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DNP 08-85 Versus Firehawk G3 In Dark Room

post #1 of 8
7/13/12 at 8:17am
Thread Starter 
Trying to decide between Firehawk G3 123" and DNP Core II 120" 08-85. Will do a lot of watching with moderate ambient light, primarily sports, though some movies and TV. Hence the desire for a specialized screen which addresses ambient light. Epson 6010. Light carpet, white cathedral ceiling, somewhat darkish walls. Light, in terms of external light, can be totally controlled for nightime movie watching.

For the dark viewing, which of these screens will perform better? I understand it can be subjective and personal preference. From what I've read it seems like the DNP would be a tad better than the Firehawk under my ambient conditions, and the AV person I'm working with agrees. His thought, though, is the Firehawk would be better than the DNP when watching under dark(er) conditions. Any thoughts?

Thanks
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post #2 of 8
7/13/12 at 10:54am
No contest. The DNP will roast the "Bird" in any direct comparison. The difference is almost silly. And BTW, in the dark, the DNP will shine compared to the FH. The "reviews' you've read almost assuredly did not make any direct comparison, but rather simply illustrated what is a normal tendency for end users to exclaim about their personal choices. Understandable...but hardly definitive.

The singular most important aspect you've not stated anything about is the difference between the DNP's much cleaner screen and it's ISF certification. You'll find neither are in the FH's repertoire.

I personally have seen both screens using 6010s as well a JVC X3s and X7s and always...always the DNP excels.
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post #3 of 8
7/13/12 at 11:23am
MM, what are your thoughts on the DNP 23-23 material compared to the 08?
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post #4 of 8
7/13/12 at 1:56pm
I just put up a DNP 08-85, replacing the Dalite High Contrast Cinema Vision in my family room. (It's a 100" diagonal working with a SIM2 C3X-E.) I've still got samples of the Firehawk and Black Diamond materials, so maybe over the weekend I'll see how they look with the new DNP as a backdrop. Obviously since I chose the DNP, I expected it to outperform the Firehawk. Without a doubt, off-angle viewing is much better on the Supernova, from the perspective of retaining both brightness and color fidelity.

I was impressed with the 23-23 as well. I couldn't get a sample to try in my room, but I did see it along with the 08-85 at a demo at DNP's facility in Irvine, CA. I think the 08-85 gets you a bit more contrast and a bit better blacks, as well better performance when viewing well off-angle. But I was impressed by how good the 23-23 looked when viewed off angle. The viewing cone seemed very wide to me and brightness loss as you move further out of the cone is pretty gradual; I didn't notice any color shift. That's not true for the Firehawk or Black Diamond screens.
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post #5 of 8
7/13/12 at 7:44pm
Thread Starter 
MM and Will, thanks for the input. And Will, don't go to any special effort to compare, but if you happen to do it, I would be interested in hearing. From what I've read here, on other forums, etc I expected what MM said, that's why I was surpised my guy mentioned the Firehawk being better for me in the dark conditions. Maybe there are certain characteristics of my space that he is taking into consideration.

Also, regarding the 23-23, my *impression*, and I could be totally off, was that I should only consider that if I'm getting into some pretty bright conditions, that otherwise the 08-85 would be better. The only thing that has me a bit cautious is the information at http://www.dnp-screens.com/DNP08/Products/Front-projection/Choosing-equipment.aspx, and the reference to the recommended projector brightness. But those are based on brigther conditions (200 lux on the screen, 400 lux in the room) than I would have for my ambient viewing.
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post #6 of 8
7/14/12 at 9:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by stdnp View Post

Trying to decide between Firehawk G3 123" and DNP Core II 120" 08-85. Will do a lot of watching with moderate ambient light, primarily sports, though some movies and TV. Hence the desire for a specialized screen which addresses ambient light. Epson 6010. Light carpet, white cathedral ceiling, somewhat darkish walls. Light, in terms of external light, can be totally controlled for nightime movie watching.
For the dark viewing, which of these screens will perform better? I understand it can be subjective and personal preference. From what I've read it seems like the DNP would be a tad better than the Firehawk under my ambient conditions, and the AV person I'm working with agrees. His thought, though, is the Firehawk would be better than the DNP when watching under dark(er) conditions. Any thoughts?
Thanks

My guess is the FireHawk is being considered due to the added gain because of the screen size. Takes a lot of lumens to light up a 120" .85 gain screen, meaning lower lamp life. An ISF screen does provide a better image, as long as you can light it up properly. You also have to keep in mind throw distance when considering the FireHawk. Best if the throw ratio is 1.6 times image width or more. For a 120" diagonal screen that is around 14' minimum.
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post #7 of 8
7/15/12 at 6:10am
Thread Starter 
I'll give my AV guy a call on Monday (both he and I were tied up on Friday) and get his thoughts. His comment on this topic was a quick email. Your comments about lumens needed for the 120", and looking at a review and the lumens (630) calibrated in best mode, calculators show 11.8 ft-L at .8 gain (versus 19.2 ft-L at 1.3 gain). I've come across enough comments in forums (and this thread) to think I would prefer the DNP 08-85 over the Firehawk, but it seems the question is if I have the brightness to drive the 16:9 120". It does if running in *brighter* modes. Makes me wonder if I should be considering 23-23 instead. Anyway, I'll give my guy a ring on Monday. Thanls for everyone's comments.
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post #8 of 8
7/15/12 at 11:58am
You also need to account for bulb aging as well. 630 lumens is probably with a new bulb and bulbs lose 50+ % of their brightness over their rated lifespan. You can cut lumens igf it is too bright to begin with but you can't add them. You'd either have to replace the bulb more frequently or use the brighter modes.
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