Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Dolby DSS200 & lack of IMB, problem??

This is topic Dolby DSS200 & lack of IMB, problem?? in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Mike Frese (Member # 4361) on 05-02-2012, 09:27 AM:

Is 4k going to be a must for theaters with smaller screens (less than 35' width)? Will the HFR be a must?

Reason why I am asking is because the DSS200 does not have the IMB and is not being sold yet. Should I wait until the DSS220 is selling since it will probably be cheaper than the DSS200 + IMB? But that then hopes that Dolby will have it available soon. Anyone have a date for it?

At this point in time, do you go with a 4k projector vs buying 2k and make sure it is upgradable later?

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 05-02-2012, 10:15 AM:

Dolby announced new prices at the show last week. 220 with IMB was at about $16,665 List.

They also reduced the price of the 200.

The IMB will be ready around September.

All series 2 projectors are considered upgradeable to 4k although the ones with .98 chips will be years off, where the 1.2 chip projectors can be upgraded with 1.38 chips already in production.

The issue on whether to upgrade to 4K or HFR I'll stay out of.

Posted by Antti Nayha (Member # 4980) on 05-02-2012, 11:07 AM:

The full price list is online, but I’ll quote the relevant bits here :

DSS220 + IMB: $16,665
DSS200: $12,500
IMB upgrade to DSS200: $11,665

No easy answers here. Obviously, the DSS220 + IMB combo is the future-proof choice at least regarding 4K and HFR. But on the other hand, the DSS200 is the ”tried and tested” option, having been in the field for three years with a lot of bugs ironed out during that time. It’s also a bargain now.

Sam: please correct me if I’m wrong, but I think we still haven’t heard a definite word from TI saying that there will ever be a 4K 0.98" chip. Just vague talk, no hard promises. A 1.2" projector does guarantee you an upgrade path, but the 4K chip upgrade is still probably going to cost you more than the IMB upgrade to DSS200.

(Note that the 1.2" projectors have another advantage: better light efficiency, which will save you money in the long term.)

Buying a full-fledged 4K solution (1.38" projector + server + IMB) at this point may be cheaper than getting a 2K system now and upgrading it later. But that can be hard to justify, given the small amount of currently available 4K content.

And anyway, it’s hard to see why either 4K or HFR 3D would be a ”must” anytime soon. Firstly, all DCI-compliant 4K content is and will be playable on 2K equipment for the foreseeable future. The backwards compatibility is built right into the spec in a very clever way.

I like 4K very much personally, but let’s face the facts: it’s not like your audience is going to complain about the low resolution if you decide to stay at 2K. (Naturally, 4K will benefit some auditoriums more than others. It’s more about the viewing angles than just the screen size, though – 4K can be impressive even on a small screen, if the patrons are sitting close enough.)

Secondly, regarding HFR 3D: I would be extremely surprised if the studios stopped providing regular 24 fps versions of their HFR 3D films within, say, ten years. Judging from the initial reactions, HFR might not be the ”game-changer” it was supposed to be anyway…

Just my 0.02 euros. Let’s hear some more opinions – I’m sure there are a lot of people facing these decisions right now!

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 05-02-2012, 11:37 AM:

As to .98 4K chips; you are correct, there is plenty of vague talk. TI did commit to making such a chip, but who knows if they've even started.

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 05-02-2012, 04:25 PM:

Ti is about to start a 0.66" Cinema DLP. Could be the beginning of the 0.98" 4k. But that is still very far away.

Sony currently have some very good 4k+HFR offerings. For a smaller screen, I see no issues. Their 3D is excellent. You just need to stay away from running these at 4kW all day.

Upgrading to a 4k LightEngine and IMB later - well, I think it will simply not happen, it doesn't make sense economically.

The Doremi IMB/ShowVault Combo is available now.

- Carsten