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Author Topic: Service of older Dolby units no longer available Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 06-01-2009 01:17 PM                        As of May 29th, Dolby will no longer service or support the following units: CP-65 and before CP-200 MPU SRA5 adapter cat 700 reader cat 280 module Louis Bornwasser  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 06-01-2009 01:34 PM                     Wow. What about the cat699 readers? I like the -1 day warning.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-01-2009 01:53 PM                     It has been common knowledge for a while I believe it was a month ago that the information was released Also in many case many of the specialty chips and some common devices are no longer available so they just are in effect often unrepairable  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-01-2009 04:36 PM                     I can't think of a chip in the 65 that is unobtainable except perhaps on some of the older decoder boards. Ditto for the 200. perhaps Carl at Quality presentations will take over doing these repairs on his own. To be honest the boards are not all that difficult to repair anyway. Dolby SHOULD now make the schematics public on these "supposedly unsupportable" devices. Mark  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 06-01-2009 04:52 PM                     The Cat 699 had already been listed as "unrepairable" by the RXO program. The "new Dolby" has taken the 7-year minimum support requirement and reinterpreted it to mean 7-year maximum! There is nothing wrong with, as parts become unavailable to say: "we can't/wont fix that any longer." However, this clearly is a matter of policy now, not a thing of requirement. Dolby has long since discontinued support for those things it can not obtain parts for. There is nothing really wrong with that. Most have not even noticed because those things have long since been obsoleted...things like CP100s that people don't think of them as anywhere remotely current. Steve  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 06-01-2009 05:22 PM                     When was the CP-65 finally discontinued? I seem to remember that Dolby continued to supply it for certain special purposes after it was generally replaced by the CP-500, and it doesn't seem many years ago that it was still listed. I can understand support for the CP-50 and its older card set being dropped, but there are a large number cf CP-55 and 65 processors in regular use.  |  IP: Logged John Wilson Film God Posts: 5438 From: Sydney, Australia. Registered: Dec 1999 posted 06-01-2009 09:28 PM                     quote: Mark Gulbrandsen Dolby SHOULD now make the schematics public on these "supposedly unsupportable" devices. Absolutely...but will they? Doubtful. If you can't service it, then you'll have to buy another processor, right?  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-01-2009 10:36 PM                     quote: John Wilson If you can't service it, then you'll have to buy another processor, right? Yes, but I can see many getting pissed off because of the "Sony Aura" that now exists at Dolby... and buying someone elses processor the next time round. I'm sure glad I'm not some theater owner having to buy this stuff! Mark  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-01-2009 11:21 PM                     many of the SSM line of ic's are gone as are many of the early cmos chips  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 06-02-2009 09:23 AM                        Almost everything digital is still serviced. The 700 is almost the same as the 701 and the DA-10, they swapped for DA-20 for free years ago. The DA-20, cat 701, 702, cp-500 and cp-650 are fully supported as well as the cp-45. The cp-55 was long gone before digital and cp-65 lingered on because some of us loved it. I think it is unfair to say that Dolby does not support its products, except minimally. There may be more to say later as regards repairs from outside Dolby. Louis  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 06-02-2009 10:07 PM                     Louis, I think everyone recognizes that Dolby has traditionally supported their products...but there is a new Dolby that seems to have not only forgotten its past but has now discontinued it. The letter that was sent could almost be taken as spiteful. There is no reason to declare that such and such will no longer be supported unless their supply of components are depleted and can't be replinished. It isn't that they will fix those things they can fix...they are now going to tell the customer, they WON'T fix those things, parts or no. Dolby now wants to charge for software updates that only work on their products. To compare, this was never done at Dolby in the past and I don't recall TI, Barco, Christie or NEC charging for firmware updates...and some were admonished for charging for software that allowed one to merely use the product. It seems that the digital future is a short one (things that have short lives) and if you want to keep things going beyond the first year...you'll be paying extra for that privilage. While most everything in the CP65 and earlier are relatively easily repaired as I don't think there were any proprietary components in them...in the digital equipment...when Dolby pulls the plug on say the DA20 or CP500...you pretty much are hosed. The 7-year support is supposed to be a minimum...not a maximum.  |  IP: Logged David Graham Rose Expert Film Handler Posts: 187 From: Cambridge, UK Registered: Sep 2002 posted 06-03-2009 03:00 PM                     Greetings Dolby seem to be abandoning all common sense. The manufacturing plant here in the UK has now been closed, and all repairs seem to be going to the US. This is a pretty dreadful situation. Word on the street is that the majors in the UK will be abandoning their products in favour of alternatives. From a stormy Cambridge, I bid you, one and all, a good evening. David  |  IP: Logged

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