Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Some Vintage DLP Cinema Pics

This is topic Some Vintage DLP Cinema Pics in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 04-24-2016, 10:03 PM:

I went to see a silent film presentation (off DVD presumably) at a wonderful small movie palace only about 40 minutes away that I was completely unaware of, the Hoosier Theatre in Whiting, Indiana.

Walked in and what should I see but this blast from the past, a first generation (1.2K) DLP system. I was like OMG!

For those unfamiliar, this is a separate projector head (the diagonal thing) and lamphouse. In those early days, the movie often came on a stack of DVD/R's that could take hours to load.

Seemed odd that this small theatre could have been on the cutting edge but the owner explained that the setup actually came out of an ILM screening room and they had hoped to use it to show alt content but it never really worked out. And now, of course, they are digital with a Christie + GDC setup.

And as long as I am dredging up DLP history, do you remember DPI (Digital Projection Inc.) as one of the DLP Cinema licensees? Neither does anyone else. They dropped out and NEC signed on. But here is a 2K projector head made by them and affectionately called "The Egg." Again, a separate lamphouse system. This was at Ebertfest 2007 at the Virginia Theatre (Champaign, IL) and provided by Jame Bond's Full Aperture Systems.

Bond wasn't sure but felt it may have been the only one in the country. Has anyone else seen one of these?

Posted by Buck Wilson (Member # 5885) on 04-25-2016, 12:38 AM:

So did you buy it?!?!

Seems a strange thing to keep in a lobby.

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 04-25-2016, 12:52 AM:

LOL no. Even if they gave it away, I'm not sure what I'd do with it. Hope it finds a good home though.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 04-25-2016, 06:52 AM:

On the topic, here is the very first DLP installation in the US, which was used for the Star Wars screenings at the (now closed) Loews Meadows Six in Secaucus, NJ. in 1999:

And here is the first DLP system in our market, installed at the General Cinema home office theatre in 2000; the first screening was Disney's Dinosaur.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 04-25-2016, 07:52 AM:

Sad how quickly digital equipment becomes "vintage."

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 04-25-2016, 08:42 AM:

The blue ones are the hand built T.I. Projectors. There is one of those at GDC in Burbank that is in working condition.

Mark

Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 04-25-2016, 10:50 AM:

The first DLP projectors I recall seeing were like the ones in the photos
Scott posted. Basically it was just a Christie 35mm projector console with
the "DLP Box" bolted on front where the 35mm projector head would have
normally been.

A friend who collects "Star Wars" stuff gave me a
couple of these stickers which were apparently handed
out at the first "Phantom Menace" digital screenings.

I've been able to find very little technical info on the Boeing system online,
but from what I have been able to scrounge up, it seems that Boeing mainly
provided the encryption and satellite distribution technology. I'm not sure
who built the projectors.

According to an old press release I found online, Boeing sold off it's
digital cinema division to Access-IT in the early 2000's

Maybe someone here can contribute more info.

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 04-25-2016, 11:23 AM:

DPI sold their TI "cinema" license to to NEC and went on to build non DCI spec DLP projectors for other applications.

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 04-25-2016, 02:52 PM:

MKPE has a bit of early digital cinema history on their website:

http://mkpe.com/digital_cinema/history/

- Carsten

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 04-25-2016, 08:05 PM:

Okay...I've looked (searched) and haven't found the picture here on F-T that (I think Joe made) spoofed of the "Technicolor" digital projector. It morphed a MarkVII projector with a Technicolor metal shipping can. Where is it?

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 04-26-2016, 03:16 PM:

What was the reason why the head on these early units, was pitched 45 degrees from vertical?

I heard it had to do with the chipset, or similar..

thx -Monte

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 04-26-2016, 03:59 PM:

I always want to get one of those heads and mount it on a Simplex Heavy Duty base and put a Peerles Hycandescent behind it and take a pix called "Old meets New"

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 04-26-2016, 06:22 PM:

The original thought was to use existing lamp/power sources so the entrance and exit parameters are known thus the optics had to shift around to fit.

Once the burden of not having to use existing light sources, they could alter the light path so it was convenient for the projector.

Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 04-27-2016, 08:55 AM:

I have some pictures of a Barco D CineStar on a Kinoton console I'd share in this thread, but for some reason I can't see the 'upload' button. Come to think of it I can't see the left hand site of the site like I used to.

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 04-27-2016, 10:28 AM:

quote: Jim Cassedy
I've been able to find very little technical info on the Boeing system online,
but from what I have been able to scrounge up, it seems that Boeing mainly
provided the encryption and satellite distribution technology. I'm not sure
who built the projectors.

This was a VERY early concept, right? If this is what I heard about up here, it was short lived.

I was only aware of the distribution part. At the time, Boeing had a lot of unused bandwidth available, and content distribution seemed like a good prospect. Reality eventually set in and, after they worked out the logistics, the idea was scrapped. If encryption was part of the deal, I didn't hear of it. I don't think Boeing had anything to do with the projectors... and probably not directly with the exhibitors, either.

But... this was a long time ago, so there may be parts of this I've forgotten.

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 04-27-2016, 10:47 AM:

Re the old Series one in the opening post:

Is it still able to show encrypted content of any kind? Or is the current standard 2k DCP too much for it to handle?

Reason I am asking is I am toying with the idea of opening a (very) small cinema for our local residents here, and if I can get that system cheap enough the city might pay for it..

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 04-27-2016, 11:40 AM:

If you mean the 1.2K, I'm pretty sure that would not fly on resolution alone let alone encryption rules.

Were any 1.2K's in service continually from when they were put in up until replaced with 2K (or 4K for Sony) units? Or did those houses go back to film for a time?

I recall a visit to Chicago's McClurg Court's booth for the big screen (at the front of the two little houses after Cineplex made the old bleacher area into separate theates) when Boeing was installing one of the 1.2K's. I may have a Boeing business card somewhere.

Posted by Sean Weitzel (Member # 244) on 04-27-2016, 11:50 AM:

Here's the Barco machine that was installed at the Century 22 in San Jose, CA. I saw Phantom Menace projected from this machine. It along with everything else has since been scrapped.

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 04-27-2016, 12:19 PM:

Wasn't everything anamorphic on the 1.2K's?

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 04-27-2016, 02:28 PM:

I thought the 1.2 was the chip size being the presentation was still in a 2k resolution...

Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 04-27-2016, 08:16 PM:

quote: Jack Ondracek
I don't think Boeing had anything to do with the projectors...
and probably not directly with the exhibitors, either.

Jack-
The info in your reply about Boeing having excess bandwidth and that info
sort of matches what a friend who knows a lot about the aircraft industry told me.

I might have been wrong about actual encryption, since I've been able to find
some old press releases where Boeing boasts about its' satellite network being
'secure', but mentions nothing about actual "encryption".

Also- -as to my question about the projection equipment- - some circumstantial
info I've found, as well as something my avionics friend told me was that it's
possible that the original "digital cinema" projectors may have been procured
from, or the technology based on, some very high-resolution (for the time)
digital projection equipment developed by Hughes Aircraft for use in its' flight
simulators, which were widely used by both commercial airlines and the military
for pilot and crew training in the late 80's.

And, it seems Hughes used Boeing for the telemetry systems in the simulators,
so there was already a business link between the two companies.

In fact, the Hughes Aircraft digital simulator system and projectors were used in
building the original "Star Tours" ride at Disneyland. (1987) In 1993, Hughes
Aircraft sold their 'simulator division' to Thompson CSF, who continued to use the
technology to build flight simulators & theme park thrill-rides for some time afterwards.

I'm not sure if Thompson is still in the "thrill ride" business, although I was familiar
with their broadcast equipment when I worked in the TV biz during the late 1980's.

Posted by Buck Wilson (Member # 5885) on 04-27-2016, 09:42 PM:

Doesn't surprise me... Hughes also partnered with GM in the mid 80's to help develop GM's Heads-Up Display system(Displays speed, turn signal indicators and other info onto the windshield) for their then new GM-10 platform now known as the W-body that underpinned the Grand Prix, Cutlass Supreme, Lumina, Regal, and later the Impala, Monte Carlo, etc

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 04-27-2016, 10:01 PM:

I think Hughes was involved in what became the D-ILA system of JVC.

These were 1280 x 1024 which is 1.25 : 1. Use a 1.9X anamorphic for Scope and a 1.5X gets you to around 1.85.

These sales listings on B&H were live when I just searched.

I also found this on Barco's site.

You can read the details here:
https://www.barco.com/en/Products/Projectors/Digital-cinema-projectors/The-Digital-Cinema-Experience_3.aspx

But some highlights: 1280 x 1024, DLP Cinema™ DMD™ Dark Metal 3 type. High security image processing card frame equipped with Dallas key. Contrast: 1350:1

Posted by Phil Ranucci (Member # 3820) on 04-27-2016, 10:32 PM:

I remember hauling a Hughes/JVC machine up to the balcony of the Arlington in Santa Barbara. Can't recall the year, but I remember that it was built to an amazing standard. Looked like every piece was milled out of aluminum. But it was about 600 lbs and had really loud fans.
I was wrong, 1670lbs.
This must be the model, I don't know how many different versions there were.
http://pro.jvc.com/pro/hjt/products/ila12k.html

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 04-28-2016, 11:48 AM:

Doesn't Series 1 refer to the original line of 2K DLP cinema projectors from Christie, Barco, NEC, and that one oddball from DPI? Perhaps the 1.2K generation would be Series 0.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 04-28-2016, 01:27 PM:

Yes, they are sometimes referred to Series 0 (never series 1) and other times Mark VII projectors.