[dropzone7]

Just getting around to trying this thing out. I'm using a Wilsonart Designer White screen to test with. Here are a few shots with a rough setup. Picture settings were 35 for contrast and 60 for brightness when I turned it on and have not changed those settings.

 

[Jesse S]

Is the screen small? 35 contrast is very low.

 

[dropzone7]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Jesse S /forum/post/0


Is the screen small? 35 contrast is very low.

The screen is 100" wide by 56" high. I tried bumping up the contrast and while it looked better in some cases, I kind of preferred the overall look the way it is. Shadow detail was better and looked more film-like. Once I get the projector mounted and converged correctly I may play around with the picture settings more. I might also need to try a different transcoder as I think the one I have is crushing blacks a bit.

 

[Fellenz]

Wow,


That looks good; I really need to pick up some of that DW and some HD-144's for my Quee

 

[dropzone7]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Fellenz /forum/post/0


Wow,


That looks good; I really need to pick up some of that DW and some HD-144's for my Quee

Thanks! I'm not the best at taking screenshots by any means and I have a long way to go in setting up this projector. However, I could see an instant improvement with this Wilsonart fomica screen over the plain blackout cloth screen I was using before.

 

[MrGogo]

Those values do seem low ... I run mine at brightness 60 contrast 60 and its nice and punchi.


Nice machine hope you like yours as much as I like mine : )

 

[garyfritz]



Quote:
Originally Posted by dropzone7 /forum/post/0


However, I could see an instant improvement with this Wilsonart fomica screen over the plain blackout cloth screen I was using before.

I *GOTTA* get me a Wilsonart screen built. I'm still running on the BO screen I built over 3 years ago. Or maybe a high-ish gain screen like Draper M1300 or even M2500. It's crazy that I'm on my 4th projector and I'm still shining it on a hunk of curtain cloth.

 

[dropzone7]



Quote:
Originally Posted by garyfritz /forum/post/0


I *GOTTA* get me a Wilsonart screen built. I'm still running on the BO screen I built over 3 years ago. Or maybe a high-ish gain screen like Draper M1300 or even M2500. It's crazy that I'm on my 4th projector and I'm still shining it on a hunk of curtain cloth.

Well, I was content with the cloth until I saw some shots of the Wilsonart in the DIY thread. It's a nice material and fairly inexpensive for the size. I just have it tacked to the wall with velcro right now. I plan to cut it down to size and mount it on a rigid backing.

 

[dropzone7]



Quote:
Originally Posted by MrGogo /forum/post/0


Those values do seem low ... I run mine at brightness 60 contrast 60 and its nice and punchi.


Nice machine hope you like yours as much as I like mine : )

I tried that for a bit last night and while it did have more punch I felt like it was washing the picture out. What size screen are you using?

 

[garyfritz]

If you like the punch but don't like the washout, just lower the brightness. That's what effects the low-end brightness -- too much and it washes out. Contrast basically controls how bright the picture is.

 

[dropzone7]

I did the following things over the weekend:

-Cleaned lenses using solution recommended in a document by Guy Kuo.

-Did physical alignment again.

-Did convergence again (this time using an external test pattern).

-Made measurements and marked exact location for ceiling mount.

-Bought 5/16" threaded rod and square steel channel with holes to attach mount to ceiling.


The biggest improvement to my picture so far has been doing convergence using an external pattern. I swapped out my cable box from my plasma because it had the INHD test pattern on it's DVR. Using this pattern resulted in a much improved image over 1080i which will be my resolution of choice 90% of the time.


I also finally ordered one of Kim's transcoder's which I hope will arrive by the weekend. The one with gamma correction. I'm hoping that a bump in gamma will help my black crush problem.


My throw distance ended up being exactly 132" from screen center to the front center of the green lens. My screen is 108" wide by 61" high. This is a 16:9 aspect ratio and the same screen size used by Clarence with his G90. I'm also using a Wilsonart Designer White formica screen and I already knew what this material could look like with a CRT so decided to give it a try. Aside from some minor hotspotting at the screen center I am pleased with this material. The size is probably pushing things a bit for an 8" machine but I really don't want to go smaller at this point.


I will try to get some new screenshots posted tonight.

 

[dropzone7]

Just a quick update. I got a Crescendo Systems RTC2200 reverse transcoder with gamma the other day. This has done great things for my display and while I'm still tweaking, I really like what I see! More details can be found at the main thread for this device. Last night I had a bit of a scare with some scrolling lines I was seeing. I know about ground loop problems as I have seen them on other displays but never on my CRT until now. I tried plugging the cable box (which is my only source right now) into a two prong plug adapter. This helped a bit but I could still see the lines. I tried different outlets as well as other configurations of arranging my power cables, etc. The only thing that worked was plugging the projector itself into the two prong adapter. Scrolling lines are now gone. I also added a 1000 watt UPS unit to the mix for some added protection. I'm really hoping to get the projector mounted this weekend but it depends on how hot it is and what it feels like in the attic. My dad and I put plywood down in the attic last Saturday so we would have a place to stand and walk around. This not only will help in getting the projector mounted and cabling run but also gives me more storage so I was glad to get that done. We started at 7:30 in the morning and by noon it was just too hot to continue. When my dad started hitting his thumb with the hammer I knew we needed to get out of there! So, hopefully we get an early start again and will get the beast up to it's proper resting spot.

 

[v1rtu0s1ty]

you are killing me... I'm jealous since I don't have a crt yet....honestly, the picture is quite nice and looks real.....money saved went to car repair ....

what's HD-144 though?


EDIT:


Is this true from what I've read before


Marquee = easy to setup but picture is not as great as NEC

NEC = hard to setup but picture is amazing

 

[dropzone7]



Quote:
Originally Posted by v1rtu0s1ty /forum/post/11462646


you are killing me... I'm jealous since I don't have a crt yet....honestly, the picture is quite nice and looks real.....money saved went to car repair ....

what's HD-144 though?


EDIT:


Is this true from what I've read before


Marquee = easy to setup but picture is not as great as NEC

NEC = hard to setup but picture is amazing

Thanks! I'm trying to make it better. HD-144's are lenses. Some come with HD-144's some with HD-145's and still others with HD6's or HD8's. From what I have read the 144's and 145's are more desirable and are an upgrade from the others. Regarding Marquee projectors, I have never owned one myself but they have a really loyal following. I'm sure that they are easier to setup than a NEC unit and depending on the model it's completely capable of throwing just as good a picture as any NEC model. It's kind of apples and oranges and you would have to compare a specific Marquee model to a specific NEC model to make an accurate assesment. I believe with the exception of the 10PG, all NEC models are 7" or 8" CRT projectors while there are Marquee units with 9" CRT's which would get you to the top of the line in CRT. I think the 9500LC is on par with the best CRT's out there. NEC units are known for there very accurate colors and smooth film like image in addition to the negative things you hear about the time involved in setup. With CRT, no matter what the make or model, the more time you spend with it the better it will look. That's assuming you start with a unit that is in relatively good shape and has decent tubes. If I had it to do over again I would have started with an NEC XG unit like I'm using now and just bypassed the PG models. While they are very nice when setup correctly, they have more manually adjustable controls like the raster centering magnets which require some skill to get right. On the XG the raster centering is done electronically. The astig magnets were pretty set when I got the unit so honestly I have not had my hand in this XG at all except to do mechanical setup and focus. Everything else has been done with the remote. My suggestion is to find something cheap and in decent shape and just play around with it. After that, if you don't have the bug then just sell it and get your money back but I bet you will be hooked and never be the same. I know I am and that's why I'm now on my third CRT and always looking for another one.

 

[dropzone7]

Well, the projector is now mounted and resting 7' above the floor. What a chore that was! Me, my dad and another guy got it lifted up and set on the bracket which is supported by two five foot pieces of Unistrut laying perpendicular to the rafters in the attic. Here are a few shots of what it looks like after having to do convergence over yet again.

 

[dropzone7]



 

[dropzone7]

Here is one before I figured out how to use my camera. As you can see, everything is over exposed so you can see the inside of the room. The tape on the screen show the borders of what the final screen will be (61x108). There will be black curtains covering all of the walls and that light fixture will come down and be replaced by recessed lighting. Still lots of work to do...

 

[dropzone7]

The beast on the ceiling.

The messy room with my makeshift screen masking falling off the wall. This area will get some much needed attention in the next week or so. I have a window behind the screen that I have to fill in with something to support the middle of the screen. I still may need to raise the screen up a bit more as well.

 

[Fellenz]

It's so...
































































Naked

Looking Good,


Erik

 

[dropzone7]

I guess you mean the projector. Yeah, it's showing all of it's juicy guts at the moment because I painted the case black. It was that ugly computer beige color and was just screaming for a paint job. I have more pictures to post of how this thing is mounted. I was making it out to be so much more complicated that it needed to be but in the end all it needed was brute force and some steel.