Got my Marquee fired up again - Page 2

A batch from the "HOME" High Def blue ray disk.

Still using my "Smoking 02" VIM, un-calibrated and fired on an 8' wide screen.

The VIM is waiting for me to do up a set of neck boards, and from there the set will be shipped to Tim. In a couple more weeks, I'll do up another set to send for out for commercial demos on multi-display setups. The low end and black level performance is beyond belief..

This batch is sized out larger, but still un-touched.











Edited by mp20748 - 1/22/13 at 2:22am

Back to my favorite 02 VIM, but now in the Cinema mode in the Blu Ray player.

and of course, the colors are a bit off due to me not working with a calibrated setup, because I'm constantly switching between VIM's

A few more shots still using my Smoking 02 VIM - Lawrence of Arabia Blu Ray

As soon as I'm able to get my Marquee test unit back on the cart, I'll have a few finished boards ready to go out. Yep, I think its time I got back to this. And this time I got something that will knock your socks off. As sharp as a digital and a huge increase in light output. Super sharp, clean and very intense image..

I had a CRT to setup in Connecticut a little over a month ago. I asked the customer if it would be Ok to bring a set of the boards with me so he could check them out. he agreed.. I installed them and he did not let me leave with them. He said the difference between the stock boards and the modified boards was "night and day"








Edited by mp20748 - 1/24/13 at 4:14pm

I moved the camera closer to the screen in most of these shots

Warning - the convergence is off on the left..and that's fine with me because I'm too lazy to do anything about it..

At least for now.

A few more while checking out a modified VIM

The VIM is now finished, and is a perfect match for the neck boards..

The bloom is gone.. yeah,,

OK, I'll elaborate further. The increase in bandwidth performance on the neck boards also allowed for an increase in noise in the video chain to be also amplified by the neck boards. That noise can be seen on the screen several ways. We usually see noise as lines of other distortions, but some of the worst performance robbing noises are those that are not clearly seen. they can cripple the low end to even blurring the image at the edges and this is one of the worst. I call it blooming. It robs the image of its distinct edge or tight and smooth outlines. And it usually is caused from anything from subtle parasitic oscillation, harmonic hash, to any device in the chain that can enhance or peak the highs. If left untamed, it will show on the tubes as a slight bloom at the higher resolutions, and that robs the image of finer detail and tightness.

And when done properly, the low end jumps off the screen. Being able to see black on CRT was always tricky and required a precise adjustment that still did not bring out the blacks. But when the noise is truly tamed in fast video chain, the blacks jump off the screen, and that happens without a precise adjustment. My 8500 has not been touched and yet the black level performance can be seen even in the shots..

These mods are now complete. I'll only need to setup the test board to make them happen from here on.

Wrath of the Titans Blu Ray

.

Sharpness is a non issue for my Marquee, though I would still like to get my hands on a set of the HFQ900 lenses.

Neck boards were finished, and I've since been tweaking the VIM. Steve came over last night to drop off a set of boards for whenever I'll be opening the door to the Mod factory for these later Marquee mods. I took the contrast up to '100' and he said "it ain't blooming" I said i know, and if you did not know it was a CRT projector, you would think you were looking at a super sharp and bright digital projector..

The sharpness and brightness are only a few of the unexpected improvements that's so obvious on the screen, the one that also really jumps off the screen, and it does so not being calibrated; is the Black level performance. I would like to also have the ansi contrast measured, because I know based on the itrascene contrast performance has got to be up there.

I've included an on-screen menu in one of the shots to show how tight it looks on the screen. I had wanted to also include in a shot the on-screen menu of the 'contrast' or 'brightness' being also displayed, to also see if the camera would be able to show how clean and flawless it looks and that the black in that menu is perfectly black.

I had said i would get back to doing these mods, and if I only move a few sets a year, I'll still keep the doors to the Mod factory open..

A CRT projector that can really 100% resolve 1080P, can produce a more naturally sharper or better defined image than a digital. My camera fails to captor the level of detail that I get to see on the screen.

Trying out a Samsung Blu Ray on my system while i have it here for evaluation. The shots are from Starship Troopers, a Blu ray that won't play on my Panasonic Blu Ray player.

The Samsung definitely puts out a more detailed image for such a small unit. Don't have the remote, so pausing has been a real challenge.

The setup now has the Samsung into the Moome, with me using an 02 VIM - 1920X1080P /60hz raw. BTW, the low level (blacks) that's so easily seen in the shots is from an un-calibrated setup.

Also, one I captured from Baraka earlier yesterday

The Mod Factory is now open... or nearly open would be a better way to put it.

After much testing and very consistent and stellar image performance, I'm near ready to make this happen.

I've decided to move forward with this latest and very last version of these Marquee mods by offering them two ways. 1- Full set (VIM and Neck Boards). 2 - Neck boards only

The Neck Board only option is for someone wanting to upgrade to get the higher bandwidth performance, and because they already have a certain version of either 02 or 03 VIM that was also modified by me, they would only need to upgrade their neck boards. The dowwnside to this option is that it may require a clean stock version of neck boards to make this happen. Some of the previous versions of the neck board mods may not be situated for the changes.

The cost for the Full Set is: $575.00 - with the cost for the neck boards only being: $300.00 I'm not expecting much interest in these, and because I'll not be able to pump more than a few at a time out because I'm also more devoted to other technical ventures that would limit any time i have to making this happen. So with this limitation, for the few who has been waiting for these, I will only make this happen either by what boards I'll have on hand ready to go out the door, or for anyone who first send me their boards to modify. I'll take payment only when they are ready to ship. A few a month would be fine with me.

The real power of this version of the mods is in the neck board changes. The VIM changes are also an improvement over anything previous, but the difference may not be that discernible. When Steve dropped off his boards, we tested his modified 02 VIM in my projector against my latest modified 02 VIM and the difference was quite noticeable. I'm offering the neck board only option to also help me make this happen at a lower cost while still being able to get the same great bandwidth performance.

The only other person at present that has these mods is William who has the blended Marquees. He only has the neck board done. After we had installed the neck boards on his setup the picture improvement was a Super sharp image and greatly improved black level performance. William complained about black levels not being there and that it was not as bright as he thought it should be. Once we installed the modified neck boards the first thing we noticed was the very sharp image and exceptional image detail. WE also noticed a huge improvement in low level detail and great black level performance. the changes afforded him three very noticeable improvements. And it left me going home not being able to see the same level of sharpness on my setup... but that was until I tried out this Samsung BD-P1600 Blu Ray player i now have connected. I'm now getting the same super sharp 1080P image


1920X1080P /60hz straight from the camera projected onto my 8' wide screen - Believe me, the camera is NOT capturing the sharpness I'm seeing on the screen:

More 1080P on my CRT...

And still even more...







Edited by mp20748 - 2/12/13 at 2:17am

It's the same camera that I've been using the past two or more years. The only thing different component wise is the Blu Ray player (Samsung BD-P1600). same screen and projector, but a very difference in some of the electronics in the projector.

What I'm seeing and trying to convey in the shots is that I'm seeing for the first time what 1920X1080P 60hz looks like when properly resolved. For years I was thinking that I had accomplished that, while also knowing from Scott at VDC and an Electrohome engineer that none of the manufactured CRT projectors were capable of the bandwidth requirement for 1920X1080P. The circuits just were not capable, and what I had been thinking was happening was making it happen, because I used a simple test pattern to confirm.

I found out after stumbling across few changes after a getting a thought to try something, that 1920X1080P look astonishing on a CRT projector if its fully capable. Unlike what I've been so used to with 1080P being soft or softer, it's actually sharper and more detailed than any of the lower scan rates that uses less bandwidth. You would have to see it to believe it, my screen looks like a very large high resolution CRT monitor, bright, sharp and very intense.

I got a call from William (dual blended Marquees) yesterday, who now has the same changes in both of his projectors. he's supposed to be posting in this thread on what he told me his experience was when he watched a popular program on this past weekend

Where are you William?

Even more...