Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Master Image 3d

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Posted by Adam Sherwood (Member # 7802) on 10-21-2013, 03:37 AM:

Hi Guys just wondering How often you change you'r Master image wheels. or how long is recommended ?

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 10-21-2013, 02:22 PM:

About once a year is my understanding of what is recommended, and it's about how often we change ours.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 10-21-2013, 05:39 PM:

Have you tried cleaning the filters with a micro fiber rag yet? They reccomend checking the filter wheel closely every few days for the first few months to determining how often to clean with the rag. You can also somewhat watch your projector air filters and gauge that way... just don't wait too long to do it or the gunk isn't going to clean off with the rag. Also don't over clean it either or they will end up scratched. If you have popcorn oil in the air that comes upstairs as well then figure on just replacing them. I had locations that didn't have a person qualified enough to even do the cleaning and they ended up doing twice a year filter replacement, but again it depends on the cleanliness of the booth air and surroundings. If your location is exceptionally clean then you could probably go longer than a year. Gunk suckers they are and all airborne gunk is goonna get sucked in!

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 10-21-2013, 06:31 PM:

Mark, I've found that I need to clean mine about once a week using rubbing alcohol and a microfiber cloth - the cloth alone does not remove the gunk. The projector nearest the projection room door needs to be cleaned more frequently than the one at the far end of the booth. However, we keep our projection room door closed at all times to minimize the amount of "snack bar" air getting in.

As for the air filters, I've found that the plastic framed filters which come in the NEC projectors can be washed and reused. I just squirt on a little dish soap and run my finger back and forth a few times in each of the folds on each side and then rinse well and leave to dry. This leaves them looking pretty clean.

Posted by Adam Sherwood (Member # 7802) on 10-21-2013, 07:08 PM:

i got about a year out of them last time around but just wondered if there was a specific life span. i find that if the covers are used over night and when not showing 3d a lot less dust gets in. ive heard of sites not using the covers and they get v dirty.another point is cleaning to clean the sencer as well as the wheel. ive had perfectly good spinners before and all of a sudden wheel goes out of syn cause of dust flying in on the sencer in middle of a show.. i usaully clean them every week and half depeding on usage for 3d. its def true about location. ive found esp for the air filters on the series 2 barco,that barco pro near an air vent needs the filters cleaned more often..

is the real d system better or worse from a projectionist point of view . ? ive seen real d and 3d films and its about the same .. expect for an imax 3d

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 10-21-2013, 07:12 PM:

I think the RealD 3D is a bit worse than MI, but less maintenance/cleaning necessary.

- Carsten

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 10-21-2013, 09:12 PM:

Besides that, MI now also has a sealed head unit, also as a replacement or retrofit option:

http://www.masterimage3d.com/system/resources/W1siZiIsIjIwMTMvMDUvMTQvMTZfMzFfMThfODAwX1NlYWxlZF9IZWFkX1VuaXQucGRmIl1d/Sealed%20Head%20Unit.pdf

- Carsten

Posted by Adrian Avram (Member # 7931) on 10-28-2013, 04:39 AM:

Hi,
Dusty projection rooms, are the main reason a MI PFD disk need to be replaced prematurely (less than 12 months). In the "normal" projection rooms I change the disks about one ~ one and a half years.
In one cinema the dust issue caused a lot of problems, so I had to install a few "Sealed Heads" upgrades to keep the image sharp and eliminate the "out of sync issue", due to dust accumulation on the optic sensor (it's eliminated with the upgrade, wich now use the motor encoder for sync). I'll just have to see how good are these sealed heads are in keeping the disk free of dust.
P.S The MI filter is a lot quieter now [Smile]

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 10-28-2013, 07:06 PM:

quote: Adam Sherwood
is the real d system better or worse from a projectionist point of view . ? ive seen real d and 3d films and its about the same .. expect for an imax 3d

I've lived with them all since they appeared.

I dislike the Real-D Z-Screen, poor efficiency but it is about as simple as a 3-D device can get.

I've been my route with Master Image and fortunately no longer have to service them... they are gunk suckers no holds barred and lots of failed sensors in the units I had to maintain. MAster image is not for dirty dusty desert environments like we have here. When the filters are clean they do work well though.

That leaves Real-D X-L and Dolbly 3-D which in my opinion are the only two viable systems out there, at least in this dusty part of the country. Real-D XL requires more frequent checking of the image alignment if the unit is slid back and forth very much. I do find that when it's left in place and never moved on those screens only run 3-D that they stay in alignment as they were installed. They are of course very efficient and if set up properly work very well. They can eliminate the need to have to switch from a low powered lamp to a high powered lamp.

Real-D does have a system that works very well on a special white surface. That surface is ludricously priced at ~20.00 a sq. ft!

Dolby wheel is in the clean filtered projector air and really doesn't pick up any more dirt than the rest of the projector's internal optics do. They are no doubt more a problem to keep clean in Barco's than in Christies or NEC's. Dolby is the least efficient of the lot but this is rarely ever an issue.

With the new Real-D pricing scheme that is just now taking effect where one now has to pay a "large chunk" of money "up front" to get a system one has to wonder how well that will be received by exhibitors and if Real-D can actually last or not.

Mark