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Note: I originally posted this in the CRT forum, being that Larry has a CRT projector. But I thought I'd copy it here as well, since after all, the DILA forum is the forum I frequent the most...my home turf, so to speak...and where all my homies are http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/wink.gif
In a more serious note, as it points out a couple of comparisons between Larry's CRT and my DILA, I thought it may well just be an interest reading for some.
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Hi there http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/smile.gif
I had the pleasure this afternoon of visiting our moderator Laurence's home and spending a few hours with him. For those who don't know, I had invited Laurence back a few weeks ago to my shack foe a demo of my DIY Home Theater, and he so graciously returned the favor today.
I usually do not frequent the CRT forum much, as I am an avid "lamp" supporter, as you folk so eloquently put it http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/biggrin.gif I have a very nice digital setup, which Larry can attest to. So back off! http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/wink.gif
Larry only lives 25 minutes from my place. Wow, it was scorching hot today! 95+ degrees scorching! So I arrive and Larry greets me in his best Italian. Pretty good, Laurence, pretty good! We then proceed to get all worked up in a frenzy, talking about the best gelato (ice cream) in the world which you can only find in Italy, and which looked so scrumptious in HD on the PBS Travels show the other night, and which really would've been so absolutely delicious and refreshing down the pipe just about there and then under such heat from hell.
We set off to go to lunch. Larry treated me to a very nice meal. We talked and talked at length about so many different subjects. Larry is such a super nice guy, very enthusiastic about many aspects of life, and very enjoyable to be around.
By the time we got home, I was ready and anxious to commence my audio/visual experience. Not before being given a very nice tour of his beautifully decorated home (thanks in part to his beloved wife), we then proceeded to "get down to business" so to speak, and that's when Larry finally showed me his pride and joy, granting me access to his beautiful theater room.
The first impression I got was that of such a nicely decorated room, one that's so well thought of in all of its details. I liked the curtains that cover the side windows with its lovely valances, and the very pretty and colorful sconces that give an elegant presence to the room. The beautiful crown molding around the entire perimeter of ceiling, as well as the clever use of some details such as wall paper and sound panels, gives a subtle, yet vivid accent, as does the decorative columns at both sides of the proscenium. Six very comfortable leather recliners and a host of elegant tapestries and rugs give an aura of exclusiveness to the whole ambiance. His equipment is kept inside a closet and out of the way. Two very nice movie posters are located at the back of the room, and complement the cinema feel of his room very nicely.
Next, Larry proceeded to show me some demo material. A sequence of images from different sources was displayed sequentially on his 100" wide Draper screen, as they came off the tubes inside an NEC PG-9 projector. The projector had a considerable number of running hours under its belt. It was originally calibrated to a T by video guru Roger Galvin. Larry is currently using a Dwinn Transcanner for processing. The audio system was all Atlantic Technology speakers, and a Denon integrated A/V receiver.
Down to business we went. As the images started to roll, we progressively went from lowly DSS to DVD to HDTV. No comment on DSS of course, being as ugly as ever, but DVD looked colorful and silky smooth. There was a slight amount of defocusing to the picture in general, which Larry explained to me. I also became aware before not too long, that Larry likes to keep the brightness level a bit on the low end, at least a bit too low for my optimal taste. This, along with the nature of the worn out tubes, produced a picture that was at times a bit too dark and dim, almost a bit washed out overall.
Blacks were exceptional, as expected. Both Larry and I concluded that they looked as least as good at one point as my calibrated DILA blacks he'd seen. The only difference being that his CRT could go even lower in black level. However, I felt that that would come at the expense of a fair amount of shadow detail in the blacks (we ran the Diva scene intro off of The Fifth Element, with the lapel of the tuxedo jacket of the guy with the mustache sitting in the front of the theater could not be discerned from the rest of the tuxedo). While blacks at this level certainly improve the 3-Dimensional look and feel of the picture, it places some very dark images into a sort of just one big indistinguishable blob of inky blacks. Some pictures off of Gladiator, for ex, looked a bit too dark for my taste.
There's a point to be said about attaining the level of depth and three dimensionality, albeit a different kind of three dimensionality, as a result of the higher lumen output that a DILA projector is capable of rendering, even at the expense of some blackness, how even minimal it seems to my eyes.
Nonetheless, that's about the only objection I could see. And it's a matter of personal preference really, more than anything else. The rest of the picture, albeit a bit defocused, was very, very good.
Then we moved over to HD. The only thing that was on at that time was the Dish N. demo. I had never seen this demo before, as I have Directv, and as a result, I get their demo instead. The new images I was seeing were very fresh to my senses. And as such, having had nothing else to compare them to previously, my experience with seeing them was deprived of any possibility of a slightly biased, misconstrued expectation.
Well, I was extremely pleased with these images. Some scenes just seemed to pop right out of the screen. The realism and depth of image was spectacular. Even with the defocused guns, I must say that it was truly a very exciting HD picture. Way to go, Larry!
Larry is expecting a new baby in his crib. It is of the same family of projectors of the one he currently has. Apparently, this projector will have exceptional control over every parameter available to mankind. Near-new tubes as well. And of course, he'll bring in his trustworthy friend Roger for another round of tweaking. I really can't wait to see his new projector! And when that happens, his beautiful room will be crowned to an even higher standard of quality, as any slight imperfection in the image as I perceived it today, will be a thing of the past.
Larry provided an afternoon of top class entertainment. His cheerful presence was extremely pleasant and refreshing. He is a top notch gentleman and a true friend!
Thanks Laurence for a very enjoyable time!
Cheers,
Luca
------------------
PICTURES OF MY THEATER
albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1659592&a=12715694&f=0
In a more serious note, as it points out a couple of comparisons between Larry's CRT and my DILA, I thought it may well just be an interest reading for some.
------------------------------------------------------------
Hi there http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/smile.gif
I had the pleasure this afternoon of visiting our moderator Laurence's home and spending a few hours with him. For those who don't know, I had invited Laurence back a few weeks ago to my shack foe a demo of my DIY Home Theater, and he so graciously returned the favor today.
I usually do not frequent the CRT forum much, as I am an avid "lamp" supporter, as you folk so eloquently put it http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/biggrin.gif I have a very nice digital setup, which Larry can attest to. So back off! http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/wink.gif
Larry only lives 25 minutes from my place. Wow, it was scorching hot today! 95+ degrees scorching! So I arrive and Larry greets me in his best Italian. Pretty good, Laurence, pretty good! We then proceed to get all worked up in a frenzy, talking about the best gelato (ice cream) in the world which you can only find in Italy, and which looked so scrumptious in HD on the PBS Travels show the other night, and which really would've been so absolutely delicious and refreshing down the pipe just about there and then under such heat from hell.
We set off to go to lunch. Larry treated me to a very nice meal. We talked and talked at length about so many different subjects. Larry is such a super nice guy, very enthusiastic about many aspects of life, and very enjoyable to be around.
By the time we got home, I was ready and anxious to commence my audio/visual experience. Not before being given a very nice tour of his beautifully decorated home (thanks in part to his beloved wife), we then proceeded to "get down to business" so to speak, and that's when Larry finally showed me his pride and joy, granting me access to his beautiful theater room.
The first impression I got was that of such a nicely decorated room, one that's so well thought of in all of its details. I liked the curtains that cover the side windows with its lovely valances, and the very pretty and colorful sconces that give an elegant presence to the room. The beautiful crown molding around the entire perimeter of ceiling, as well as the clever use of some details such as wall paper and sound panels, gives a subtle, yet vivid accent, as does the decorative columns at both sides of the proscenium. Six very comfortable leather recliners and a host of elegant tapestries and rugs give an aura of exclusiveness to the whole ambiance. His equipment is kept inside a closet and out of the way. Two very nice movie posters are located at the back of the room, and complement the cinema feel of his room very nicely.
Next, Larry proceeded to show me some demo material. A sequence of images from different sources was displayed sequentially on his 100" wide Draper screen, as they came off the tubes inside an NEC PG-9 projector. The projector had a considerable number of running hours under its belt. It was originally calibrated to a T by video guru Roger Galvin. Larry is currently using a Dwinn Transcanner for processing. The audio system was all Atlantic Technology speakers, and a Denon integrated A/V receiver.
Down to business we went. As the images started to roll, we progressively went from lowly DSS to DVD to HDTV. No comment on DSS of course, being as ugly as ever, but DVD looked colorful and silky smooth. There was a slight amount of defocusing to the picture in general, which Larry explained to me. I also became aware before not too long, that Larry likes to keep the brightness level a bit on the low end, at least a bit too low for my optimal taste. This, along with the nature of the worn out tubes, produced a picture that was at times a bit too dark and dim, almost a bit washed out overall.
Blacks were exceptional, as expected. Both Larry and I concluded that they looked as least as good at one point as my calibrated DILA blacks he'd seen. The only difference being that his CRT could go even lower in black level. However, I felt that that would come at the expense of a fair amount of shadow detail in the blacks (we ran the Diva scene intro off of The Fifth Element, with the lapel of the tuxedo jacket of the guy with the mustache sitting in the front of the theater could not be discerned from the rest of the tuxedo). While blacks at this level certainly improve the 3-Dimensional look and feel of the picture, it places some very dark images into a sort of just one big indistinguishable blob of inky blacks. Some pictures off of Gladiator, for ex, looked a bit too dark for my taste.
There's a point to be said about attaining the level of depth and three dimensionality, albeit a different kind of three dimensionality, as a result of the higher lumen output that a DILA projector is capable of rendering, even at the expense of some blackness, how even minimal it seems to my eyes.
Nonetheless, that's about the only objection I could see. And it's a matter of personal preference really, more than anything else. The rest of the picture, albeit a bit defocused, was very, very good.
Then we moved over to HD. The only thing that was on at that time was the Dish N. demo. I had never seen this demo before, as I have Directv, and as a result, I get their demo instead. The new images I was seeing were very fresh to my senses. And as such, having had nothing else to compare them to previously, my experience with seeing them was deprived of any possibility of a slightly biased, misconstrued expectation.
Well, I was extremely pleased with these images. Some scenes just seemed to pop right out of the screen. The realism and depth of image was spectacular. Even with the defocused guns, I must say that it was truly a very exciting HD picture. Way to go, Larry!
Larry is expecting a new baby in his crib. It is of the same family of projectors of the one he currently has. Apparently, this projector will have exceptional control over every parameter available to mankind. Near-new tubes as well. And of course, he'll bring in his trustworthy friend Roger for another round of tweaking. I really can't wait to see his new projector! And when that happens, his beautiful room will be crowned to an even higher standard of quality, as any slight imperfection in the image as I perceived it today, will be a thing of the past.
Larry provided an afternoon of top class entertainment. His cheerful presence was extremely pleasant and refreshing. He is a top notch gentleman and a true friend!
Thanks Laurence for a very enjoyable time!
Cheers,
Luca
------------------
PICTURES OF MY THEATER
albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1659592&a=12715694&f=0
