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Headaches from digital projection?

Posted by thoriated_tiger (A) on March 23, 2005 at 12:15:25

In Reply to: "Digital projection at the cinema may swing it back the other way again." We do seem to be at odds here. posted by clarkjohnsen on March 23, 2005 at 07:51:30:

If that's what you're getting, I suspect you watched something projected thruogh a single-chip DLP, which uses a colorwheel to provide the RGB. Not only headache-inducing to some, but also will cause some folk to see rainbows. I'm one of 'em. I also get the DLP Headache. The rainbow problem, to me, is worst in black/white film, of which I tend to watch quiate a bit of.

However, real digital cinema (not home theater, I"m talking about a real theater) won't use a single-chip solution, they'll use a 3-chip solution. No colorwheel. No more headaches, no more rainbows.

While I have yet to see a cine digital projector in use, I can say the home units are getting extremely good.

Mine's a low-end Panasonic with 3 LCD chips. No screendoor, smooth, quite film-like, great color. Contrasty enough to play cartoons with punch, snap and authority. Rez is 720x1280 which is the minimum I'd accept. With LCD, anything lower than that puts you into the screendoor arena.

This is the first time I've been able to actually use a home theater digital projector, both in price and performance. Earlier units were so bad it was not even funny, back then CRT was truly the only way -- but not anymore. CRT willl still get you True Blacks, which I don't know why everyone raises such a stink about -- most film projectors I've seen won't do 100% true black either.

The digital projector scene is moving so fast it isn't funny. Compared to audio, digi pj is moving at warp seven. My brand-new Panasonic AE700 will be a relic, a Jurassic memento, as soon as its replacement comes out. Which won't take but a year or so.

As for immersing in home theater, well, once I went the projector and large-screen route (37* at 11 ft, or 87" x 47"), getting sucked in by the program is *much* easier. The TV got in the way. It has to, because a simple black-and-white comic book will instantly get me immersed, if the subject matter is up my alley. The TV didn't let me get that, I don't know why. The front projector + huge screen lets it happen very easily.

As for audio, what good is all the names you flung about, what good is the great speakers (altec, jbl and klipcsh are cinema favorites) if the speakers are broken (Carmike Cinemas were really bad about that), the equipment is badly calibrated? I get better, more musical, more dynamic sound at home, and frankly, my HT rig is all bottom-feeder. Imagine if I paid as much attention to my HT sound system as I do to my 2-ch.

Cinemas are toast. That's my prediction. They shall continue on as social gathering places, but for serious, studious watching of film / cartoons, my humble little place has got 'em beat.

And one thing you can't do at a real cinema: You can light up a pipe, and help that immersiveness become a wee bit more vibrant, without incurring the wrath of the law ;o) Or pour yourself a whiskey, or whatever floats your boat. Your movie palace, your rules.

Next step is to get a calibration system like SMART III or such, I don't think I can do any more than I have with DVE. But at least I know it's set up as well as I can get it.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Atma-Sphere Music Systems, Inc.

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