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Topic: Change Over To Digital Cinema

Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 04-12-2006 05:08 AM

I wonder what has become of all of the Barco and Christie 1.3K systems that were installed on the 1st go around of DCinema.

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Stephen Furley
Film God

Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002

posted 04-12-2006 06:07 AM

quote: John Pytlak
Do you still have any of the original systems from Barco/Boeing or NEC in operation?

Those systems would be how old now; five years or so? I can't imagine anyone asking "Do you still have any of those five year old film projectors in use?" I still think it's too early for most cinemas to move into this technology on a purely commercial basis.

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Richard Fowler
Film God

Posts: 2392
From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA
Registered: Jun 2001

posted 04-12-2006 08:56 AM

As far as Barco is concerned, they hope to resell them in non-cinema applications.

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Paul Konen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 981
From: Frisco, TX. (North of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-12-2006 09:16 AM

quote: Tristan Lane
The CP2000 projector that Cinetopia is using does not have a focus knob. Lamp focus is adjusted using the control panel on the projector.

Unless there CP2000 is different from mine, I can't believe it. I don't think you can get that fine of control of focus with a computer panel than you can with the human hand.

quote: Tristan Lane
To the best of my knowledge, the Christie projector used there has a sensor at the end of the light guide that can sense illumination and compensate for it automatically by adjusting the focus.

The sensor at the end of the light path is used for lumen output, not focus. The image isn't even formed yet because the light hasn't hit the Prism or DMDs.

quote: Steve Guttag
I wonder what has become of all of the Barco and Christie 1.3K systems that were installed on the 1st go around of DCinema.

They are sitting dark, at least mine is, because the studios won't allow any content to be played on them. They don't like the idea of down converting a 2K data feed to a 1.3K image. Funny thing is they were ok with it for years. This has / will anger owners who were early adopters and now are dark.

Please don't start with the "I told you so" stuff.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 04-12-2006 11:28 AM

But I thought "digital" always equaled perfect!
[Razz]

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Lyle Romer
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1400
From: Davie, FL, USA
Registered: May 2002

posted 04-12-2006 01:00 PM

Paul,

I have a few questions for you about your Digital screen:

1) How big is the screen?
2) Is it common width or height?
3) Does your digital projector have an anamorphic lens installed for scope?
4) In your honest opinion how does a "scope" film look on that screen presented digitally vs. your film presentation?

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David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 04-12-2006 01:29 PM

quote: Michael Schaffer
We have 102 CP2000 now

Michael, assuming you've been involved in setting some of those up, or you've at least seen some in action, what is your honest opinion of the image quality, compared to a typical "good" 35mm presentation (not a showprint).

(If you've already covered that I guess I missed it)

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Adam Martin
I'm not even gonna point out the irony.

Posts: 3686
From: Dallas, TX
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 04-12-2006 11:01 PM

quote: Paul Konen
I don't think you can get that fine of control of focus with a computer panel than you can with the human hand.

Imax projectors use motorized image focus mechanisms.

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Paul Konen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 981
From: Frisco, TX. (North of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-13-2006 11:31 AM

Adam, are those motors controlled through a rocker switch or a computer touch panel? The Touch Panel Controller on a CP2000 seems slow to acknowledge your actually touching it, hence fine control over focus.
Lyle

1) How big is the screen?
Answer: 33' tall x 61' wide
2) Is it common width or height?
Answer: Common Width
3) Does your digital projector have an anamorphic lens installed for scope?
Answer: No, one lense always.
4) In your honest opinion how does a "scope" film look on that screen presented digitally vs. your film presentation?
Answer: Yes, I have felt for the last 7 years that DLP films have looked great. And that opinion was there when the projector was just a 1.3K system.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 04-13-2006 11:55 AM

quote: Paul Konen
4) In your honest opinion how does a "scope" film look on that screen presented digitally vs. your film presentation?
Answer: Yes, I have felt for the last 7 years that DLP films have looked great. And that opinion was there when the projector was just a 1.3K system.

A lot of this depends on the quality of the film system when comparing it to DLP. Paul's film setup has quite a bit of jitter to the image from the projector and excessive heat, both of which are major image killers. I feel it is an unfair comparison.

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Adam Martin
I'm not even gonna point out the irony.

Posts: 3686
From: Dallas, TX
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 04-13-2006 12:30 PM

quote: Paul Konen
Adam, are those motors controlled through a rocker switch or a computer touch panel? The Touch Panel Controller on a CP2000 seems slow to acknowledge your actually touching it, hence fine control over focus.

Both ... focus is usually performed by a button on the wired pendant or by the touch screen on the PLC. The computer breaks focus range down into 128 "steps" and displays the number on the PLC screen, so it's really easy to fine tune the focus. Push the button briefly and it movies one step, hold the button and it moves quicker.

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Ron Curran
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 504
From: Springwood NSW Australia
Registered: Feb 2006

posted 04-15-2006 04:21 AM

How are digital features being delivered these days? I suppose they aren’t going via phone line or satellite yet. Last time I checked, they were on hard drives. What is the cost now to get a digital copy to a theatre?

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 04-15-2006 02:32 PM

Some digital versions of movies are delivered to theaters on portable or removeable hard discs. Some are delivered on a series of DVDs.

As to the satellite question, yes, some movies are being delivered via satellite. The system AccessIT and Christie are putting into lots of theaters receives its movies from a large, proprietary satellite dish mounted to the roof of the theater. If the digital bitstream being sent to these theaters complies with the 150Mb/s to 250Mb/s JPEG 2000 D-Cinema spec, my guess is it will take quite a bit longer than just 2 hours to download the movies to the theater's central data server.

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Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 04-15-2006 02:45 PM

More like twenty hours to download a complete movie with DCI required specs. I think that is one of the issues that they want to work on at the Technicolor facility they set up for testing equipment.

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