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Author Topic: SCREEN X - how good is i? Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 07-13-2019 04:56 AM                     I'm reasonably sure that the Warren theatres didn't have any sort of special lenses. 4K-6K xenon or, more likely RGB laser is how to go for a big deep curve and...special lenses. The bigger xenon or laser will be less expensive than the two additional projectors and the odds of a lens failure will be far less than the failure of the additional projectors. When a replacement projector is necessary due to technology obsolescence, the lenses could continue (particularly if done as an attachment). I think as resolutions increase, the ability to warp the image will be viable too (consume resolution to eliminate the distortion but we need a high enough resolution to start with to wind up at 4K effective). That said, I think direct-view emissive screes will be the ultimate solution for something like this...once they get sound coming through the screen rather than around and bouncing off of it.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-13-2019 07:56 AM                     While laser is a great thing I don't see the average chain installing it. The payback time is soooo long that it may never actually make money, not to mention the hundred thousand dollar lens for the curved screen. Only very large theaters could make that work. Mark  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 07-13-2019 11:39 AM                     As predicted, the laser prices are coming down. Christie was first with their CP4325 to get a 4KW equivalent laser projector below $100K (at 4K resolution). Barco, with the new SP4K series puts 4K RGB laser at the same price as 4K xenon. Christie will have their versions by this time next year. NEC could be in serious trouble as they cling to the CFL mentality of Laser-Phosphor. It wouldn't surprise me if they don't start coming up with their own version of the SP4K line (I would presume they have an equal access to the same chip technology). They just need to move away from LP and into RGB with the more affordable lasers.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-13-2019 01:59 PM                     Agree about the NEC laser thing... they are always last! They should be affordable just about the time we need to replace the S-2 4K projectors. Mark  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 07-13-2019 05:20 PM                     LED-based movie screens could be built to any shape, be it a deep curve or even a dome. The two biggest problems is cost and current board designs that don't let sound travel through them. Cost per pixel has been coming down, but it has a long way to go before such screens can be installed on a widespread basis. It's going to take radical new board designs to conquer the sound problem. I saw that Samsung installed its first Onyx LED screen in the United States at a new dine-in theater near Houston. It's a 46' wide unit. I don't know if it's 2K or 4K though. It would be interesting to see. Unfortunately I don't get down to Houston very often anymore.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 07-13-2019 05:48 PM                     It's 4K. Samsung has three sizes. 2K, 4K, larger 4K. The 2K and 4K have the same pixel pitch so the 2K is 1/4 the size of the 4K. The large 4K has a larger pixel pitch.  |  IP: Logged Marcel Birgelen Film God Posts: 3357 From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands Registered: Feb 2012 posted 07-14-2019 01:25 AM                     quote: Steve Guttag 4K-6K xenon or, more likely RGB laser is how to go for a big deep curve and...special lenses. The bigger xenon or laser will be less expensive than the two additional projectors and the odds of a lens failure will be far less than the failure of the additional projectors. From what I remember, the Warren Infinity screens in their Broken Arrow complex were Barco's first 6P installs in the U.S., or at least that was the original plan. Without any special lenses, shooting from such an angle on such a screen, it's almost incredible they even got their focus somewhat right. Regarding emissive screens, I'm wondering if we can see some moves from Christie and Barco on this front. They both have existing product lines in this regards. While it may cut into their projector business, given the current costs of those deployments, it wouldn't cut into their bottom line.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 07-14-2019 01:52 AM                     Barco has been in the LED variable message center display game for some time. I'm not aware of Christie being a player in the LED display game. Barco has been established for some time, but they're not a dominant player in that market like Daktronics or even other vendors like Watchfire and Mistubishi. Dak is the king of that market currently. Daktronics is dominating in mainstream outdoor sign applications and hitting it in big high profile projects like NFL or MLB stadium displays. The fundamental problem with LED "driver boards" (that's what we call the individual tiles) is each one of them has a bunch of components installed on the back side of the board. It's more than just a grid of LED clusters loaded into a plastic panel with light blocking hoods over every row. Behind each tile you have fans, IC boards, cable inputs and other kinds of electronic "trash." In order for sound to be able to pass through these LED tiles all of that crap on the back side of each board has to be simplified in an extreme way. The chips and IC boards have to be miniaturized as much as possible. Connections between each tile must be simplified as much as possible. If you can get all the electronic garbage on the back side of each tile minimized as much as possible it might be feasible to build new tiles in such a manner where speakers can fire audio through them. We're not there now unfortunately.  |  IP: Logged

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