Dbals - And a big thanks to your business for sourcing the projector for me! Without the knowledge base and support of AVS members like you, we would not have even come close to what we have today. Truly. Edited by dutchswan0311 - 12/10/12 at 6:45pm
And now on to the question of video. It would be nice if there was a blu-ray player that could store intros & previews on a local hard drive, and would then play them before the movie on the bluray player plays. Thoughts? I thought my Onkyo 709 had on board storage for such things, but haven't had time to really research its capabilities yet. Thoughts?
I mean to say I would like the ability to hand pick movie trailers that we plan to show...and then play them before the feature presentation without swapping discs or using two players. I would also like to hand pick the DLP or DTS trailers to the same end.
You could pickup a used DTS/ Datasat XD10/ XD20 Processor. They can be had pretty cheap on EBay. What you are looking to do is what these devices do every day in commercial movie theaters. They include automation that could start your new BenQ projector (assuming that it can take commands via RS232)
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Best Regards,
Carl Huff
The Onkyo 709 has RS232...would the the equipment you mention work in conjunction with the AVR, or is the AVR capable on its own?
"The XD10/ XD20 has automation capability that can drive both as well as turn off light and close relays that open/ close curtains etc. Here is a URL to the XD10 User's Guide ...
For that matter you could use a HTPC computer for your preshow. Do you know a local 'computer geek' that could set you up???
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Best Regards,
Carl Huff
Do you have a "pre roll" monitor or two in your rack? I'd think you'd want to get the bluray cued up to the beginning of the movie, paused and ready to roll. Your HTPC would be all set to roll the intro footage. You sure don't want any of the setup steps to be sent to the projector.
I saw a demo at CES years back where they had a cardboard shutter over the PJ lens to "mute" the video feed. Looked like it was driven by a remote control car servo of some type.
dutch, there is an xbmc application that does exactly what you want to do if you want to run XBMC on a htpc. It's called Cinema Experience. You can define your movie previews, sound intros, ect. It can do automated stuff based on what xbmc says your type of sound is (like if it's a dts HD audio track it will play one of the dts audio intros before the movie) It also allows you to setup custom trivia and use downloaded trivia packs or make your own. Pretty awesome as far as imitation a big commercial theater experience. It should be able to handle bluray playback for you as well. http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=87563
The app is having to be rewritten for the new xbmc frodo version but should be out for it soon. Here is someone using it as an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COUXAcICpuE&feature=g-upl You could just add a lot of time for the trivia and start it before anyone arrives or maybe have a 2nd screen to start it on then move it to the main screen?
I hooked up the projector today and am quite pleased with it. When I attempted to use the Cat6 to HDMI extender with my Onkyo 709, as expected it did not work. A firmware update was needed, and was performed. After doing so, I was able to get picture...but not a good one. I am not sure if it is due to an old and cheap HDMI cable between the AVR and the wallplate, or if the distance is too great for the passive (dual) Cat6 to HDMI extender. I do not believe it to be interference, but need to quickly figure out what is going on. The Cat6 to HDMI extender is only spanning ~ 60 feet, so I did not expect the distance to be a problem. The extender also has a 5V power option to boost the signal. Unfortunately, the extender does not come with the needed power supply. I did purchase a pair on monoprice, but they ended up sending me the wrong ones. They sent me a 5V, 1,000mA power supply, but I think it needs a 5V, 2000mA power supply. Frustrating.
AT any rate, below is a link to a short clip of the projector playing a preview to Skyfall that I uploaded to YouTube. Can anyone who watches the clip speculate as to what is causing the signal degradation?
Try a lower resolution, like 1080i, 720p, or 480p. If the problem is still there at all these resolutions then there is a problem with the cable or cat6 extender.
How are they currently wired? The 586A standard was more vulnerable to interference. Can you just run a test cable on the floor to make sure that it isn't picking up stray voltage from anywhere?
@tsloms...sorry, my last comment posted before I was finished. The device calls for 568B, but my Cat6 cables are wired to the 568A standard. It seems reasonable to me that this is causing my issue.
If you do end up going the HTPC route at some point, with some software such as JRiver you can adjust the image down on the screen to the bottom so it is easier to see. The image is also against the black velvet at the bottom so the contrast ratio should improve slightly.
@tsloms...sorry, my last comment posted before I was finished. The device calls for 568B, but my Cat6 cables are wired to the 568A standard. It seems reasonable to me that this is causing my issue.
That could definitely be the issue if you are running the Cat 6 cables near an electrical source. I would first try to run an external test Cat cable to see if it takes care of it. Otherwise cutting the ends off of your existing cables and crimping on new ends per the 586B standards is a easy fix as well.
@desertdome: I didn't realize it until after struggling to center picture for a while, but there is a toggle on the front of the BenQ SH960 that lets you move the image as much as 3' in any direction. VERY handy.
@tsloms: I worked very hard to make sure my Cat6 runs did not come within 12" of any electrical lines with the exception of one perpendicular crossover...and even that is a line for lights which when shut off don't draw lower and should have only a very tiny EM footprint. I am going to rewire the Cat6 ends in about 30 minutes and will report back if that fixes the issue.
I rewired the Cat6 cables to 586B ... no improvement. Connected the 5V power supply ... no improvement. I am quite frustrated. Perhaps that's what you get out of a product that costs $17. I guess now I have no choice but to fork out the $200+ for HDBaseT converter. Thoughts?
If it's only 60 feet why not just use decent hdmi cable(s) and a hdmi repeater if needed
monoprice has some under $20 hdmi extenders/repeaters or the monoprice redmere active hdmi cables are supposed to run without issue to 65ft is an option (or any active amp hdmi cables should work) Edited by blackoper - 12/19/12 at 11:37am
What is your length again? Maybe you could just buy a longer HDMI cable from Monoprice. A few months ago I used a 25 ft cable, a 35 ft cable, and a 10 ft cable with a Darbee Darblet also in the mix and had no issues with my 1080p projector. All cables were from Monoprice. I also had some wall connectors in between the cables.
I rewired the Cat6 cables to 586B ... no improvement. Connected the 5V power supply ... no improvement. I am quite frustrated. Perhaps that's what you get out of a product that costs $17. I guess now I have no choice but to fork out the $200+ for HDBaseT converter. Thoughts?
How many CAT6 cables does it use? Does it use more than one?
The current devise is passive, not HDBaseT, and uses two cables. I don't really want to run a long HDMI cable because the space is finished at this point, and there would be no way to hide it. The phone company was just here to install our DSL and I asked them to use their equipment to test my pair of Cat6 cables. Both passed (whatever that means).
BTW, Thanks D!
