<LOL>!
You guys are quite good...and sometimes quite tough!
You sure know how to put someone's feet to the fire if they aren't delivering...I've seen it happen!
To be honest, I actually did tell you most of what I know. There is only the final development and testing of the Gamma Wizard left. Colorfacts turned into a bigger testing suite than I expected, but I now trust it even more in my own work because of its comprehensiveness.
I can try "lunatic fringe" ideas that I would never consider shipping to a customer (like simultaneously setting the bias, gain and gamma settings at the same time based on the colorimetric data) and Colorfacts will let me know the results of those experiments.
Most of the time, you just can't shortcut the process of doing the adjustments one-after-the-other (black level first, gain and peak white to D65 second, gamma third). It is interesting learning nonetheless, and the feedback loop is quite small (Run the prototype Dilard code, then check it with Colorfacts). I would love to have the entire Dilard calibration of the projector be possible in 15-20 minutes, FULLY automated.
However, I have to realize that the investment adds up to some REAL R&D, and the D-ILA market just isn't big enough to justify the cost of it. That doesn't mean that it can't be done with less R&D...it just means that the process may take a little longer than 15 minutes, and may only be SEMI automated (with a person clicking on buttons at the appropriate decision points within a Wizard).
Keep in mind that everything has been built from the ground-up for the specific purposes that they were intended. I won't mention any other companies or individuals, but we have not rebranded or modified an existing system for either the Dilard or Colorfacts solutions. They have designed from the ground floor for doing just what they do the best that they can.
It does take a little longer to build everything from the groud up, but I think that in the end, the quality really shows. I don't have a specific release date for the Wizard, as I really like the ID software approach to software releases (as opposed to the Microsoft approach).
I don't think that users like the ID approach much initially, but ID's customers are far happier than Microsoft's customers in the "Quality" rating in the long run. In a nutshell, ID's release date is always:
"The software is released when it is polished, debugged and ready for delivery"
Whereas Microsoft software delivery dates are:
"Oct. 25, 2001 (Windows XP). Ready or not, bugs and all."
Of course, Microsoft usually has a "Service Pack" ready within a few weeks of the release date. ID software never does.
I think that your estimates are good ones, but they are just estimates. Personally, I'm still holding out hope that I can get the Wizard released before you get a real Panamorph in your hands.
http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/biggrin.gif
Tom,
You won't necessarily need Colorfacts if you use the Dilard calibration Wizards, unless you want to "check up" on how the Wizard did. Colorfacts displays graphs of the grayscale, brightness uniformity, RGB balances, black level, contrast, etc.
Dilard does all of those things "behind the scenes" (quietly), and doesn't need a person to watch. In fact, you can leave the room completely while the gamma is adjusted. You will notice the improvement in the picture, but won't know all of the numeric data that went into it.
Recaps>
Dilard will be analogous to shipping the projector away to be calibrated (or be "modded", as the case may be). You get it back, and the picture looks great! You don't know the specifics of how that happened...just that it is a big improvement, and that you like the picture. Easy and relatively painless.
However, Dilard will not (can not) do anything physical to the projector. Sometimes a professional calibrator will find that they need to open up the projector and adjust the quarter-wave plates in order to maximize the contrast. If your projector's quarter-wave plates need adjustment, the best option is to seek someone who does that.
In contract, Colorfacts is what the person *doing* the calibration might use to take the measurements and gauge the progress. It is the nitty-gritty details of the calibration process and really needs a human to make sense of what is happening. Colorfacts does not directly modify anything...it's instrument panels full of data, designed for human consumption.
Both of these will support the same instrumentation, which will be another topic to discuss closer to the times when these are available (plus, my fingers are tiring on this thread!).
Thanks for keeping me honest! You guys sure don't miss much
http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/biggrin.gif .
[This message has been edited by milori (edited 07-16-2001).]
