[111]

Hello, I building a home theater (on a budget) and came across a good deal on a preowened Epson Powerlite Pro 1080UB. My problem is that my ceiling is only 82" high and therefore I want to go with a 2.35:1 120" screen (to maximize the screen size). My questions are

1. with an addition of an external lens (forgot the proper name), can I get a 2.35:1 format out of that projector?


2. what is lowest I can have a fixed screen from the floor?



Thank you in advance.

 

[PioManiac]



Quote:
Originally Posted by 111 /forum/post/16827930


Hello, I building a home theater (on a budget) and came across a good deal on a preowened Epson Powerlite Pro 1080UB. My problem is that my ceiling is only 82" high and therefore I want to go with a 2.35:1 120" screen (to maximize the screen size). My questions are

1. with an addition of an external lens (forgot the proper name), can I get a 2.35:1 format out of that projector?


2. what is lowest I can have a fixed screen from the floor?



Thank you in advance.

1.) You need the ability to perform a vertical stretch internally (CIH) before you can apply an external anamorphic lens to stretch the image to full screen width.

I'm pretty sure you can't do it with a Pro 1080UB

I have the 1080UB (non Pro model),

but there isn't a lot of difference in the two internally.


• The Pro version is black, and the Home version is white.

• The Pro is priced at $3,999.99

• The Home is $2,999.99

• The Pro comes with a ceiling mount and spare lamp, whereas the Home does not. (Well mine did, + a $300 rebate)

• The Pro has a 3-year warranty, and the Home is 2 years.

• The Pro model features an Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) certification.

• The Pro model is sold by resellers who are trained to install, calibrate, and support the unit. The Home model is sold by resellers who typically do not offer this level of support.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/epso..._ub_review.htm

read two paragraphs up from the conclusion on the JVC RS1 comparison:

..."Neither of these models offers a vertical stretch aspect ratio to accommodate an anamorphic lens."


2.) If you want, you could put a 16:9 screen right on the floor.

...but it would be hard to see through your feet if you have a recliner

Of course this would not work very well, specially if you have a second row of seating.

but you could probably get away with a 16:9 120" screen aprox 18" from the floor in a pinch.

(the bottom of 2.35:1 content would be about 8" higher anyway)

............................................................ .......................................



My basement ceiling is 93" high...about 11" more than yours

I have a 120" 16:9 powered drop down screen, (aprox 105"w x 59"h)

adjusted to stop about 22"-23" from my floor, just before it touches my center channel speaker.

...this leaves about 11" of drop (black area above my screens viewing area) and about 4" for the case.


So the top of my screens viewing area is about 4" below your ceiling height.


I have a single row of seating, 3 wide powered recliners, and can just see the bottom of the screen over my toes for 16:9 content when fully reclined

...But I dont fully recline unless I need a nap.

(10'-6" viewing distance, 12'-6" throw, PJ is shelf mounted 5' high just behind my center seat.)


old pic to show ceiling/screen drop

2.35:1 content on a 16:9 screen isnt so bad when you have an Epson 1080UB (Ultra Black)

With ambient light on to show where the "black bars" are:

With Lights out, no black bars

I'm happy I went with 16:9, I watch a lot of HD concerts, HD Sports, PS3 and XBOX360 Games...even a few movies in 1:85 format.

....so seeing them in full width and height suits me fine. I only had 9' width to work with so if I had a scope screen

that content would be substantially smaller (20" less height) and black pillar boxes on both sides

 

[111]

Thanks a lot for your response. Very helpful.


One more question - Do you know if the newer model 6500 has an internal vertical stretch capability?


Actually, are there any sub $5K projectors that can be zoomed to a 2.35:1 format?


thanks again.

 

[PioManiac]

If you keep the 1080UB, you could just add a video processor for the digital stretch function

I think the Panasonic AE3000 is your best bet under $3k

..but you can probably find a deal on a JVC model that has vertical stretch for under $5k.

Best to look in the $3k and Up page though...this is the sub $3k section

Here's a litte clip of an Epson 6500UB vs Panny AE3000 comparison in regards to CIH



2.35 CIH Options. Some people are going for screens that are wider than 16:9 these days. Since many films are being made in 2.35:1 or 2.39:1 format, a lot of folks are opting for screens in this format so you can see these films in CinemaScope widescreen format without any black bars. The system is set up to display all aspect ratios less than or equal to 2.35:1 at the same screen height, which is where the Constant Image Height (CIH) designation comes from.


Most people who are setting up 2.35 CIH rigs are using anamorphic lenses which optically stretch the image to the full width of the screen. In order to accommodate an anamorphic lens, you need to have the image digitally stretched vertically, so that the lens can undo the distortion and end up with a picture in proper aspect ratio. The AE3000 comes with the vertical stretch mode on board, while the 6500 UB does not. In order to use an anamorphic lens with the 6500UB, you need to use an external video processor to accomplish the digital vertical stretch.


In addition, the AE3000 makes use of its powered zoom lens by including a feature called Lens Memory. With this feature you can set up a 2.35 CIH system without incurring the substantial cost of the anamorphic lens. Basically, it lets you zoom the lens to a wide angle setting to fill an entire 2.35 screen when watching a 2.35 movie. Then when you switch to 16:9 or 4:3 material, the projector will zoom the lens forward such that the material fills the screen vertically. It will also, within limits, adjust the height of the picture in the frame so it fits your screen. It accomplishes all of this at the press of a button.


Since the 6500 UB has a manual zoom lens, no similar automatic feature exists on it. However, you can accomplish the same thing by manually adjusting the zoom lens and lens shift each time you switch from 2.35 subject matter to 16:9 or 4:3. If you plan to do this, ceiling mounting your projector is not recommended.



source: http://www.projectorcentral.com/epso...nic_ae3000.htm

 

[buddahead]

Panny ae3000 2000 does the needed strech for under $2500'Also the panny ax200 720p fp does it for a very good price $1300

 

[gwlaw99]

ax200 is $950. Do a search for poor man's constant height. That is what the projector review's article is talking about.

 

[d james]

The panny will do the stretch for you, but from what I understand you still see the black bars on top and bottom with it, just as you would with other pjs. I recommend a 16x9 screen because alot of content uses that format. You could also make your own 235 screen from budget blackout material (up to 135 diagonal), mount it on the wall behind a 16x9 screen and then you have best of both worlds. Of course this only works if you don't mind having a fixed screen on the wall plus you will still need to get to the pj to adjust the zoom and focus unless you go with the panny.


What I have done is drap a black cloth in front of the screen held on by magnets that is the same height as the black material on the 16x9 screen. Its jsut basic black material about 6-8 inches in height (whatever the screen black is) and as wide as the screen. This way when I want 16x9 movies I pull the screen down all the way, but for 2.35 movies I raise the screen up to the appropriate size, hiding any extra white under the black material. I then just adjust the lens shift up to match the screen.


Those black bars do take away from the experience, but moving the screen up using material, I never notice them now and its alot cheaper than going with external lens

 

[111]

Thank you all for your inputs.


I decided to go with an Epson Pro 1080UB and a fixed 16:9 57"x101" screen. My wall is 140"x82", with the black frame around the screen, I will have approx. 20" left on the sides (for speaker placement) and 20" at the bottom (enough for a mini stage and a center speaker on it).

 

[Toe Tag]

Note however, that while the Panny CIH feature is handy, esp. for ceiling mount, its only dealing with the zoom issue of 2.35. It doesn't get you the extra brightness and resolution that you get by stretching the image into all the pixels in the top/bottom bar (starting at the LCD/LCoS panel), then squeezing it back down again with an anamorphic lens. I realize now though that true anamorphic (I think the Panny feature is called poor-man's anamporphic, though IMHO a deceptive name) doesn't help your contrast ratio though.


I do have one idea for the poor man though. While using an HTPC for BD can be a bit of a hassle, I wonder if TMT or even the video card driver can replace the need for expensive outboard digital vertical stretching of 2.35 when you use an anamorphic lens. Of course the anamorphic lens still ends up costing as much as the PJ but surely the HTPC can do the image processing in the digital domain for free can't it?