Need projector capable of lighting up huge screen with great picture. - Page 3

Maybe but unless say 50K to 100K USD is chump change for you, then I agree with Marc, I'd want to see it. Literally way worse than buying a $100,000 car strictly from a photograph.

Art

If you are considering a Barco DP2K-10S projector you could ask around local theaters if they have one or the Christie equivalent Solaria One and if you could come and take a look at it. NEC also has a S2K series model but with two UHP bulbs instead of xenon so it has half the light output of a Barco and might not have the same color accuracy. The S2K series of DCI projectors are really new so not many people have seen them in action.

Seriously, I don't think that I would expect to be able to see a product like this in action, unless I was willing to fly out to where they had one playing. Otherwise I believe the decision would be up to you, seen or unseen. Most of my gear is bought unseen and untested. Sure I have made a few mistakes, but it comes with the territory.

How much is a plane ticket ? I'm on my third projection sytem and I looked at what I bought each time first. If you think the specs are enough or even using what a dealer feels is "good" then unless you have pretty low standards you run a good risk of having buyers remorse...a pretty hefty one. What I'd do if I were the OP is use what we offer here as the barest starting point then go look a the final candidates after research. A few days of travel might save years of regrets. This is what I've done since '97 and to say that it's worked out would be a huge understatement

Art

Very true! I would want to see it too.

I was just trying to make the point that I don't think it is very easy to see these types of projectors in action in a meaningful way. Once you get past the Lumis leveI the distribution just isn't there, nor are demo facilities. Very few theaters have 190" screens, and I would guess most mfgs don't even have a 190" screen set up for demos!

Most people buying these types of projectors are trusting the recommendations of their CI who has maybe demoed a model lower down the line or maybe demoed a similar model on a smaller screen.

CEDIA Expo is probably the closest opportunity you would get to being able to see these types of projectors in one place. Even then it's unlikely SIM2 would bring their 4K model, DPI would bring their Titan, Wolf their REF, etc. And none of them will have a 190" screen.

Are DD going to hook up their HD to a 190" 1.0 AT screen?

Huh?...if there's no ambient light issues, a Lumis can light up a big screen with a little gain (14 - 16ft). I thought there was a budget ($30-40K?). Light cannon Barcos and Christies are too expensive. And the affordable super bright projectors often are weighted towards brightness at the expense of contrast and color saturation.

big screen.... always the issue of lumens VERY QUICKLY needed as size increases.
why not going "safe" with perhaps the new Panasonic Laser dlp for $5,000 (3,000 lumens but let's say it's 2,000 calibrated?) and wait it out 1-2 years down the road for a 4K 2,000 lumens (real ones) ? tip: place the pj as close as possible to the screen, will save you 25-50% lost lumens otherwise...your money...


not sure especially for such large screens, going with a fabric-based model was the best choice..


Those JVCs that your seller you mentioned, talked about, forget it: just good for 100-120'' maximum and in a dark hole room to extract those big on/off ratios...

True it's a pain to see big toys in demos....got to ask your dealer to set up special demos with his suppliers.

No way on a 16' wide 1.0 screen, you'd be under 10fL in no time.Lumis really is best suited for a screen around 12' wide stretching a bit to 13'-14' IMO

Marc

He wants to use a 0.98 spec gain screen. There are specifications for this stuff and if you want to ignore them fair enough. I can only say he will not hit SMPTE / THX specs with a Lumis at end of bulb life.

The 1200 unmodded could be had at or a somewhat above that 40K budget, there are the small chip units 6K lumens (the 8K are well within budget, not sure about the 12 or de 14K triple flash unit) at below 20K including lens (Canadian rep trying to sell somewhere here on one quite some time ago), and the new IMB-less 10S unit. Of course these are not true lightcannons in today's terms, but should be able to do a 5 meter screen as specified.

No Way the Panasonic 3500 lumens €2900,- plus tax LASER projector can do large screens, I have seen it at full blast at ISE (the 1080P 370 model), and if put in a dark(er) room those 3500 lumens would have been enough for the chosen screensize (2.5 meter wide max?), in a lighter environment it was bright enough (only just) for the presentation on hand, but not for engaging video.

The LASER unit is on permanent display at Christie HQ in Canada I was told at ISE the other week.

Sim2 wasn't at the stand number listed in the catalog, but they probably had a demoroom, as I did see the Sim2 guy from Germany walking on the showfloor, he usually does the demo's, but I didn't have time to go and look for it;-). Wolf was supposed to be there according to pre-show info, but wasn't listed i the online exhibitor list. But the big names were all there, just lucky we have two major local show's ISE and IBC.

I Believe the Stewart microperf with a light gain, at ISE, was 4.5 meters wide at the largest unmasked area. I would say it required all the lumens it received from the toned down DD modded Barco 25K used.
Edited by donaldk - 2/8/13 at 8:28pm

Runco does rebadge 3 chip Christies, only not the highest end Christies last time I looked.

I can confirm what Art said. I traveled to Detroit to visit Art's wonderful theater and Jeff's (thebland) theater as well as Ash Sharma's theater in Texas (I live in Connecticut, an hour outside of NY).

I am actually deep into the design of my theater which will be fairly similar to yours. 4-way masking, 3 rows (15 seats), 19' screen (at the most - but mostly sitting around 16' - I wanted the extra real estate for variable image sizes). Probably will go for a Christie or Barco DCI (though their on/off isn't very good) but there's little choice at this size screen.

Thanks to Art & Jeff for their inspirations - they were essential. It's well worth the expense & taking the time for the study.

-Rob

Oh...OK...I missed that detail. It seems to me that rather than doubling the projector budget in order to have a unity gain screen, it makes more sense to compromise slightly and go with a 1.3 gain screen...something like StudioTek 130 or Cinema Vision or BriteWhite. Either that or cut the screen size down a couple ft.

Where in CT are you? (I'm in Weston).

I'm curious - what is it about the Stewart screen you didn't like?

-Rob

Not that your other screen choices aren't great and may perform better than the Stewart for your needs but remember pixel size will increase with image size but perfs do not. The larger the screen the less likely it is that you will see the perfs since your closest seating distance increases with image size. I can see my perfs at about 8' from the screen and this would be a problem with a 10' screen but not a 14' one or in your case 16' . Just something to consider.


Art

That is what I was trying to imply, if you want to check one out, get on a plane and see it yourself. Otherwise, the buck stops at you if you buy unseen. I buy most of my gear unseen and I have made a few mistakes, but the more expensive gear I would go and see.

Hey Chopshop,

I run a Sony Vw1000 on a Enlightor 4k scope screen that is 160" wide. The true gain of that screen is about .84. Measured with a Colormunki spectro and Calman 5, about 35 hours on the bulb, with the projector at very close to minimum throw (highest light output) and calibrated, I get about 11ftL on a 100IRE pattern.

If I push contrast close to max, which clips whiter than white but doesnt really clip 235 and below, I get close to 13 ftL.

So its going to get dimmer than I like once the bulb gets some real age. Luckily my room is very much a black hole so I can live with a little dimmer than reference and still be happy.

11 foot lamberts? I like my picture more like 20 foot lamberts.

I find more than about 17-18 gets uncomfortable in my room.,

I would like to have 17-18 though.

If you are prepared to bump up the budget on the projector to attain greater horsepower, you might take a look at an AT material that Vutec calls SoundScreen. It's a unity gain screen but it has a very tight and relatively smooth vinyl-coated weave. I'm sure if you called them and asked for a swatch of it, they'd send it to you.

Also, as an FYI, there is a high brightness iteration of the LUMIS. It's called the PROC4 and they rate it at 4500 lumens. If you are ever down in south Florida, they have a demo area in their facility which they use for "show-me" situations. I went down to see the M.150 before I pulled the trigger.