Mits 1000 want 2.35, What to do?

Don't feel bad I originally, last June started with buying a Optoma H77 and figuring I could have home theater for about 4K I now have a dedicated theater with 9 movie theater seats, a ten foot wide 2:35 Smx screen and about 60K worth of equipment in it. and it is not even finished yet.

John,
I'll be interested in these replies, as I am considering a Mitsu 1000 and CIH as well.

McCall,
That's where I'm heading too ... with th eexception of teh 60k in equipment (I hope).

I have a Mits HD1000u with a Panamorph U80 and use the Key Digital HD 4x1 as a scaler. My throw ratio is right at 2.00 on a grey (Draper) 104" wide screen. I have been very happy with this combo. There is a some edge distortion but nothing that a little overscan can't tame.

Good luck

Finally somone who actually owns the key digital. I want to do a CIH system with the RS1 but it does not have a stretch mode and I have been thinking of using the key digital to provide the stretch.

Does the key digital stretch HD images?


How good is the quality of the image after the stretch.

The Key Digital will do the stretches needed ... for 2.35 use "vertical zoom" and for 1.78 use "pillorbox". Works on all input resolutions. It seems to work very well. I also use the box to deinterlace my Oppo DV-970HD 480i over HDMI to 720p. Seems to work well for this too.

The HD 4x1 is very simple to use once you get used to the navigation button .. no OSD .. but no biggie.

Have had issues with this box handshaking with my Yamaha HTR-6090 receiver if used as an input switcher before the HTR-6090 feeding HDMI. I just use the box after the HTR-6090 and before the HD1000u and all is well.

atmer

.... I would seriously look at a way to use the Panamorph U85 (powerbuy @$495 see sticky at top of this forum). If you can live with the throw (min 1.8 or so) then I don't see how you can do better for the $$. I have the U80 (same as U85) and it is terrific.

Using the U85 which is a VC lens the width will be the same either way.

atmer,

At your current projector position (165", a little shy of 14') you will not be able to produce an image width of 116" (133" diag 16x9 screen). To use a VC lens (U85) you have to be able to zoom to the 2.35 width desired (in your case 116"). Using the Projector Central Calculator for the HD1000u the best you can do is around 110" at full zoom (which I do not recco). For your setup with a U85 lens I would not suggest going above the 100" screen that you already have.

If you were to use a horizontal expansion lens like Aussiemorphic, Panamorph UH385, ISCO or Prismasonic (and others) then you base your throw ratio on the 16x9 width (the lens then stretches the image horizontally to 2.35 keeping the height constant CIH).

My experience with the HD1000u/U80 at 116" image width is that I fing it too large at a viewing distance of 15' and that I can begin to see image structure. Also for my setup at 17' throw I see a good bit of geometric distortion. I now use a 104" width (119" diag 16x9) and am very happy with the results. YMMV of course.

If you really want the 116" wide 2.35 image you will need to use a HE lens like the Aussiemorphic that you mentioned. The throw ratio would then be based on the 16x9 width (116" @ 2.35 yields 49.4" image height which yields 88" width, 101" diag ... the screen you have now)

I hope I've shed some light on this ( I know it gets confusing as I've spent the last month or so trying to make sense of it all)

emc explained it very well, if you want to go to a wider screen/wider picture then you want to use an HE lens not a VC one. Also are you looking to do a 116" wide 2.25 screen? if so your finished screen would be 49" high by 116"wide, mine is 51" high by 120" wide by comparison. and you want to start with an unzoomed picture in 16:9 the HE lens adds about 33% to that width.

By the way, in contrast to what emc said about viewing distance etc. my viewing distances are 9.5 ft first row, from eyes to screen and 12.5 ft second row with an Smx AT screen and we have no viewing issues at all, not too close no need to turn head, no SDE no making out the weave of the screen. So all those factors vary with the screen and the individuals watching.