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Author Topic: Zion Canyon Large Format Theater Now Digital Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 06-27-2008 06:02 PM                  Yeah Mark, Dick did a nice job on the 15k water-cooled lamp, mirror, and reflector lamphouse. Me, wearing a "welders" mask, checking out the arc of a 15kw:  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-27-2008 08:09 PM                     I am suprised that mark didn't install one of those miracle reflector kits mark said "I have always been much more impressed with the 15kw Rentec lamphouse" All the CTC machines used Rentec lamphouses  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-27-2008 08:45 PM                     Great Pix Phil . Gord, The time was right to retire the system. They wouldn't have kept it running even if they had been offered a free reflector. Mark  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-27-2008 09:22 PM                     Is CTC still in business I don't think they have a web site anymore  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-27-2008 11:55 PM                     Yes, but I don't think they've sold any systems in the last several years. Mainly just servicing the existing systems.  |  IP: Logged Lyle Romer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1400 From: Davie, FL, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 07-10-2008 08:53 AM                     I don't understand how you can look at 2K on an 82x60 screen and think it looks as good as large format film (assuming the source material was shot on large format film) unless you are extremely far back from the screen. I have seen IMAX sitting very close to the screen (to the point where my entire peripheral vistion is filled) and I have seen 2k digital sitting several screen heights back (to the point where I can easily see the walls of the auditorium in my peripheral vision). IMAX looks amazing even viewed from extremely close distance while 2k digital (while arguably better than run of the mill multiplex 35mm projections) has some visible flaws. Making the claim that 2k digital is as good or BETTER than large format projection is preposterous. You might be able to get the brightness but the resolution detail and contrast isn't even close. I'm not going by technical specs, I'm going by what I've seen. Go throw a 2k digital projector in the Disney (California Adventure and Epcot) Soarin' ride and tell me it will look realistic like the IMAX HD picture does. It won't and you'll feel like you stuck your face up to a giant TV screen. Digital large format is possible but it would have to be done by aligning several 2k projectors to create at least an 8k (but to truly reproduce 15/70 probably 12k or 16k) image. I'm actually shocked that IMAX didn't go this rout and design a server capable of calibrating and driving a projector array to accomplish this.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-10-2008 08:28 PM                     quote: Lyle Romer I don't understand how you can look at 2K on an 82x60 screen and think it looks as good as large format film (assuming the source material was shot on large format film) unless you are extremely far back from the screen. Lyle, I never claimed that it does look as good nor near as good. I did say that it does look acceptable which it does and actually far better than even the Christie engineers thought it would. It is also far brighter than the system it replaced, easily meeting the 14fl spec with the two stacked machines running stacked 2-D. With the development of the new optics that'll be available to us in a couple of months(developed specifically for this application) it'll look even better. The present optics are temporary but still perform beyond expectation. The decision to do this was based on pure economics and the availability of far more content to run as well as running 3-D... The decision had nuttin to do with the quality of 15/70 vs. Digital. You will see many more of these theaters do this conversion in the comming years. Mark  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-11-2008 08:12 PM                     The pix you posted is only a single non stacked machine  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-12-2008 09:38 AM                     Gord, What I meant to say is the second machine and stacking unit which is on order is going in next month. Needless to say it will easily allow them to meet 14 fl. Interestingly Christie SB's were used for the world peremiere of Walle. There were two stacks of two projectors in typical Disney fashion. Screen size was 70 feet wide and the throw was about 160 feet. Brightness with just one projector was 19 foot lamberts!! Disney insisted that the stacked units be used so much smaller lamps were installed in each machine to bring the brightness down to spec. Mark  |  IP: Logged Kelly Skaggs Film Handler Posts: 68 From: Springdale UT Registered: Jul 2003 posted 07-13-2008 11:27 PM                        I manage the Cafe up at The Zion Lodge and have seen the new projector in action and must say it looks great. Much brighter and very clean. As a movie fan I am glad they upgraded. If ever in the park ask for me at The Castle Dome Cafe, it would be great to meet some of you.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-14-2008 09:45 AM                     If the picture from the video looks better than their 15/70 then it sure says how poorly the theatre looked after there equipment, and if the film was that poorly maintained then I doubt the video will be maintained any better  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-14-2008 02:48 PM                     Actually maintainance for digital is far less then a 15/70 filum(as Gord calls it) based system requires. They are keeping their projectionists which are both very experienced and they have been trained and know how to change lamps, filters, and do lamp-loc. Lamp loc is done once a week and the filters are now included with each lamp so they also get changed out. Not much else there that really needs maintainance unless they go completely down or switch to a different lamp brand after which mcgd will have to be re-shot. All in all any theater like this is far better off with digital than film. They'll be saving a bundle over the long haul and they now have access to a huge quantity of content to run. P.S. Gord, the entire building is on a huge UPS so I don't for-see any power related problems either. Kelly, Didn't know you were around that neck of the woods... we'll get together when I come down in September!! Mark  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-16-2008 11:16 AM                     Here are a few pics of the new 3-D system. They just went back on screen with it this past Friday. Theater is set up to do either Circular Polarization or Linear Polarization. Some of the large format films are intended to be shown via linear polarization. A new screen was also installed but damaged during installation... Luckily the damage fell right at the left wrap of the screen and can't be seen by the audience. The installer IS insured and he will be hanging another new $50,000 screen in January. Having installed three single projector 3-D digital projection systems the week before I can very definately say this blows the pants off them by a long shot. The 3-D is great and is every bit as good a 15/70 Imax 3-D is. Light level in 3-D is 9 fl at 82 feet wide!! The port glass has been optically treated and the Polarizers are also optically treated glass, not acrylic polarizers like so many systems use. Mark  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 11-16-2008 12:22 PM                     quote: Mark Gulbrandsen The 3-D is great and is every bit as good a 15/70 Imax 3-D is. In just what sense? In terms of resolution...not by a long shot...in terms of alignment...your lens spacing is greater which means you either have dis-similar keystone or your have asymetrical stretch (due to lens shift)...IMAX 15/70 gets the two lenses about as close as anyone (GT projector, not the SR crap). Circular Polarization as opposed to linear? Okay...that is one aspect (and an important one, in my opinion). Light? To be honest, I have not measured an IMAX 3D running 15K lamps...perhaps Adam or someother IMAX GT operater could comment. Steve  |  IP: Logged Jeffry L. Johnson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 809 From: Cleveland, Ohio, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 11-16-2008 01:21 PM                        82 foot wide image with 4,000 horizontal pixels means each pixel is 1/4-inch wide. 2,000 pixels means each pixel is 1/2-inch wide.  |  IP: Logged

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