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Author
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Topic: Flawless Digital Projector? Think Again!!!
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Robert Saba
Film Handler
Posts: 7
From: Mesquite, TX, USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 12-11-1999 04:08 PM
I'm quite sure everyone has heard word on the "new" digital motion picture projectors, more specifically called 'DLP'(Digital Light Processing). I work at a certain test theatre for the DLP (I won't say any names, but the first letter is 'C', the last is 'K', and the middle letters are 'INEMAR'. Figure it out.). I am a film purist by nature, and have always, since day one, been somewhat closed-minded to this idea. There were obviously going to be negative differences in color contrast, color saturation, and resolution in the picture, as with any telecine transfer to video. On top of that, if something were to go wrong internally with the projector, it wouldn't be a matter of rigging the gate tension or replacing a platter motor. It's out of the trained projectionist's hands, and that is the reason I am posting this message. Approximately a week and a half ago, the Q-Bit (SCSI drive) unit was "holding out" on the system, causing the DLP to freeze every so often. I hope every theater willing to adopt this system of exhibition is ready to pay for a DLP technician. Now I am taking into consideration that this IS a prototype, and it was the hard drive that continued to lock up, but the finished product is based on the same idea. Besides -- what better a time to bash it?
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Erich Loepke
Film Handler
Posts: 43
From: Ft. Worth, TX, USA
Registered: Sep 1999
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posted 12-11-1999 07:35 PM
Something I'm really afraid of with DLP or any other video projection system is the short product lifecycles that will become commonplace. With 35mm, you can take the oldest projector and the newest film and have a show. Don't count on being able to do that with DLP! I've read the threads on this forum dealing with best/worst projector, and what always amazes me is that there are quite a few older projectors still giving great service. Will you see a 50 year-old DLP projector? I think not! Hell, it'll be obsolete in less than a year, and there won't be any factory support for it after a few years. When those nanomirrors start burning out, the theater will have to buy a whole new "upgrade" DLP system.Then there's the question of software upgrades. There may come a time when an older DLP system can't run a new "film" because the older system doesn't have the latest decompression software or a fast enough processor. Maybe we'll see something like this: "Star Wars Episode 3: Minimum system requirements--Pentium XI/2.2GHz processor, DLP projection system version 5.4.12 or greater. Minimum 560GB hard disk space."
At least with film, it didn't matter whether you were running an old Powers hand-crank projector or the latest Christie--you still got the maximum performance possible with the given equipment. I don't know, but these DLP units are expensive. I don't see the theater that doesn't even spend money for xenon lamps or good splicing tape shelling out lots of money for short-lived DLP systems that will have to be replaced every couple of years. I really hate to see yet another facet of technology go the way of computers for these reasons. Maybe I'm just being wishful, but the future of film may be better than I thought. Unless the DLP people address the product lifecycle issue, DLP may commit suicide. And maybe that's not so bad after all!
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Erich Loepke
Film Handler
Posts: 43
From: Ft. Worth, TX, USA
Registered: Sep 1999
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posted 12-11-1999 09:35 PM
Try running current Windows programs on a PC made before 1998 and you'll understand what I mean about hardware/software lifecycle issues. You don't need to go all the way back to 1990 to find PCs that won't run current programs. I just don't want to see film presentation caught in the same old chicken-and-egg dilemma that drives the computer industry. That is, faster hardware is introduced, and more complex applications are written to use it. Soon, everyone needs new computers to even be able to run the most basic applications, etc. etc.Of course, the digital folks will say "Film is a 100 year-old old-fashioned technology, and the time is now to have digital cinema. Hell, why not, everything else is digital, so why not films?" I repair digital cell phones for a living (though I'd rather be a projectionist), and I can tell you with all certainty that digital call quality is LESS than analog sound quality. Digital's only advantage is an economic one; more cellular users in a system. Same for digital cinema. Of course all "prints" will exist in virtual reality only; they can be wiped out much easier than a physical print. Anyone think of that yet? But you can have all the "prints" available with the click of a mouse. No need to spend $$$$ for 35mm prints, some of which come back in poor shape from lousy booth practice. Don't think for a moment that digital "prints" can't be stolen!! In fact, I believe they're much easier to steal than actual film. It's hard to sneak off with 10000 feet of film; it's easy to run off with a few DVD-Rs or better yet, download them to your home computer! The enterprising hacker will never quit trying to outsmart whatever system is used to "safeguard" these "prints" against being stolen. In the modern hasty rush to "go digital" in every area of life, seldom does anyone stop to consider what the potential drawbacks may be. No, everyone seems to be sold on the "digital is better" axiom.
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John Walsh
Film God
Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999
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posted 12-12-1999 11:33 AM
"Upgrades would be "fun" too; Disney - "You need up upgrade to Movie Server v. 2.1.72" in order to show "Toy Story 5"; Universal -
"Jurassic Park 8" is only supported under Movie Server v.2.1.70 with patch cluster 231236"Ha! Really! And since the Internet will probably used for delivery/authentication, don't forget to read RFC 17576 - "Avoiding Real-Time Movie Denial-of-Service with IPv12" Someone (Scott?) pointed out that with only a few grand (well, maybe about 12G), a person could already have "HiDef" at home by just buying a 35mm projector and a used stereo processor. Now of course, a homeowner is not going to do that, but for a regular theater, it's still going to be quite a while before e-cinema is practable. To compaire cost: our company bulit an 8-plex 5 years ago. The cost of one, 300 seat, THX approved auditorium cost $60,000 (no digital.) Yet, let's say they get the cost of an e-cinema projector to half of what it is today. That still $50,000 just for the projector. I don't think we have to worry about new jobs just yet.
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Paul Konen
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 981
From: Frisco, TX. (North of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 12-12-1999 11:24 PM
Robbie, if you sat 1 foot in front of a TV set, you would see the pixels too. They (TI) recommend that you sit at least one screen height back. That is where the bar is placed in the front part of the theatres.Yes the Cinemark policy trailer was indeed transferred badly. Too much red. This was referred to the TI technician. Also, a technician came out from QuBit and made parameter changes in the player to IMMEDIATELY transfer control to the mirror drive if it cannot read from the set it is on. What was happening was the following: Mirror set A is reading the disk.
Mirror set A has a problem.
Mirror set A continued to retry for 3 seconds.
Projector head only had 1/2 second of output; hence 2 1/2 seconds of lockup. The technician made the following change Mirror set A is reading the disk.
Mirror set A has a problem.
Mirror set B takes over. IMMEDIATELY. No loss of picture. There will be more discussion of this come Friday when we start Bicentenial Man on DLP.
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They are even building a new IMAX out here in California for it.
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