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Topic: Server Problems? Welcome back!

John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 08-31-1999 03:32 PM

Welcome back!

You don't know how much you miss something you value, until it's taken away.

Hope the server problems are behind you, and the "promised" backup is really there when it happens again.

Can you imagine a electronic cinema image server for a 20-plex going down on a Saturday night, and not being restored until three days later? And if you lose or corrupt those twenty 360-gigabyte image files you downloaded off satellite or fiber, will they resend them? Or use optical disk? --- today's common single-side, single-layer DVD holds 4.7 gig, so you'd need about 75 of them per movie as backup, or about 1500 to back-up all 20 movies. Compression may bring down the data requirements, but at at the risk of more artifacts.

Film and film equipment may sometimes be a pain in the a--, but if there's a problem, the most you'll lose is a show or two, or have to wait for a replacement reel to be overnighted.

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Erika Hellgren
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 168
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-31-1999 04:50 PM

Well put, John! And thank you, Brad, for all your hard work in getting the site back up.

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

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

posted 08-31-1999 05:26 PM

Glad your Back
Film-tech withdrawl symptons are about to set in :-)

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Rick Long
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 759
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-31-1999 05:49 PM

Brad, it is all too seldom expressed how appreciative we all are at the enormous amount of time you must spend maintaining this site. On behalf of all of us, Thanks and welcome back.
Incidentally, I notice that we all seem to have new titles. What are the requirements and various levels?

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Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 08-31-1999 06:33 PM

Thanks for the kind words. Spread the word and let's get the projection community in one centralized location. With members from various equipment manufacturers and people such as John Pytlak from Kodak, this is turning into a nice little place where people new and old to the business can find lots of good information and field problems can get back to the manufacturers for corrections.

I am still working out a few bugs. For example, the topic reply or new topic window is back to the "factory setting" of really small. The new statuses was a mistake, as I forgot to load up a hacked file to permit the various stages of "Film Handler". That has been corrected and from the looks of it, Gordon is about to make the next jump when he reaches 100 posts.

What comes after that? Well, looks like everyone will have to put their money on Joe, because at the rate he is going, he will reach it first. (My title will not change until the first member reaches the next level, regardless of when I actually reach the next level on my own.)

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Bruce McGee
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1776
From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular.
Registered: Aug 1999

posted 08-31-1999 09:13 PM

After an hour of not being able to reply to this thread, I would like to thank Brad publicly for getting me back up and running.

OK. This site is the greatest! There are some real brains here that dont mind talking to old brain-dead 42 year olds like me. All the Vitafilm affected me, I think.

Bruce

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George Roher
Master Film Handler

Posts: 266
From: Washington DC
Registered: Jul 99

posted 08-31-1999 10:10 PM

"Can you imagine a electronic cinema image server for a 20-plex going
down on a Saturday night, and not being restored until three days later?"

That will happen eventually. The majority of projection booths I have been in are hot, dusty, muggy, holes. Not the prefered operating environment for sensitive computer equipment.

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Stephen Jones
Master Film Handler

Posts: 314
From: Geelong Victoria Australia
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-01-1999 09:22 PM

Ill bet thet they will upgrade air con systems etc for their expensive digital projection equipment no expence spared.
Good to see the forum back.

------------------

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Jason Burroughs
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 654
From: Allen, TX
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-01-1999 09:38 PM

are you kidding the majority of theatres can't and wont even keep the idea conditions for film. Most booths I've been are also dirty, hot, and humid. computer equipment hates all of these. Just anyone that works in a computer enviroment has seen a server room, just about the opposite of a projection booth.
On the subject of media though... why not combine 2 exising technologies. The layering, compression and encryption of DVD, on a medium the size of a laser disc. These would be easily handled and shipped. Ship the discs to the theatre. The studio's computer contacts the theatres computer to "unlock" the discs at the appropriate time. I know its probably not feasable, just an Idea...

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Stephen Jones 1
Film Handler

Posts: 62
From: Tulsa, OK, USA
Registered: Aug 1999

posted 09-02-1999 04:42 AM

Yeah, that would be great if all movies came on Laserdiscs; but where's the fun in that? Seriously though, the resolution of 35mm is so superior compared to the high-res of a TV screen or even computer monitor that it would take literally 1000s of GBs to transfer in full with no compression a 35mm print completely to digital. Can you imagine about 100 - 500 laserdiscs to run a movie... yeah right! In my opinion, if the long jump from film to digital is to be accomplished, the least that digital cinema can offer is the same resolution of 35mm film and no compression. Of course, that's not going to happen; even if it did it would be even more expensive than the current digital projectors. Until I hear some feasible arguments with digital, I see no reason to switch from film. If it isn't broken, don't fix it.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 09-02-1999 03:37 PM

Imagine two high rez laserdisc players and an operator performing changeovers every 30 seconds.

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