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Topic: Sony digital projection

Jerry Chase
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1068
From: Margate, FL, USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 04-16-2001 01:33 AM

Just a FYI, Sony and Victor state they will have digital projection out next March for a cost of about $80,000 USD. It sounded like it was to be a complete system, but details weren't included in the press release. This was in financial news Saturday.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 04-16-2001 04:37 AM

This should be in the Film Handlers Forum. Oh well.

If it is made or marketed by Sony then the price will be at least 30% higher than it is worth. That is the way it is with everything they make, even their consumer junk. With Sony, you pay for the name. Too bad quality doesn't come with it. But if it doesn't have any moving parts, then it might last awhile. Sony products only last when they don't have moving parts (true!)

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Brad Miller
Administrator

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

posted 04-16-2001 08:01 AM

Moving to Film Handler's Forum.

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Jerry Chase
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1068
From: Margate, FL, USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 04-16-2001 10:19 AM

Hey! Careful guys! Moving this to film-handlers forum when there is no film involved might imply you like digital.

I noticed that there was mention that Sony theatres hadn't gone digital because of the costs involved. This could be a way to move money from one pocket to another in the Sony pants.

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Pat Moore
Master Film Handler

Posts: 363

Registered: Mar 2000

posted 04-16-2001 11:31 AM

Jerry -- do you have a link of any kind where I could dig up that release? I took a look around and couldn't find anything.

Interesting, because that's WAY below the current dollar figure we hear thrown around on complete systems. Also be interesting to know the resolution, brightness factors, etc., of such a system.

Pat

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-16-2001 02:33 PM

Pat,
The Sony/JVC system was by far the best looking system on display at Showest. It is also a much simpler system than the DLP projectors. About half the stuff in the optical path and a much better picture and contrast ratio to back it all up. Having less stuff in the optical path may account for the much lower price of it overall and perhaps the imaging panels are cheaper to produce. I don't exactly remember for sure but I think it also does not require an anamorphic lens(although I may be wrong here). The unit that JVC had running did not have any special lenses on it. They also displayed a 2 gigamegapixel imaging chip which we'll get to see operating next year. That should blow DLP to kingdom come.
Mark @ GTS

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-16-2001 03:55 PM

Mark -- is the thing that you saw the same thing that Sony claims will sell for $80k? Or is there some sort of wimped-down version of the product that was demonstrated at Showest?

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 04-16-2001 04:28 PM

2 gigamegapixel? Huh? That would mean... oh wow I can't even do the math in my head. Evans! Help! That is a giant number.

I will give Sony this: They are excellent at developing new technology. They have created some innovative kick ass cool fun stuff like the CD (along with Philips, but I think Philips sucks ass), the CD-ROM, MiniDisc, the DV standard, Betacam, two-ply toilet paper, and I'm sure lots of other stuff. It's when they actually make a product themselves that problems begin.

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-16-2001 07:04 PM

Actually I was very unimpressed with the ILA technology at the JVC room
It couldn't reproduce light sky scenes at all. It appeared to have a major contrast problem

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Pat Moore
Master Film Handler

Posts: 363

Registered: Mar 2000

posted 04-16-2001 07:41 PM

Hiya all;

I, too, was impressed with the Sony demo at ShoWest, I thought it looked really good. That was truly a prototype and they seemed a little reluctant to talk too much about the projector itself. Seemed like they were there for 8-channel digital sound. Still, there were enough hints dropped about the machine, but $80k was not among the hints that I heard.

I also liked the NEC system using the standard DLP technology. Of course, a lot of this is content based, too, so there's still plenty to filter out in the coming years.

Pat

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Jeff Stricker
Master Film Handler

Posts: 481
From: Calumet, Mi USA
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 04-17-2001 08:45 AM

Got to agree with Joe. My experience with Sony in the consumer electronics business is that they rushed products to market to be the first "out there". However, the designs were not fully developed and tested. They (Sony) worked under the assumption that the customer would discover the problems and they would later fix the designs during production.

I can't speak from experience on how they operate in the broadcast electronics biz., but they have a big piece of that action. Just my 2 cts.

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Danny Hart
Film Handler

Posts: 50
From: St Andrews, Scotland
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 04-18-2001 07:15 PM

Let's hope John Pytlak comes here soon with a link to a page on Kodak's website, for the DEFINITIVE answer.

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 04-18-2001 10:59 PM

Danny: You asked for it -- here it is!

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/forum/filmDigital.shtml
http://www.kodak.com/country/US/en/motion/newsletters/notes/june2000/mayson.shtml
http://www.kodak.com/country/US/en/corp/pressReleases/pr20010307-02.shtml

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

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