Avoid playing video games on it and watching TV stations with continuous logos on the lower right of the screen? That's all I can think of.
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How to prolong tube life?
As I understand it, tube life is heavily dependent on brightness and contrast settings. Are there any other things I can do to baby the tubes long as possible? Have there been other threads on this issue?
I ask because I just bought an Ampro 4600 with what appear to be pretty nice CRTs. I'd hate to burn through that set quicker than I have to just because I was unaware of something. I will be using an HTPC as my source. Does signal strength or voltage from the HTPC's video card make any difference?
I ask because I just bought an Ampro 4600 with what appear to be pretty nice CRTs. I'd hate to burn through that set quicker than I have to just because I was unaware of something. I will be using an HTPC as my source. Does signal strength or voltage from the HTPC's video card make any difference?
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Contrast is the biggest killer...the brighter it is...the faster it wears out.
But why worry about it. Say you can get 8,000hrs from your tubes a average contrast settings...at 4 hrs a night, every night, that's 5 1/2 years before the tubes are worn. Most people won't watch that much and will probably get 10 years from it. Just enjoy it! Oh, and watch the burn-in from static images.
But why worry about it. Say you can get 8,000hrs from your tubes a average contrast settings...at 4 hrs a night, every night, that's 5 1/2 years before the tubes are worn. Most people won't watch that much and will probably get 10 years from it. Just enjoy it! Oh, and watch the burn-in from static images.
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Haha yeah a lot of people with $100-200 CRT projectors are concerned about burn in - why not just buy an extra projector so you will not have to worry? 
| Originally Posted by joeuser2 Contrast is the biggest killer...the brighter it is...the faster it wears out. But why worry about it. Say you can get 8,000hrs from your tubes a average contrast settings...at 4 hrs a night, every night, that's 5 1/2 years before the tubes are worn. Most people won't watch that much and will probably get 10 years from it. Just enjoy it! Oh, and watch the burn-in from static images. |
is it bad to have a projector set to 100 contrast and low, say about 40, brightness? My colors bleed at 100 contrast anyway, so I dont use it, but I'm just curious
Improper throw distance will mean you will wear tiny little patches on your tubes.
brightness is really your black pedestal, raising it just elevates your black level. It's contrast = peak output , where all the wear occurs.
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Colors bleeding=blooming. Toasty tubes coming right up.
| Originally Posted by wh0rse is it bad to have a projector set to 100 contrast and low, say about 40, brightness? My colors bleed at 100 contrast anyway, so I dont use it, but I'm just curious |
I turn down the contrast 10% whenever viewing material that does fill the screen.
I also run the white warm for 10 minutes up prior to viewing non 16:9 video. While this does increase overall wear, it should prevent uneven wear of which I am most concerned with.
I also run the white warm for 10 minutes up prior to viewing non 16:9 video. While this does increase overall wear, it should prevent uneven wear of which I am most concerned with.
Things you can do to make the tubes last longer.
Make sure you are using as much of the phosper on the face of the tube to display the image as possible.
Use a high gain screen.
Use a small screen.
No windows no lights on, a cave is were it's at.
Black velvet on everything but the screen and the lenses.
Keep other people from using the PJ.
Have a monitor that you use to set up the movie and PJ with, then start the PJ and move the movie to it.
Deron.
Make sure you are using as much of the phosper on the face of the tube to display the image as possible.
Use a high gain screen.
Use a small screen.
No windows no lights on, a cave is were it's at.
Black velvet on everything but the screen and the lenses.
Keep other people from using the PJ.
Have a monitor that you use to set up the movie and PJ with, then start the PJ and move the movie to it.
Deron.
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No, just the light output. At a given contrast setting, some sources may be brighter, but you can achieve a brighter image by increasing white level at the source OR the projector to achieve the same thing.
If you have one source that achieves X lumens with a contrast setting of 50, and another source that achieves that same X lumens at a contrast setting of 35, they pose identical strains on tube life (obviously assuming similar content).
This all being said, I wouldn't overly worry about tube wear as long as you don't do static-images. By the time wear would become an issue, CRTs will be even cheaper than they are now to the point of osolecence, meaning yours will probably last you *quite* a long time with reasonable use.
| I will be using an HTPC as my source. Does signal strength or voltage from the HTPC's video card make any difference? |
If you have one source that achieves X lumens with a contrast setting of 50, and another source that achieves that same X lumens at a contrast setting of 35, they pose identical strains on tube life (obviously assuming similar content).
This all being said, I wouldn't overly worry about tube wear as long as you don't do static-images. By the time wear would become an issue, CRTs will be even cheaper than they are now to the point of osolecence, meaning yours will probably last you *quite* a long time with reasonable use.
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True to a certain point. Quite often, bleeding and blooming are due to the focus system not being good enough to control the beam at higher beam current levels.
On a Marquee 9500LC, Mike Parker's mods, plus other mods to the HV system and focus system allow for a CONSIDERABLE improvement in how high you can run your contrast levels before blooming occurs.
I have new tubes in my 9500LC. (Barely 200 hours on them now.) I don't care anymore about saving the tubes. I adjust for a great looking picture and if that means the contrast is up at 70, that's where I'll run it. This is the LAST CRT projector I'm likelky to watch for my own uses. And even running it hard, by the time I do appreciable damage to the tubes, digitals will finally have made their way up to the point that I won't have any problem with using one.
I love CRT projectors because they're cool for a gadget hound like myself, they're endlessly tweakable and modifiable, and for now, the best of them still is where the best picture comes from, which is the highest priority. When that last part is no longer the truth, I'l have no issues with switching over to digitals.
But there it is: My reference standard is an MP-modded 9500LC. Any digital that replaces it has to be EVERY BIT AS GOOD without compromises.
CJ
| Originally Posted by Don Rombach Colors bleeding=blooming. Toasty tubes coming right up. |
True to a certain point. Quite often, bleeding and blooming are due to the focus system not being good enough to control the beam at higher beam current levels.
On a Marquee 9500LC, Mike Parker's mods, plus other mods to the HV system and focus system allow for a CONSIDERABLE improvement in how high you can run your contrast levels before blooming occurs.
I have new tubes in my 9500LC. (Barely 200 hours on them now.) I don't care anymore about saving the tubes. I adjust for a great looking picture and if that means the contrast is up at 70, that's where I'll run it. This is the LAST CRT projector I'm likelky to watch for my own uses. And even running it hard, by the time I do appreciable damage to the tubes, digitals will finally have made their way up to the point that I won't have any problem with using one.
I love CRT projectors because they're cool for a gadget hound like myself, they're endlessly tweakable and modifiable, and for now, the best of them still is where the best picture comes from, which is the highest priority. When that last part is no longer the truth, I'l have no issues with switching over to digitals.
But there it is: My reference standard is an MP-modded 9500LC. Any digital that replaces it has to be EVERY BIT AS GOOD without compromises.
CJ
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While some may complain about the warm-up screens, I use mine as well. I run it for 5 minutes. This will account for roughly 30 hours of usage a year. I don't believe that is enough to worry about.
Ericglo
| Originally Posted by Don Rombach I also run the white warm for 10 minutes up prior to viewing non 16:9 video. While this does increase overall wear, it should prevent uneven wear of which I am most concerned with. |
While some may complain about the warm-up screens, I use mine as well. I run it for 5 minutes. This will account for roughly 30 hours of usage a year. I don't believe that is enough to worry about.
Ericglo
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