Sköll-Prototype 3-D/4K Screening Room of the second decade of the 21st century .... - Page 10

It's a lot of work.

For example the swing out screen hit the left soffit after the acoustical material had been installed. Now Coastal the builder is going to take out a small corner bevel that wont be seen to the naked eye. The thing is it puts on hold the installation for days.

On the good news side:

We got the 1.25 zoom lens. Now we have wall to wall cinemascope, can't wait for Ben-Hur and Mutiny in the Bounty.

The design documents and the manufacturer spec for the acoustical track system is 1.25 inches.

Somehow however to support the corner of the soffits a thicker track had to be used, the same track also was used behind the screen.

Having this 2 inch track added to the side and back of screen threw in the monkey wrench into the implementation, we are now 1 week behind schedule and client inspection is in less than 10 days. AAARRRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!!






Now both side soffits are being re-worked, and we are working around it to deploy the Behind the Screen front ordinance the complete connection of every item behind the screen..

Absolutely.The most expensive mods ever. I will dig up pictures and explain the procedures used.

The P-SERIES comes with a high contrast even uniformity aperture shape that completely defies what has been used to date. The fact is that no projector has as good uniformity. Barco very much looks at the integrator rod temperatures when they do this high contrast optics.

What they factor in is 16H-7DW 365DY use. Our clients use the projector much less than that.

So we took the Barco -P aperture which you would have to be one of the 5 customers in California and us in Miami who received the first one in the USA (after the Rancho Cordova in-house unit) you would need one of those and a team of dlp projector engineers with the correct instrumentation to fabricate the SUPERKONTRAST-P mod.



I cannot show you the shape of the plate, you are seeing only the center portion to show how much better our contrast will be while preserving the benchmark uniformity and maintaining the temperatures cool enough in th light pipe during once a week 6 hour use.

15 variant plates were made in increments of .5 or 1 mm, they were fitted in the P projector and uniformity was tested on all on a 17 foot screen; long tests runs to monitor the lightube temperatures were performed, extremely labour intensive but you have a glimpse at the most expensive aperture plate int he world. Of course that is before the "motorisertenkatzaugen" becomes available.

The back main rack, air exhaust hose for fan system still not installed



Front Main amp rack and 60 ampere balanced torus rw-60



White glove wiring job by AHT. one day behind new schedule though.

one of the doors of the back rack swings all the way, due to the projector box the other cannot, it is going to be tight quarters.





Client Inspection minus 9 days.

Lovely,



Thought of Gene Hackman's line in the "Poseidon Adventure":

"Lord I am not asking you to help us , but that you do not unhelp us"

Relief.

I guess it beats a 7+ earthquake any day, no? A little more planning time.

Thanks well wishers with Irene.

This is the arena in Miami, plus several issues on the One Hyde Park installation , like a screen arriving damaged, plus the RealD, 4K, 4D Lab installation also at a fast clip.


I have stretched the limits of the term multi-tasking.



The adjustable silver screen tilting mechanism is awaiting rigging.

The projector promises to be the sharpest 4K image anywhere. Here is what one of our engineers had to say: Projector looks really good. Convergence is spot on. Put in aperture, S-gammas and set up a couple of color space files for slightly larger than 709 and full gamut that the projector can do…not close to a –P but should work for Blu-Ray stuff.

We then take about 5 or 7 of these very very tight s-gammas and in conjunction with the lamp adjustment create a $hitload of macros on the Projector, I believe 96. All 3-D, this projector will not have a single Mother-fvKng 2D setting. , , We were looking at the Teranex/Doremi 23D kit the other night and it is simply amazing, Imax films like Adrenaline Rush and Helicopters in action are noteworthy stunners in converted 3d.

Disposable lightweight good fit to prescription glasses still quality polarized specs selected for the new Lab for ShowEast demos..



If I will have a hot spot at least it will be round and centered.

Advanced Home Theaters technicians here made improvements to the custom Cineak Strato Sofa. The end result was spectacular, the next one will be much easier.

They even use 90 degree power screwdrivers and all to attach the control box.

These guys have many years of experience doing custom car audio and marine. Good people.





Voila'



Getting the Doremi Integrated Media Box (with the hdmi in from 1.4 3d sources, and the dual hdsdi in from the cinealta color corrected Teranex converted 23D dual hdsdi)- this is not for the faint of heart there ar many setting to get the reference for the Dolby system to Work.

We got the DCI content from the pcie express 23 foot cable (the limit), but we needed additional expertise, so as we speak I am flying in Spielberg's projector technician. More from tonight later.

I believe in seeing the tree's fall in the forest. Thanks ELMitz.

Here are some more pictures ,long story short is this IMB is beginning to grow thin on me.

Mike is finding the same error messages that Ray Callahan found. We have correct colors in 2D but not in 3D, the one thing our guys in LA did not do when they set the projector was run the Doremi Dolby 3D configurator app. Mike did but we are getting fushcia red and aquamarine blues.

THE GOOD NEWS and a reason for me to be tempted to send the vault and IMB packing back to Emil R (co-owner of doremi), is that there is a new firmware to the projector supporting 3D and 4k over dvi.(EDIT.but reading Barco material it looks like this is dual dvi(like wolfgang htpc) not hdmi 1.4.

Why should one need to have a server blasting at 70 decibels to watch hdmi and hdsdi? No sirree bob, this contraption sucks in the absence of a projectionist booth.

So now I am strategizing to test the Barco Direct DVI 3D route.This AM.

For those with elevated blood pressure due to the dramatic countdown to client inspection Monday at noon, we have been given a respite due perhaps to Hurricane Irene, cliuent inspection has been pushed back a few days.





It's a dolby 3d system thus the filter.







Mike setup and ran the supercool 10 projector/quad server 24/48 and 60 fps demonstration at Cinemacon for James Cameron. He sets up premieres and Film festivals - in a nutshell: da man.

From Barco on Frame Rates:

A pragmatic look at
higher frame rates in Digital Cinema
Author



Tom Bert
Product Marketing Manager Barco

A pragmatic look at higher frame rates in Digital Cinema




INTRODUCTION




The digitization of cinema projection started around the year
2000. Since then, multiple forces and sources have both accelerated and decelerated the conversion.
For example, the
release of Avatar, the most popular box-office hit in history, was an important driver for the
success of 3D cinema and for the digitization of cinema in general. More recently,
discussions and demonstrations are being held on higher frame rates in cinema. Again, multiple
sources of information are flowing into the industry.

This paper, written in this context of an emerging technological development, is offered as an
objective source of information for all those looking for more understanding. This paper has been
written from the viewpoint of a projector manufacturer – Barco – and so it will take a more
pragmatic approach than a scientific paper would. The goal of this paper is not to prove a link
between frame rate and image quality, nor does it intend to promote (the standardization of)
certain frame rate values. Its primary aim is to lower the implementation threshold for those that
want to convert their digital cinema projection setup to higher frame rates (independent of any
standardization). This paper will answer questions such as: “What do I need in order to play out
higher frame rate content?” and “What is the difference between higher frame rates in 2D and 3D?”

Also note that a transition to higher frame rates impacts the entire workflow: from production,
post-production and packaging, to distribution and exhibition. The industry – including DCI
standards and SMPTE standards – may need to expand to make use of these higher frame rates.

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A pragmatic look at higher frame rates in Digital Cinema




WHAT ARE ‘HIGHER FRAME RATES’?


Belgian scientist Joseph Plateau was the first person to produce the illusion of a moving
image by presenting a rapid sequence of static images that contained small increments of motion.
This illusion is based on a property of the human eye called ’persistence of vision‘. Plateau used
rotating disks to create his animation, calling his device of 1832 the phenakistoscope.

The same principle was used with the introduction of motion pictures on film. Moving picture film
was originally shot and projected at various speeds using hand-cranked cameras and projectors.
Research indicates that most films were shot between 16 frames per second (fps) and 23 fps and
projected from 18 fps on up [1]. When sound was added to film in the late 1920s, a constant speed
was required for the sound head to maintain synchronization with the film. 24 fps was chosen
because that was the slowest (and thus cheapest) speed that allowed for adequate sound quality.

Today, in digital cinema projection, feature films are still being played back at 24 fps. Every
1/24th of a second, a new image is projected onto the screen. The image is no longer a physical
frame on a film reel, but a digital picture representing each frame. This is not completely
identical to digital television, which typically divides the picture into horizontal lines, first
playing back odd-, and then even-, numbered lines. Digital cinema projectors play the complete
picture in every frame.

’Higher frame rates’ usually refer to speeds of 48 fps or 60 fps. In theory, rates even higher than
these are possible (e.g. some television sets boast 240 fps), but then the entire chain
– from camera to cinema – must support the rate. (In practice, the 240 fps televisions use 60 fps
input and flash each image 4 times: the extra impact on image quality is negligible, but it looks
good in marketing brochures.) The higher frame rates we
discuss here do not repeat frames to achieve their speed but actually process and project different
frames at the higher rate.

Based on current camera and post-production technology, we believe that 48 fps and 60 fps will be
regarded as sufficient for DC projection for many years.


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A pragmatic look at higher frame rates in Digital Cinema




DO BARCO DIGITAL CINEMA PROJECTORS SUPPORT PLAYING OUT THESE HIGHER FRAME RATES?

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO PROCESS HIGHER FRAME RATES ON YOUR PROJECTOR?


The easy answer is: Yes. For example, we have up to 72 fps in our list of supported input formats
in our installation manual.

The more correct, but complex, answer is: It depends on the bandwidth (the number of bits you can
send from input to output per second). This bit-rate is impacted by the frame-rate (fps) and also
by the size of each frame/image in bits. Higher resolution means more bits, higher image quality
(linked to compression) means more bits, and so on. Each system (server + connections +
projector) has a total bandwidth available for use.

The various components impacting the bandwidth in a 2K series II DC projector (the
most-deployed model worldwide) and their respective available capacity (if no integrated server or
IMB is used) are:


• Incoming dual HD-SDI connection: 2K @ 30Hz (high quality) or 2K @ 60Hz (compressed). [note that
DCI specifies high quality for 2D content]
• HD-SDI board + enigma board: 2K @ 120Hz
• ICP and Formatter: 2K @ 120Hz (or 4K @ 30Hz)

It is clear that the limiting factor is not the projector’s internal electronics, but the
bandwidth that’s available in the connection to the projector.

Note: it is possible to present more than 30Hz, if you’re willing, and allowed, to compromise on
the bits per image. This is what is being done in 3D and ‘full panel triple flash’
(sometimes called ‘Brilliant 3D’): by encoding each image with a higher compression, it is possible
to present 30Hz to each eye (60Hz in total). (Starting from 24Hz, together with the triple flash
processing, the system actually runs at 144 fps. However, each frame is repeated 3 times.)

Just as in the conversion from 2K to 4K, the trick lies in circumventing the limitations of the
connection between server and projector by integrating some of the server’s intelligence into the
projector’s IMB (integrated media block). State-of-the- art 4K-ready IMBs can be enabled to output
2K @ 120Hz (DCI compliant quality). Today’s situation requires a software upgrade to the IMB to
enable this, but this new functionality will most likely be standard on future versions.

Another adaptation is programming the new and faster sequence into the formatter boards that drive
the DMD chips in the projector. As mentioned above, the boards have the capacity to support this
sequence, but a firmware upgrade is


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A pragmatic look at higher frame rates in Digital Cinema

required to activate it. Once again, it is to be expected that this new functionality will be
standard on future versions of the formatter firmware.

Important to remember: only 2 upgrades are required: one to the IMB software, and one to the TI
formatter firmware. Although no definite timeline has been confirmed, it is very likely that both
upgrades will be standard in the future. No investment in new hardware or equipment is required.

Note that we haven’t mentioned the most important requirement: the availability of content. As long
as studios keep making movies at 24 fps, the higher frame rates do not impact image quality,
because the projector will simply repeat certain frames to emulate the content’s lower frame rate.


IS THE CONVERSION TO HIGHER FRAME RATES POSSIBLE IN ALL SETUPS?

2D vs. 3D

Everything we have described in the previous paragraph is valid for 2D content. 3D at higher frame
rates is also possible, but there are more consequences. Once a projector has been upgraded to
output 2K @ 120Hz, it can also show 3D @ 60Hz per eye. At these frame rates, the artifacts that
triple flash tries to resolve are much less visible. Because triple flash is no longer needed, the
content can be shown, just like that, in 3D
@ 60Hz.

In the initial stage, the focus of the higher frame rate discussion lies on 3D content: this has to
do with the margin for improvement of 3D image quality. The cinema market received some criticism
from moviegoers and key opinion leaders as the number of 3D screenings increased following the
release of Avatar. The criticism related to occurrences of insufficient image brightness [3],
artifacts and visual discomfort. Increasing the frame rate can improve the perceived image quality
in 3D – so, that’s why the initial focus and trials are on 3D content. This improvement will be
most noticeable on fast-moving scenes, camera pan-shots, and the like.

The first demos of digital cinema projection at higher frame rates were dual projector setups,
thereby eliminating all potential temporal artifacts. For the 48 fps demonstration, two servers and
two projectors were used: one server-projector combination dedicated to each eye. In-projector
media blocks decoded incoming content at 48 fps [2].

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A pragmatic look at higher frame rates in Digital Cinema
Page 6 of 8
The 60 fps demonstration was just as straightforward: two
servers and two projectors were again used, with one server- projector combination dedicated to
each eye [2].

Note that the previous comment on the availability of content applies here as well (probably even
more so…).


Series I vs. Series II

Everything we have described above applies to a Series II 2K projector (Barco’s DP2K models). Due
to an inherent difference in electronics, the upgrade is not possible on Series I projectors. The
dual projector setup as described in the example above could be a workaround here. It is currently
(Q3
2011) being investigated how to enable the same functionality on 4K projectors (Barco’s DP4K
models) as well. This applies
even when these projectors are showing 2K content.


Feature film vs. alternative content

The situation is also different for alternative content (coming in via the projector’s DVI port).
Here, the processing path is slightly different and frame rates up to 60Hz are more
common. See our installation manual for an overview of
supported DVI input formats.

more pics....