Yesterday, our Az AV Club had a demo from a long time member who for years has had his own custom modded (he's a longtime video engineer)
NEC 10pg 9inch CRT. The member picked up cheap a used Faroudja DILA-1080pHD which he also demod. And the member is adding an addition onto his home for a forty foot wide curved Torus screen (to hopefully be done this year). He demod one of the two Christie S12 DLP projectors that he will be
putting in his new room which will do 3D, too. (Per the member: The S12 utilizes a 1.9kW Ushio Xenon short-arc illumination system for 12000 ANSI lumens. Based on 1.1” cinema dark 3-chip DLP™ technology, the S12 delivers vivid images with picture-perfect 10bit deep color reproduction. Built-in shutter, easy set-up with no convergence.)

Apparently Paul McCartney used 18 of these projectors in his last tour, and then after the tour they were up for sale - CHEAP!!! So the member picked up two of them. They are 2K units. The member has also picked up the theater lens, so when he wants to change from 2:35 to 1:85, pop in the lens.
I ain't no expert on this stuff but the member will be adding an iris and other mods to the projector.

Even with brightness down all the way, on the member's 10' wide screen,
the picture was amazing. Though of course parts were too bright. But once its setup with the 40 foot Torus should be amazing!!!@@

This club member doesn't like his name being used publicly, so lets just refer to him as "M". Alan Gouger knows "M" well and I'm sure Alan will keep his true identity on the "Q" as well.

Isn't Wolf Cinema using Christie DLP projectors for their projects. Anyone know how those projectors compare to the one "M" used in his demo? THe Christie S12 DLP projector is one large, long heavy beast. As is the computer "M" has assembled with a 8 TB hard drive and the upcoming Windows 7 to feed it.

His projector has a much better digital cinema grade chip.

Did he get the rights to 'Hey Jude' thrown into the deal? ;)

Good score, I'll bet they went for peanuts. Changes are about to happen in my own HT, but I'm still sticking with CRT. Thinking of doing a double or maybe even a triple stack.

3500 lumens, 25,000:1 contrast ratio. 10,000 hour tube life. :)

Did he get the rights to 'Hey Jude' thrown into the deal? ;)

Good score, I'll bet they went for peanuts. Changes are about to happen in my own HT, but I'm still sticking with CRT. Thinking of doing a double or maybe even a triple stack.

3500 lumens, 25,000:1 contrast ratio. 10,000 hour tube life. :)


No, but at our meeting last night we got CDs of Pink Floyd's original quad mix. HA! Another member was in big once with DTS and just happened to come across them, this mix was never released and it kills the released mixes.

Curt, you will be so busy converging and reconverging that you won't have a life. Just go digital and quit being so cheap that you must have CRTs. HA!

His projector has a much better digital cinema grade chip.

Funny how except for you, no one really seems to be interested in a home theater with digital projectors several grades above the ones used by Wolf Cinema.

Well, 'this thread sucks without pics'.

http://www.christiedigital.com/NR/rdonlyres/1810C2A4-4B36-4766-9EE9-6F1E2373E128/0/christieRoadie_topRightMR.jpg

Peter, cinemagrade chips, really:rolleyes:, TI still does low res cinema chips... This is the S series it has SXGA resolution.

http://www.christiedigital.com/AMEN/Products/RoadieS1238DMD01707.htm

Wouldn't bother putting them on their side to do 1080.

Looks like its standard length, it looks fairly low compared to other and eearlier models. Guess it isn't big enough to warrant designing it into a two-piece chassis, that can either be stacked or clicked back to back, like the original Roadie 25K.

Contrast is a tad low though.

That projector has one thing,it's bright.

CR a tad low !:eek::D

Art

Oh sh[t you are right. This is no good. If the guy bottom fed this for his 720p theater no doubt he intends to buildan illegal Torus knockoff. A screen like this from Stewart could be 50-80 grand depending on options.

You can build your own TORUS without paying the royalties if you assemble yourself (see crt forum). How the hell is he going to assemble a 40 foot TORUS without paying for help. He is opening up for litigation. Torusses like software should be paid for. Me an my clients have always respected the patent holders in this manner. There is going to be one big lien on that huge theater.:D

You guys assume too much. This dude has been in the video business. He can get anything he wants wholesale. He can afford more Torus screens at wholesale pricing than anyone who hangs around the $20K forum. Assuming these projectors can be upgraded in terms of chips, etc. he can do whatever he wants to them. I know he plans to do a lotta mods/changes to the projector. Frankly, you guys are way about me knowledgewise on this.I don't know his exact plans. But be careful assuming too much.

What you might want to consider, is if, if you had this projector, and if you had the money, what would you do (like Wolf Cinema does) to mod the projector and what would these mods/changes cost??

Come on Cinemeramax, you should know what can be done with these?

The mods on a projector that size are possibly doable to get a 3k-1 and then maybe a lens mod buy you another 300-1. That would not be bad due to the projectors quick ansi overtake in the low apl range, BUT the chip is unacceptable. if he ordered the 1920 x1080 chips or even the old 1.2 dci then yes it could be a nice unit.

He said that his Windows 7 computer was for now spitting out 1080p60 that we were seeing on the screen at our demo. He is still working on modding the projectors, etc to get it all right when his gigantic home cinema goes in. What does that tell you re the chip?

Here's two of these projectors for sale:

http://www.usedlighting.com/view/1996/christie-roadie-s12-projector

More info I found on web:

Christie Roadie S12 DLP Projector Information Manufacturer Christie
Manufacturer Part # 38-DMD017-01
MSRP $104,995.00
Production Status Out of Production
Release Date JUL 2002
End Date JUL 2004

Christie Roadie S12 DLP Projector Specifications General Aspect Ratio 5:4 (Native), 4:3, 16:9
Brightness (ANSI Lumens) 12000 ANSI Lumens
Contrast Ratio 400:1
Display Type 1.1" DMD x 3
Resolution (Native / Max) SXGA (1280 x 1024)
UXGA (1600 x 1200)
Video Compatibility NTSC / PAL / SECAM / HDTV
Number of Colors 16.7 Million Colors
Size Dimensions (WxHxD) 29in. x 16in. x 54in.
(73.66cm x 40.64cm x 137.16cm)
Weight 225.0 lbs. (102.06 kg)
Operation Power Supply 220 ~ 240 V / 50 ~ 60 Hz
Power Consumption 2800W
Approvals CSA, UL and European safety approvals
North American and European EMI/EMC approvals
Projection Lens Lamp Type 1.9kW Xenon
Lamp Life 1000 hrs
Other H-Sync Range 15 ~ 120 kHz
V-Sync Range 24 ~ 120 Hz
In The Box Items IR remote keypad with batteries
User manual with warranty card
Warranty Projector 2 Year Warranty

Resolution (Native / Max) SXGA (1280 x 1024)

Yea, that resolution sure doesn't do it.

Cineramax, what chip can the projector be upgraded to at what retail cost?

Will this projector only accept analog RGB input - or can it accept HDMI video?

Cineramax, since he will be using two of the projectors, can he set them up using a splitter so that combined they provide 2K imaging with their native chips without upgrading the chips? If he does this, can he still do 3D right?

Resolution (Native / Max) SXGA (1280 x 1024)

Yea, that resolution sure doesn't do it.

Cineramax, what chip can the projector be upgraded to at what retail cost?

Will this projector only accept analog RGB input - or can it accept HDMI video?

I know some of these models could probably hold and work with the older 1.2 digital cinema chip used in the cp2000, that would be probably expensive.

I think this takes dvi stripped of hdcp (there are people that know the workaround) otherwise he could use an HD Fury.

Well if it had a 2K chip or even an HD chip there wouldn't be a need for a blend. Contrast would already be 10 times the 250:1 figure quoted in the S12s online specsheet, so no real loss in lightoutput due to contrast enhancementmods. There's a HD12K, but presumably you would say it is is pasty, like its 8 and 6 K brethren.

Like most professional machines it can take an SDI input, perhaps it may take a later HD-SDI module aswell.

There is not a practical way to upgrade the chip set in those projectors, that is a smoking deal for two units.

The SXGA chip set and formatter board are not as good as 1080p. The units will take HDMI/DVI and the dual input HD SDI card. It has the necessary software for image blending built in. With a different scalar on the front end and proper light engine modifications ($15K) you would have a 40 foot wide image that could not be touched for $45K. If you do not need the size or brightness this is not a real practical way to go.

There is not a practical way to upgrade the chip set in those projectors, that is a smoking deal for two units.

The SXGA chip set and formatter board are not as good as 1080p. The units will take HDMI/DVI and the dual input HD SDI card. It has the necessary software for image blending built in. With a different scalar on the front end and proper light engine modifications ($15K) you would have a 40 foot wide image that could not be touched for $45K. If you do not need the size or brightness this is not a real practical way to go.

Jim, I don't understand.

On the way hand you indicate "With a different scalar on the front end and proper light engine modifications ($15K) you would have a 40 foot wide image that could not be touched for $45K.

But you also say that "There is not a practical way to upgrade the chip set in these projectors".

Please explain. For $15K, can you upgrade the chip set to 1080p60 and/or 1080P/24. Our demoer demod his own custom PC doing the scaling and he's still developing it.

I just learned something last nite from the owner of these projectors.

For the Paul McCartney tour, there were 19 of these projectors specially made each with 1080p chips. So its not the stock projector advertised on the website - its more expensive, better stuff. He picked up two of them awfully cheap, since all 19 went on sale once the tour was done.

He's not sure that his screen will be forty foot wide. He is adding some onto his home and he will make the screen as large as practical.

Will be pretty neat.

Guess the "experts" here don't know everything or they would have known about these special McCartney-Christie light cannons!!!

I talked to Paul a few weeks ago and asked him about the projectors, even he said the picture looked like $hit but he needed a lot of light.

Art

The HD12K, which is already a ruggedized chassis, has been around for two and a half years (special orders like this perhaps even longer), so why build a special version of another 12K projector with the HD chips? When did this tour start?

I guess these didn't go cheap enough to buy a spare...

I talked to Paul a few weeks ago and asked him about the projectors, even he said the picture looked like $hit but he needed a lot of light.

Art

I didn't know that you did Paul McCartney's TEETH!!!!

Which tour was this, as uncharacteristically, the Christie copy people haven't touched upon this?

Which tour was this, as uncharacteristically, the Christie copy people haven't touched upon this?

Apparently Art must have cleaned Paul (McCartney's) teeth from his front row seat when McCartney hit Detroit?????? Art says he talked to Paul a few weeks ago!!! (The Az AV Club member who bought the projectors isn't Paul, or even Peter - - and he prefers not to
have his name, etc divulged on the web. So I honor his request.) As for Paul saying the projector looks like **** - - I never heard that one except from Art!!!@@@ Besides, MR X didn't show off the projector as a tour de force - how can a light cannon look fantastic on a 10' wide screen??? He just put up that projector to show it to the club at our annual elections meeting - he still has to build the room, mod the projectors (what Wolf Cinema was doing before they went kaput) and get it all done right, which I'm sure he will do.

intersting, what was Wolf Cinema doing?

intersting, what was Wolf Cinema doing?

Jim, I don't have the technical expertise to get all this. But Mr. X had seen a Wolf demo and was WOWWED, best video he'd ever seen. He is a longtime video engineer himself. So he is taking these projectors, doing some mods which he characterized as to squeeze the best video performance ala Wolf.
And I would venture Jim that since you were then with Wolf you were responsible for that fantastic video that Mr X raved about!!!@@@

hahaha, I was very interested in the answer to the question. I am surprised no one answered first to bust my chops.

If you want have him get in touch with me and I will see if I can help him out with some of my specialty software, tweaks or parts.

hahaha, I was very interested in the answer to the question. I am surprised no one answered first to bust my chops.

If you want have him get in touch with me and I will see if I can help him out with some of my specialty software, tweaks or parts.

Jim, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if you already know Mr X. I am merely honoring his request for some privacy, he doesn't wanna get involved with web forum BS!

Jim, I will of course let him know.

So aside from ISF calibrations, who are you consulting for these days (now that Runco is gone to Planar)?

I knew that your question was a trick one. I answered so quickly that no one got to bust your chops I guess. Wolf Cinema was a real neat idea. But such high, though worthile as a product, prices in the current economic climate
just do not seem to be an appropriate draw to big investors. At least not yet.
But Mr X raved about what he saw from The Wolf and clearly that wouldn't have occurred if you had not been intimately involved with the company.

Tell us where we can buy any Wolf projectors on the cheap now that they are no more!!!@@@???:D

Can't speak for Sumiko.

As for me knowing "Mr X", because of Chicago upbringing I have learned so say.

I know notinn bout no one.