Dolby E and Dolby Media Meter Newbie Questions

[AudioPostChris]

Hi,

Im doing my first Dolby E delivery 5.1 + Lt/Rt. Im mixing in Pro tools and using Dolby Media Meter.

1. Dialnorm do you use the infinite value as the value you use at the "Dolby E" encoding process?

2.Do you need Dialnorm value for both 5.1 and Lt/RT?

3.When Using Dolby Media Meter (for Dialnorm) do you insert on your main 5.1 bus or on a separate Dialogue bus?

4. How much offset is created by the Dobly E encoding process?

5. Is their anything else I should know?

[infiniteloop]

1 & 2 depend on your delivery document, and what the broadcaster wants, but whatever value you arrive at by their method, that is the dialnorm value for the Dolby E encode.
3. I would use the main 5.1 bus - it should select the centre anyway, and use Dial Int. is you need to.
4. On Dolby E hardware it's 1 frame to encode and decode, in either PAL or NTSC.
5. Loads! Particularly, small/large cinema room, LtRt or LoRo, -3db for the surrounds, whether there's an LtRt inside the Dolby E or it's a separate one...

[AudioPostChris]

1 & 2 the broadcaster does not specify the Doby E Value, my mix is around -27.

5. small/large cinema room? the product was mixed for broadcast and mixed in a 14wide/20long/10high studio.

The stereo mix Lt/Rt Pro Logic II using SurEncode. -3 for surrounds? The Lt/Rt is inside the Dolby E.

Thanks for the reply

[originalscottyg]

Originally Posted by infiniteloop

4. On Dolby E hardware it's 1 frame to encode and decode, in either PAL or NTSC.

Just to clarify, the Dolby E offset is 1 frame to encode and 1 frame to decode, so 2 frames total. Delivery docs should specify how to lay back: Do not compensate for delay OR make audio in sync on the tape (advance audio by 1 frame prior to encode to compensate for encode only), OR compensate for total delay so decoded audio is in sync (advance audio by 2 frames prior to encode/layback).

Also, -3dB on surround channels is the way the monitor chain is calibrated for Cinema mixing. If your room was properly calibrated for 5.1 broadcast mixing, then you should not have to worry about that, and you should not set that flag in the Dolby E stream.

[AudioPostChris]

Thanks for the reply Scott!