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Author Topic: Infrared hearing system signal tap help
Andy Muirhead
Master Film Handler

Posts: 323
From: Galashiels, Scotland
Registered: Dec 2000


 - posted 03-07-2003 04:28 PM      Profile for Andy Muirhead   Email Andy Muirhead   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
We are installing an Infrared Hearing System into one of our screens. At the moment we are trying to figure out the best place to tap the audio from.

This screen has an Ultra-Stereo processor, model JS-100

One line of thought is taking the stereo signal from the pre-amp out l-r on the back of the processor.

Anybody have any ideas?

Another idea is to tap into the L/C/R/S between the processor and the booth monitor.

Any help and words of wisdom would be much appreciated!

The make and model of the infrared system is the SoundPlus Infrared System, Model WIR TX925

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Jack Ondracek
Film God

Posts: 2348
From: Port Orchard, WA, USA
Registered: Oct 2002


 - posted 03-07-2003 04:49 PM      Profile for Jack Ondracek   Author's Homepage   Email Jack Ondracek   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Our H/I systems connect to a mono output from our booth monitor. You might check to see if yours offers this feature. Our processors also have an output specifically for an H/I system.

Check both your processor and booth monitor for H/I or "mono" summed outputs. If you don't have one anywhere in your system already, then it's time to consider other options.

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Andy Muirhead
Master Film Handler

Posts: 323
From: Galashiels, Scotland
Registered: Dec 2000


 - posted 03-07-2003 06:13 PM      Profile for Andy Muirhead   Email Andy Muirhead   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
We have checked both the booth monitor and processor for those outputs hence the need to try and find some other way of tapping a decent signal!

Although there may well be something around the back of the Ultra-Stereo that is similar to your suggestion and we haven't spotted it yet.

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Phil Hill
I love my cootie bug

Posts: 7595
From: Hollywood, CA USA
Registered: Mar 2000


 - posted 03-07-2003 06:21 PM      Profile for Phil Hill   Email Phil Hill       Edit/Delete Post 
I've used a RS "Stick-On" mixer to combine the LCR screen channels at line level feeding the booth monitor.

>>> Phil

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Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000


 - posted 03-07-2003 08:37 PM      Profile for Darryl Spicer     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
on ours we tapped off the center and left channel speaker outputs on the amps. But you could probably achieve the same results tapping off the monitor amp inputs. It's a mono souce anyways so I do not see a need to use all the channel outputs Just the L/C/R for digital. To much could cause distortion in the sound.

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Gerard S. Cohen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 975
From: Forest Hills, NY, USA
Registered: Sep 2001


 - posted 03-07-2003 08:53 PM      Profile for Gerard S. Cohen   Email Gerard S. Cohen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
While I can't help wirh your question directly, I agree with Darryl that the surround channels aren't needed. For people with hearing problems, the center dialog channel is what's important.
Effects channels can cause confusion and pain to those with defective hearing. I know using hearing aids, sounds outside the speech frequency and dynamic range become distorted, and I imagine the boost of a theatre system would prove similar.

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Daryl C. W. O'Shea
Film God

Posts: 3977
From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from)
Registered: Jun 2002


 - posted 03-07-2003 09:04 PM      Profile for Daryl C. W. O'Shea   Author's Homepage   Email Daryl C. W. O'Shea   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
That's the one advantage of mixes without directional dialogue -- the C/Hi output will be sufficient for your hearing impaired system.

If there isn't an output designed for a hearing impaired system on the JS-100 or your booth monitor I would connect to the C/Hi output at the processor itself. Don't forget to connect the shield at the processor and lift it at the Hearing Impared System (or whatever gives you clean audio w/o ground loops [Smile] ).

Connecting there shouldn't noticably effect your center channel level but you might want to check it after just in case.

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Rick Long
Jedi Master Film Handler

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


 - posted 03-07-2003 10:10 PM      Profile for Rick Long   Email Rick Long   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
We recently installed the infared Phonic Ear system in a ten-plex.

The equipment;
8 cinemas with CP-65's
2 cinemas with CP-45's.
All cinemas have Component Enginering MS-100 monitors.
All cinemas using Ashely FTX-1501 bi-amped amplifiers for stage channels.

Experiments showed a substantially higher signal from the "MONO OUT" terminal on the monitor than from the "H/I" terminal on the processors, hence we used this terminal.

The MS-100 uses a resistor summing network from the L LE C RE and R channels consitsting of 5 100K resistors. As has been mentioned earlier, they do not include the surround channels as the delayed surround would make the sound rather "muddy".

We found also, that the gain in the hearing impared system had to be sufficient to overcome the sound from the screen. As this would be delayed by the time for the sound travelling from the screen to the listening position combining with instanteaneous sound from the headphones, this would also provide a delay, again making the sound "muddy".

Despite the superior signal level of the MS-100, there was not enough gain to over-ride the sound from the screen. To compensate for this, we reduced the gain controls on the back of the screen amps (we use L,C,R here only) from its former position of zero to -6.

Of course, the signal levels on the processors had to be raised to obtain 85dbC slow in the auditorium, but this gave us the gain we needed from the monitors.

The CP-45's however, provided us with a special problem. They have a lower gain than the 65's, thus we were not able to drop the amp input controls that low.

To make a long story short, we opened the monitors in these two cases and dropped the L C and R 100K resistors to 47 K. Results were good with no discernable loss of separation.

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Joe Morris
Film Handler

Posts: 35
From: Papillion, NE, USA
Registered: Jan 2003


 - posted 03-08-2003 12:01 AM      Profile for Joe Morris   Email Joe Morris   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I had a Ultra Stereo j 100 DON'T tap into the pre-amp inputs on the back. If you tap from anywhere not there. you will cause the sound in your auditorium to drop dramatically. tap it from the monitor or from the center output. that should allow your patrons to adjust the volume on their headsets accordingly as well as allow you to have full sound in your auditorium

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Brad Miller
Administrator

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


 - posted 03-08-2003 12:11 AM      Profile for Brad Miller   Author's Homepage   Email Brad Miller       Edit/Delete Post 
Just a note, if you have digital sound of some sort, do NOT tap off of the center channel only. You will find lots of music and crucial parts of the soundtrack will be absent to your hearing impaired customers.

I couldn't agree with Daryl more about not tapping off of the surrounds.

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Peter Hall
Master Film Handler

Posts: 314
From: London, UK
Registered: Dec 2000


 - posted 03-08-2003 08:36 AM      Profile for Peter Hall   Author's Homepage   Email Peter Hall   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
A lot of IR transmitters we use (Williams incl) have a cut off cct, to shit the thing down when not in use. Typically this will be around 150mV. Can be a prob when using high gain amps and the CPxx output - we suggest using a resistor matrix (10k on each line, 10 k across) to sum the L C R SPEAKER outputs - this way it's irrespective of high amp gains (= low processor outputs) and doesn't introduce any xtalk. Or, yes, use a high quality monitor (shameless plug - like the FP8-bi model with a high level (700mv) HI outpur) with a HI out (doing virtually the same thing).

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Peter Hall
Master Film Handler

Posts: 314
From: London, UK
Registered: Dec 2000


 - posted 03-08-2003 08:38 AM      Profile for Peter Hall   Author's Homepage   Email Peter Hall   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Meant to say SHUT, not SHIT ! Oh shut, screwed up .. Lifes a bag of shut.. (Kiwi prouncuation for shit)

Going for some fush and chups now..

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