Definitive Audio in Bellevue WA has just installed a D-ILA1080MF1 Digital Projector by Meridian for their Theater Event later this month. I was in the store just about an hour after they lit it up and the picture was pretty stunning right out of the box. The guys there were pretty giddy with how they thought it would look after some calibration.

I stood right under the thing and I couldn't hear any fan noise. Amazing.

About $25K including an external processor.

Definitive Audio in Bellevue WA has just installed a D-ILA1080MF1 Digital Projector by Meridian for their Theater Event later this month. I was in the store just about an hour after they lit it up and the picture was pretty stunning right out of the box. The guys there were pretty giddy with how they thought it would look after some calibration.

I stood right under the thing and I couldn't hear any fan noise. Amazing.

About $25K including an external processor.

IIRC MF1 is a rebadged JCV HD10k with a stip of glossy plastic stuck down the top centre of the case. The major benefit for the MF1 over the 10K is the W Phelps software optimization/calibration and the inclusion of an outboard video processor. Apart from the this the PJ as no other "engineering" mods as far as I'm aware.

The MF1 also claims the same "fan noise" level as the 10K which appears to be higher than the JVC RS1 (27dB v 25dB) according to JVC.

Dazzer

Have to say I prefer my HD1 over the HD10k. HD10k has higher black level , less contrast and a noisy film over the picture in comparison to the HD1. I will say I've yet to notice motion artifacts on the HD10k but the HD1 does have them.

Have to say I prefer my HD1 over the HD10k. HD10k has higher black level , less contrast and a noisy film over the picture in comparison to the HD1. I will say I've yet to notice motion artifacts on the HD10k but the HD1 does have them.


Are you using the 10K with an outboard processor ?

Dazzer

Are you using the 10K with an outboard processor ?

Dazzer

Feeding the 10k , 2k 10bit log 35mm motion picture scans ....processor would be a bit redundant :)

Feeding the 10k , 2k 10bit log 35mm motion picture scans ....processor would be a bit redundant :)

Aaaah ! Do you also feed the same source to the HD1 ?

Dazzer

Nope best that gets is 1080i/60 from hd-dvd or 1080p/24 8bit video from a HTPC.

The better black level and overall contrast on the HD1 is the clincher , I also suspect its got less to non-existant posterisation compared with the HD10k and the HD10k has some sort of noisy pixel update going on.

Convergence on the HD10k isn't as good as the HD1 even with tweaking the HD10k convergence in the service tools. I wouldn't swap my HD1 for an HD10k even if the price was the same.

Have to say I prefer my HD1 over the HD10k. HD10k has higher black level , less contrast and a noisy film over the picture in comparison to the HD1. I will say I've yet to notice motion artifacts on the HD10k but the HD1 does have them.
What kind of motion artifacts? Can you give an example with time code from a current HD-DVD or BR disc?

Convergence on the HD10k isn't as good as the HD1 even with tweaking the HD10k convergence in the service tools. I wouldn't swap my HD1 for an HD10k even if the price was the same.
They would have to pay me big time to switch. >5 times more contrast is too good to pass up.

I think its been mentioned on here before , bright areas of the image moving at certain speeds seems to pick up a smearing/ghosting effect . One example I can think of is Magnolia (region2) feeding the HD1 at 1080p/50 from a PC. Just after Cruise goes back on stage after his interview and finding out via telephone about his father being on his deathbed : Close ups of his face as he moves left and right with a fairly harsh keylight on his face , you can see the highlight on his nose double image and smear . Not by much maybe a couple of pixels.

Its the scene where he flips out a bit and turns the table over .

The delay was also a problem with the older ILAs. If you are not seeing this with the HD10 & I doubt the panel is any slower with the RS1 so it must be a processing issue.

The delay was also a problem with the older ILAs. If you are not seeing this with the HD10 & I doubt the panel is any slower with the RS1 so it must be a processing issue.

Well you've got one scenario where the HD10k is being fed 1080p generated from 2k material off a PC workstation ( nothing particularly exotic) via DVI to hdmi . Its got its own set of issues but the temporal artifacting is strangely absent. ( at least I've never noticed it on 3 different HD10ks)

Then you have my HD1 being fed 1080i over hdmi and component as well as 1080p at 24 , 50 and 60 multiples via dvi to hdmi and you get the temporal artifacting , something that isn't apparent with the same sources feeding a plasma. I have to say I hardly ever see it though.

I thought the MF-1 from Meridian also had a better lens installed

...and wait until you see what they'll have at CEDIA. :)

...and wait until you see what they'll have at CEDIA. :)

Dennis,
You've got me anxious now. :)

I know that they will be offering Schneider lenses but don't know whether that is part of the anamorphic attachment rig only or whether it will be a part of their projectors. Perhaps customized lenses for their projectors would make it very interesting just like Proteus, Ranier and McKinley do it for Runco. You would have the exact information on that. :cool:

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On a sidenote ...


The MF-1 comes from a very select pool of HD10Ks that are within the very strict 5% internal quality control check by Meridian-Faroudja. They only pick about 5 from around 50 HD10K projectors to be modded and calibrated by Mr. Phelps.

For that reason you will see much more consistency in the quality and image of one MF-1 to another MF-1 as compared to the HD10K which may have slightly more variation.

Disclaimer: Please don't construe the above as HD10K is a sub-par projector because it was a super projector in its day.