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Author Topic: Toy Story 2 DLP digital cinema review
Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99


 - posted 11-24-1999 09:32 PM      Profile for Brad Miller   Author's Homepage   Email Brad Miller       Edit/Delete Post 
Saw the Plano presentation today and here's a quick report...

The feature image was incredible. Far superior to the 35mm counterparts. Colors almost looked like Technicolor dye transfer. Of course, this is because they are CHEATING by taking the digital signal direct from the computer files to the digital cinema master.

The image on the trailers was disappointing. The last demo I saw of the DLP projector was fantastic, but today's trailer presentation did not measure up. There was positive dirt, negative dirt, bob/weave and the colors weren't quite on target. The next door identical sized theater's 35mm presentation clearly was superior in regards to any material that originated on film.

Overall, I found the right 1/3 of the image was not sharply focused and the "digital aperture" was severely bleeding over onto the bottom edge in the middle (due to the curved screen). Brightness was identical to the 35mm presentation as best as I could tell, but I don't know what the difference was between xenon lamps.

The biggest disappointment was the sound. Let's just say lots of midrange and lots of upper bass! The deep bass that I heard in the DTS and SRD auditoriums was nonexistent here and it was as if the high end's B-chain was rolled off too severely. The other 3 35mm auditoriums all sounded good and all the theaters in the complex have the same equipment, so I'm thinking it's something else at work...namely the source material. Does anyone know what kind of compression DLP cinema uses? Also, the left surrounds were either not on, or the level was set significantly too low. And let's not forget the obvious dialogue leakage from the right surrounds! (I couldn't hear the left surrounds to verify, but I would assume the leakage went into both.)

My first impression of DLP was fantastic. Today's was very disappointing. If this system was carefully set up by the top TI techs and tweeked to no end (which I'm sure it was, being there was only a half dozen installations), then the future of digital cinema is a lousy one. Everyone knows how the quality goes downhill once items become widespread.

I'll swing back by and check it out in a few weeks and report what I find (to be fair in case they were rushed with the install).

Anyone else have a report from this theater or another running Toy Story 2 in DLP?

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Scott Ribbens
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 118
From: Los Angeles
Registered: Oct 1999


 - posted 11-25-1999 12:17 AM      Profile for Scott Ribbens   Email Scott Ribbens   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Have not seen it yet, but I may pay the big bucks and see it in Hollywood at the Disney/Pacific El Capitan Theatre with the live stage show. If I do I will report back to the forum.

------------------

Scott

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999


 - posted 11-25-1999 04:40 AM      Profile for John Wilson   Email John Wilson   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Crappy presentaion of digital cinema? Man, THAT took even less time than I had given for it to happen!

AND it's not even mass produced yet! They're STILL trying to sell it to the masses.

HA!

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Paul Konen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 981
From: Frisco, TX. (North of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 11-26-1999 12:13 AM      Profile for Paul Konen   Email Paul Konen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I agree with Brad about the Feature presentation. I think it was really outstanding as far as quality. You could really enjoy the feature without the distractions. Also, the trailers apparently converted from film to digital as I also saw the specks, etc from the features. The conversion was really terrible on our policy trailer. Too much red in the Cinemark logo and elsewhere.

I will have to see what they are doing about the sound so. Where I sit with my family, I get the pleasure of hearing the distinct channels.

The real test, I think, will be in a couple of weeks when Bicentennial Man is presented in Digital.

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George Roher
Master Film Handler

Posts: 266
From: Washington DC
Registered: Jul 99


 - posted 11-26-1999 12:27 AM      Profile for George Roher   Email George Roher   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Paul, is there a TI tech in your booth full time (tweaking every show) or is the DLP machine running unattended as it will be in the future?


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Paul Konen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 981
From: Frisco, TX. (North of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 11-28-1999 10:26 AM      Profile for Paul Konen   Email Paul Konen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
No, the TI Techs have been non-existant. The only time I saw him this weekend was to "tweek" the print itself with a watermark because someone was paranoid of taping. They added this so as to be able tell where the movie was recorded. That is it.

See other thread for more information about this machine.

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