Crescendo Sys RTC2000 and gamma - Page 3

I like it--alot. Let me play with just one more thing to make sure all is OK, but I think it is a winner.

I've been watching it for awhile now, and I needed to test something else, so took out the new one and put your old one back in so I would be back to a baseline. Man, I can't believe how much I got used to the gamma. With the original back and I just couldn't get the picture to where I had grown used to it. I'm at about 1/3 of the maximum gamma correction it supports and it is perfect. I kick my brightness down 2 or 3 clicks but loose no shadow detail. It is great.

Dave

So, l threw up the Marquee's internal black level test pattern and the two darkest bars appear as one unless I crank the brightness to 100. So based on what has been said here, the new gamma correcting box would help, correct?

Whoahh... what is your G2 & Drive set at for each color!?
To give you an idea, my Marquee have always been set according to the process detailed here:

http://www.etechvideo.com/techtip1.htm

Your 2nd to last dark bar should light up with brightness around 40-50 at a minimum assuming everything else is set up properly. I would get your greyscale set up properly before you even start to think about a Gamma mod. The gamma mod is available to give you the "icing on the cake". Not to fix any problems. You've gotta bake that cake before you even think about the icing!

VERY helpful. Thanks, here were my before settings:
R drive 27 G2 71
G drive 100 G2 69
B drive 51 G2 70

And after:
R drive 35 G2 78
G drive 90 G2 78
B drive 50 G2 77

Now, I still have to run contrast at 85 and brightness at 75, but that does give me XBox Nirvana! Are any of these settings too haywire? I know the G2 figures are a bit high, but the tubes are about 6 years old with around 2500 hours, I'd estimate.

Also, with that said, would the new gamma correctly RTC help even more?

What gain is your screen? G2 figures of (IMO) higher than 75 indicate a P14 voltage problem and your tubes have prematurely worn out a bit.
Still very useable as you're finding out... but I'm going to guess that you've lost about 25% of the life of the tube.

Check the bottom of that same webpage for a way to find out what your P14 value is. Here is an excerpt:


To answer that last question, yes... the Gamma mod will hopefully make things much easier to set up and get both the deep blacks as well as great shadow detail. I don't know for sure of course (yet), but as soon as it's available I'll be adding it to my current box from Cresendo.

Btw, I had a projector with similar G2 values as yours and I was very happy with it. So don't get discouraged. But do start to keep an eye out for replacement tubes.

I figured they were a bit worn. I bought the PJ used from Hi-Rez 6 years ago and he said the tubes were "fairly new." I've already got the $4k of value out of it that I paid.

My bigger question is if its OK to run the contrast at 85 and the birghtness at 75, or is something screwy there? Also, my screen gain is only 1.3- I like a wide viewing angle.

Thats difficult to say. When I had a Marquee with G2 like yours, I was able to use contrast at ~50 and brightness ~65. But your setup could be very different from mine. Another thing to consider is your source, whether you're getting a hot enough voltage to the projector. Do you have something like the Extron 202xi that allows you to adjust the voltage level?

The only thing I have in the path is an Audio Authority component video switcher and the RTC. However, even before when all I had was an RCA DTC100 feeding VGA direct to the PJ, I still needed the higher contrast and brightness. My cable run is 50 feet via an RGB cable broken out into 5 wire BNC.

Would an Extron 202 help? I can get a 202VTB on Ebay UNTESTED for around $20 or a 202 plus for about the same. Would either of these help you think? I'd be willing to gamble $20 for an improvement.

Or, do I just need the gamma correcting RTC? Would this also help me be able to dial back the contrast and brightness?

My understanding is the Cresenco transcoder eliminates the need for an Extron because it offers a hot output which is especially important for a run as long as 50'. But then you're still stuck with VGA output, so the Extron is pretty nice to have for it's 5BNC output. Just make sure you get the correct shaped VGA adaptor for the input though. It's not the standard 15 pin DSub on most Extrons.

Cool. Then it sounds like getting Kim to upgrade my RTC 2200 to the one with gamma adjustment will be the hot ticket with minimal out of pocket.

So, Kim, when they gonna be ready!?

Any more news about this ???

He'll have the new one out early in the new year.

The cases have been ordered and are supposed to arrive in the 1st week of January. As soon as I get back from the holidays I will order boards. I also just made some last minute changes to improve the performance a bit.

Kim

Kim,

To improve the performance of the transcoder or to improve the performance of the gamma add-on?

Please put me down for being in que for one of your first lot of gamma add-on's.

Thanks,
Eddie

Yeah, Me Too!!

How do we get in line for the new production run?

Same here for Me, I want one!!! I've sent you a couple of email concerning the new box so let me know if I need to sign up to get one. Any firm idea on pricing yet?

Andre

Put we down for an upgrade. Just bought the RTC from you last month.

Yeah, let me know as I gotta send the thing international, as much heads up as possible would be cool.

Please add me as someone who wants a kit... how much will these be??

... I have a PTV01B by ALLY that works great for my htpc - but I want MORE INPUT!!



Kim - I pm'd you about this.... Phil

I have a few more of the transcoder + gamma cards out for testing, let me get some emore feedback and I will update the website as soon as I can.

First shipments for the complete transcoder with gamma is still second week of January.


Kim

I have an NEC 6pg extra and purchased a kimcoder about 5 months ago. I am trying to figure out if I need to upgrade to his new version. I am pretty proficient with the projector itself (setup and maintenance), but I must admit I am a little lost on the whole gamma issue.

Would anyone recommend this as a worthwhile upgrade for me? Any thoughts as to what I should look for to determine whether to order the new piece?

Thanks!

Is the gamma card going to be adjustable, or is it just going to provide a stationairy "bump" in the curve?

It's adjustable

Many people (myself included) cannot live without some sort of gamma boost to get out of black faster (ie: pulling out low light details without affecting the black level).

All CRT projectors can really benefit from this. How much you like it yourself or how critical you find it to be is somewhat a matter of taste, though I don't know anyone that, given the option, would not use it. I use it on my HTPC for DVD playback and the difference (to me) is fantastic. I want Kim's transcoder/gamma boost for HDTV (and possibly other future sources like an HD-DVD player).

Kal

Kal,

Thanks for the response. Sounds like it would be hard to go wrong. I will see what the final upgrade price is but looks like I'll be on the list.

Davis

Is there a pre order list? I went to Kim's website. It does not mention anything about gamma or that he will be shipping the new units the 2nd week of January.

I think he said he'll update the website when he's satisfied with the final product. I'd just stay tuned to this thread.

M

Yep

Cowboy by Day, electronic genius by night.