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Saga of the "Old Vic" - Page 34

post #991 of 1108
1/18/12 at 7:58pm
Drapes would look nice. Moggie will probably import silkworms from China, nurture them, get them to produce the finest silk around, create beautiful silk drapes in an elaborate pattern...and then claim he's just an amateur.
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post #992 of 1108
1/18/12 at 9:31pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by TMcG View Post

Moogie - I forgot to mention one other photography "trick"...and that is manually playing with the lighting intensities on the Grafik Eye to balance out the output....

Thanks. I have a lot to learn about photography but I'll experiment with some of these ideas.


Quote:
Originally Posted by rs691919 View Post

Drapes would look nice. Moggie will probably import silkworms from China, nurture them, get them to produce the finest silk around, create beautiful silk drapes in an elaborate pattern...and then claim he's just an amateur.

LOL I really don't know how to respond to this.... umm... other than to say that I'd be tempted to use spider silk
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post #993 of 1108
1/18/12 at 9:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Moggie View Post

I got my new camera down to the theater for the first time and thought it time to add some clean finished pics to the thread. I still need to figure out how successfully add a screen shot. My photographer friend gave me a little trick (no computers) that involves a remote shutter release, very long exposure and a paper bag... will try that soon.

Hey Moggie,

If you are taking pics using long exposures you could try using the hide function on the JVC to make the screen go black after a second or two. Might get you what you are after and you won't have to fiddle in photoshop too much.

Cheers,
Simon
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post #994 of 1108
1/19/12 at 7:42am
From what I've read people take two photos. One with the lights on and another with the lights off with the image on the screen. Then in a program like photoshop you can cut the screen out from the dark picture then paste it in the one with the lights on. Just make sure you don't move the camera.
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post #995 of 1108
1/19/12 at 8:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rs691919 View Post

Drapes would look nice. Moggie will probably import silkworms from China, nurture them, get them to produce the finest silk around, create beautiful silk drapes in an elaborate pattern...and then claim he's just an amateur.

LOL! I nearly spewed coffee through my nose on that one! But I know what you mean . . . after seeing the stellar job engineering and fabricating an automated masking screen in a handful of days, I felt like I should send in my man card somewhere because I wasn't worthy to carry it any longer!
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post #996 of 1108
1/19/12 at 8:18am
Love the latest pics. Another vote to skip the drapes. I prefer the clean look, especially on the screenwall.
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post #997 of 1108
1/19/12 at 8:24am
Moggie - Just in case some of these comments have put ideas in your head I thought these links might be of interest to you.

http://www.mulberryfarms.com/
http://www.silkwormshop.com/shop_silkwormssm.html

Mulberry farms sells silkworm eggs so you could make sure that the silworms are pampered and produce the very best silk.

http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/spidersilk/

The spidersilk looks pretty ambitious even for you.
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post #998 of 1108
1/19/12 at 9:27pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seegs108 View Post

From what I've read people take two photos. One with the lights on and another with the lights off with the image on the screen. Then in a program like photoshop you can cut the screen out from the dark picture then paste it in the one with the lights on. Just make sure you don't move the camera.

Yeah, I might have to resort to that. Will try again this weekend.

Quote:
Originally Posted by stockmonkey2000 View Post

Moggie - Just in case some of these comments have put ideas in your head I thought these links might be of interest to you.

Very funny. Actually that piece of cloth made from spider silk it pretty darn amazing. The effort that went into making it makes building a HT look like trivial.
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post #999 of 1108
1/22/12 at 2:47pm
Thread Starter 
Ok, so I took all of your advice on taking photos (and I read my camera manual end to end). I'm still over exposing some areas and don't have the color balance quite right but I think I'm getting better.

Used photoshop to add the screenshot to this one (managed not to over expose the column lighting this time):


This was using Simon's JVC 'hide' function for part of the 10 second exposure:


This was about the best color balance I was able to achieve:


The most annoying aspect is getting the timing right -- either the camera auto turns off, or the blue ray play blanks, or I hit the wrong button on the remote resetting the light levels or my wife interrupts me with a cup of tea .. doesn't she realize this takes 101% concentration
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post #1000 of 1108
1/22/12 at 2:56pm
Looks beautiful Moggie!
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post #1001 of 1108
1/22/12 at 3:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Moggie View Post

Ok, so I took all of your advice on taking photos (and I read my camera manual end to end). I'm still over exposing some areas and don't have the color balance quite right but I think I'm getting better.

The most annoying aspect is getting the timing right -- either the camera auto turns off, or the blue ray play blanks, or I hit the wrong button on the remote resetting the light levels or my wife interrupts me with a cup of tea .. doesn't she realize this takes 101% concentration

I think the photos look nice. The star ceiling definitely pops a lot more. Looks like it will be difficult to illuminate the front wall and screen frame well with lowering those front lights.

I wouldn't bother with the hide function on the projector. You can see from the photo that the screen is washed out nd lacks contrast since the room lights were on. Probably not ideal to show off your $100k theater with a washed out screen shot, but like you said, it was worth a try.
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post #1002 of 1108
1/22/12 at 5:55pm
Moogie - I bought this book and it is extremely good. Breaks everything down very simply and is loaded with really cool tips and tricks from pros. http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Photog...3&sr=8-1-spell

Well worth the money.
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post #1003 of 1108
1/22/12 at 6:19pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by TMcG View Post

Moogie - I bought this book and it is extremely good. Breaks everything down very simply and is loaded with really cool tips and tricks from pros. http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Photog...3&sr=8-1-spell

Well worth the money.

There *had* to be a dummies guide ... now why didn't I think of that.
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post #1004 of 1108
1/29/12 at 7:55pm
Moggie awesome pics.

I wanted to ask you how you like the Prismasonic Lens after using it for a few months. I really need to upgrade to a high end lens
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post #1005 of 1108
1/30/12 at 8:19am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by W00lly View Post

I wanted to ask you how you like the Prismasonic Lens after using it for a few months. I really need to upgrade to a high end lens

Hi Scott, the simple answer is that I'm delighted with the lens. Ironically, giving the issues I had to deal with getting the lift to work well, I'm now quite happy leaving the lens in place the whole time and squeezing the few 16:9 flicks! I did measure the brightness reduction once (but since lost the results) but it was only 1-2% dimmer with the lens in place. The optics are really good and the lens large enough for even short throw setups (I'm at about 18'). The only thing to remember is that it is x1.35 rather than x1.33 so a 2.4:1 screen is preferable to avoid wasting any of the beautiful picture.

If I was buying again I'd still choose the same unit.

Cheers.
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post #1006 of 1108
1/30/12 at 8:54am
Thanks Moggie, I'm glad its a winner as I really want to get away from zooming. Hopefully the price will stay where it is for a bit longer for me to raise the cash for one.
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post #1007 of 1108
2/3/12 at 11:01am
Moggie,

Is your DIY screen 1.0 or thereabouts gain? At your throw distance, do you find the brightnessvof the RS45 to be enough? I'm leaning towards an SMX screen which has 1.16 gain and trying to figure out where to mount the projector. On the calculator I used, the ft-lambda of the RS45 seem to be on the lower side unless you move it up to 14-15' throw distance. Maybe I'm just miscalculating something.
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post #1008 of 1108
2/3/12 at 12:56pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by rs691919 View Post

Moggie,

Is your DIY screen 1.0 or thereabouts gain? At your throw distance, do you find the brightnessvof the RS45 to be enough? I'm leaning towards an SMX screen which has 1.16 gain and trying to figure out where to mount the projector. On the calculator I used, the ft-lambda of the RS45 seem to be on the lower side unless you move it up to 14-15' throw distance. Maybe I'm just miscalculating something.

The Seymour CenterStage XD fabric I used in my screen has a 1.2 gain rating. In reality, both CenterStage and SMX are slightly lower than specs (call it a rounding error). I did the brightness calculation once, but lost it. All I can say is that with an Anamorphic lens the RS40 projector (>200 hours) is bright enough on low power mode with fully open iris -- I expect plenty of mileage even if it means resorting to high power mode as the bulb ages. Without the lens and with 16:9 content it borders on too bright. My HT is very dark which helps with not requiring a light cannon. Note that my original RS50 was not up to the task but I assume the RS45 is generating similar if not better results than the RS40?
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post #1009 of 1108
2/7/12 at 11:45am
Moggie,
Giving you a bump, hope all is well? And this finds you enjoying that beautiful theater! Also; regarding a previous conversation about low profile poster/light boxes; I started a thread over here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...6#post21610786
I know you were interested....
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post #1010 of 1108
2/7/12 at 4:12pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by cuzed2 View Post

Moggie,
Giving you a bump, hope all is well? And this finds you enjoying that beautiful theater! Also; regarding a previous conversation about low profile poster/light boxes; I started a thread over here...

Awesome, thanks. I'll take a look. Yes I'm been busy enjoying my theater but also trying to get my (very unreliable) 2 stroke flying machine ready for a big get together next week in southern California... it's a bit like audio theory, things you expect to work don't always pan out.

I have made a bit of progress on my light boxes and have an prototype made up from plywood. I'm waiting for my LED power supplies to arrive so I can experiment with final thickness and choice of diffusers. My 2" goal might have been a bit optimistic. It's looking like 2 3/4" will be the final outcome..
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post #1011 of 1108
2/7/12 at 7:28pm
Moggie,
I can understand how your priority might be to keep your flying machine as reliable as possible
You mentioned 2-stroke, perhaps a Bombardier/Rotax powerplant?
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post #1012 of 1108
2/7/12 at 10:02pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by cuzed2 View Post

Moggie,
I can understand how your priority might be to keep your flying machine as reliable as possible
You mentioned 2-stroke, perhaps a Bombardier/Rotax powerplant?

Nope, nothing so sophisticated. It's a Solo 210. I understand the roots for the engine was as an agricultural pump motor I fly a paramotor and an engine out is not usually cause for concern, just a long walk home...
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post #1013 of 1108
2/8/12 at 5:34pm
Temperamental engines and altitude - your a brave man
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post #1014 of 1108
2/17/12 at 8:50am
Moggie - Had a question on your DCX2496. I was just wondering if that is all you use to EQ your IB, rear subs, and your tactile transducers. I'm getting close to the point where I'm going to need to do this. All I currently have is the DSP1124. I think I can do 2 EQ curves with the DSP1124. I'm also curious if the DCX2496 allows you to save various curves for each channel. I think I would like to have settings where the IB is set to one level for movies and another for music.

I don't have rear subwoofers yet, but do have wiring for them for the future.
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post #1015 of 1108
2/17/12 at 2:03pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by stockmonkey2000 View Post

Moggie - Had a question on your DCX2496. I was just wondering if that is all you use to EQ your IB, rear subs, and your tactile transducers. I'm getting close to the point where I'm going to need to do this. All I currently have is the DSP1124. I think I can do 2 EQ curves with the DSP1124. I'm also curious if the DCX2496 allows you to save various curves for each channel. I think I would like to have settings where the IB is set to one level for movies and another for music.

I don't have rear subwoofers yet, but do have wiring for them for the future.

Yes that's all I use. The DCX2496 has three XLR ins and six outs. You have complete flexibility on how you use them and what filters are on each. I only use a single sub in and three outs. Two channels allowed me to EQ and time align the front and rear subs whilst the third channel has a gain limiter and high pass cut for the tactile transducers. Filters can be shared, separate, stacked, channels spit, joined, limited, delayed, etc, etc. The only limit on flexibility is memory but you are not likely to hit that. If I was EQing the mains I would probably have looked into a higher quality unit like the QSC line, but for LF this EQ can't be beat. The only very minor nit is that although I can save multiple EQ settings (e.g. one with tactile transducers turned off) I can't switch these via IR, only RS232 and I haven't integrated that into my iRule automation.

I did run Audyssey after the subs were EQ'd to improve the mains but it hardly touched the sub.
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post #1016 of 1108
2/17/12 at 3:36pm
Sounds great I'll have to pick one up.
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post #1017 of 1108
2/18/12 at 4:22pm
Moggie,
first I have to say that your build is truly inspiring, especially the incredible quality of everything. I don't think I'll ever be able to work that exact, althought I'm a perfectionist myself. Unfortunately I have the patience of a ferret on speed

My question might be a bit out of date, but I wanted to ask about the clamps you used in your IB setup. I'm also using going to use four 18" Fi IB3 woofers in a manifold, but shooting through the ceiling as my build is going to be in my livingroom. I have the same issue with the mounting holes in the drivers - they are just too close to the edge of the wood.
If I understood correctly, you used strips of 1/4" (~7mm?) aluminium as clamps. In the pictures there seems to be some black stuff in between the aluminium and wood, did you use rubberstrips or thin strips of wood? And how deep did you sink in the woofers? I sunk mine about 15mm (whatever that might be in inches) right now and it looks rather similar to your setup. Are you satisfied with this method? Did the aluminium start to bend?

Cheers and thanks in advance
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post #1018 of 1108
2/18/12 at 10:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SerenaFate View Post

My question might be a bit out of date, but I wanted to ask about the clamps you used in your IB setup. I'm also using going to use four 18" Fi IB3 woofers in a manifold, but shooting through the ceiling as my build is going to be in my livingroom. I have the same issue with the mounting holes in the drivers - they are just too close to the edge of the wood.
If I understood correctly, you used strips of 1/4" (~7mm?) aluminium as clamps. In the pictures there seems to be some black stuff in between the aluminium and wood, did you use rubberstrips or thin strips of wood? And how deep did you sink in the woofers? I sunk mine about 15mm (whatever that might be in inches) right now and it looks rather similar to your setup. Are you satisfied with this method? Did the aluminium start to bend?

Cheers and thanks in advance

Not nearly as elegant as Moggies solution but others have used these to fasten the drivers. They are strong enough for a tight fit. They would be fine in an installation where you are not going to see the drivers. For my IB I cut the holes for the drivers as small as I could and was able to just use screws but it would be nice if there was a bit more to mount to.

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post #1019 of 1108
2/18/12 at 10:48pm
Thread Starter 
SerenaFate, thanks for the feedback. My IB clamps were just pieces of 1/4" thick and about 3/4" wide pieces of aluminum. I think the "black stuff" you are referring to is some squares of thin ply used to bring the clamp mounting up to the level of the speaker rim. The speaker already had a rubber trim around the rim which created a good seal and after recessing stood proud about 1/4". The clips were probably overkill but they are rock solid. Stockmonkey's solution is probably sufficient.
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post #1020 of 1108
2/19/12 at 2:53am
Thank you for your replies

stockmonkey: Yeah, I've seen those clamps in the Cult forums I think, but wasn't able to find them or something similar locally. Somehow Germans tend to overengineer everything - even pipe clamps An international order just for some clamps seemed a bit much. Unfortunately the clamps will be visible as soon as I turn on the "show off" lights, because I made the recess for the speakers from the wrong (visible) side and I'm definitely not going to rebuild that monster of a manifold

Moggie: Yes, I meant those thin plywood squares, when I wrote "black stuff" - it was late and somehow beer reduces my vocabulary, they should mention that on the bottle. As I wrote above I made the recess for the speakers from the "wrong" side, so the clamps will be visible and making those aluminium pieces is actually easier than finding those clamps around here. So I'm going to steal your idea
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