser   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
The best-ever "EX" film is "Apocalypse Now." It is the standard by which all others will forever be judged.

Now you say it was not released in EX....mayne not but it was "format 43-70mm." And its use of surrounds probably will never be equalled. (because of cost & time)

Louis

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