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Author Topic: USL PCA-100 Color Meter Chase Taylor Expert Film Handler Posts: 175 From: Troy, Alabama, USA Registered: Mar 2001 posted 01-28-2009 02:41 PM                        Does anybody have any experience with this meter? I've played around with one once and did not have any problem with it. I know everyone says you need to get a PR-655 but man that price tag is steep. A few people I know that own a PCA-100 has tried it against a PR-650 or PR-655 and got the same results almost all of the time and when it defer it was only by .001 well with in spec. Chase  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 01-28-2009 05:34 PM                     I've been using one for years...so long as you keep it in calibration (once-per-year)...it will do just fine for setting up DCinema projectors or comparing different projectors. Steve  |  IP: Logged Mike Babb Master Film Handler Posts: 250 From: Norwich UK Registered: Jul 2002 posted 01-28-2009 08:35 PM                        I've used one for a couple years and love it, I have also used several PR650s, I find the USL easier. You can get a manfrotto tripod for under $100 that's very compact and light, goes nicely with this unit.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-30-2009 08:30 AM                     I much prefer the USL over the PR-650. Havinng to look at the PR-=650's readout in a dark room and then type the settings into your laptop is a pain! Its a ton easier to read the color data off your laptop screen since you can have the USL program AND the projector set up program open at the same time next to each other. Each USL is tightly calibrated and compared directly to a PR meter before it leaves the USL factory. Mark  |  IP: Logged Chase Taylor Expert Film Handler Posts: 175 From: Troy, Alabama, USA Registered: Mar 2001 posted 01-30-2009 09:36 AM                        Thanks guys. Do you have a suggestion of where I could get a good price on one at?  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-30-2009 09:59 AM                     Call Eric at Claco. 801-355-1250, he'll treat you fairly. We also stock convergence kits for Christie/NEC if you should also need one.  |  IP: Logged Pete Naples Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1565 From: Dunfermline, Scotland Registered: Feb 2001 posted 01-30-2009 10:55 AM                     This LINK is worth a look, very small and compact. Uses software on your laptop and plugs in via USB. We put wireless access on the digitla system network so we can sit in the auditoreum and do the resize, masking, colour measurement etc all from a comfy seat, more importantly with a good audience eye view of the screen.  |  IP: Logged John Hawkinson Film God Posts: 2273 From: Cambridge, MA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 01-30-2009 11:59 AM                     What's the list price on that? --jhawk  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 01-30-2009 01:32 PM                     Note, the USL meter also has the spectral information too...it is quite interesting. It is nifty that this German meter also support u'v' CIE space though, for now, DCinema is sticking to the x, y space. I would suspect that if u' v' were needed in the future, USL could easily update. I think a key question here is calibration...who calibrates the German one, what is their reference and how does one go about keeping it in calibration. Steve  |  IP: Logged Robert Minichino Master Film Handler Posts: 350 From: Haskell, NJ, USA Registered: Dec 2005 posted 01-30-2009 02:06 PM                        You can convert between any of the standard color spaces without loss, so I'm sure USL could update their software to include CIELUV if there was a call for it.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-30-2009 05:59 PM                     Note that the USL meter is going up a thousand dollars in March... so get em whle they're cheap!! Also, Stay away from the Sencore Meter... a customer of ours that runs a post facility bought one and it wasn't anywheres nearly as accurate as the USL was. IMHO, If a meter isn't approved by any of the projector manufacturers or Dolby then its best to stay away from it. Mark  |  IP: Logged Chase Taylor Expert Film Handler Posts: 175 From: Troy, Alabama, USA Registered: Mar 2001 posted 01-30-2009 06:13 PM                        What meters are approved?  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-31-2009 08:59 AM                     There is no list but generally if you ask any of them... Photo Research, USL and Minolta. The Minolta and PR are the two most expensive... they both have readouts right on the meter that about doubles the price over the USL. The Minolta is the most versatile of the lot and can do other a number of types of readings/functions.  |  IP: Logged Pete Naples Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1565 From: Dunfermline, Scotland Registered: Feb 2001 posted 01-31-2009 12:21 PM                     Steve, Each specbos unit holds it's own calibration data, when you plug it in to your laptop, that info is applied to the software. I'm not certain who calibrates it, probably in house at manufacture, and re calibration is a return to base job afaik. It was recomended by both Dolby UK and Kinoton, point of fact we got one via Kinoton and had it shipped with a DCP30SX we were about to install.  |  IP: Logged Mike Best Film Handler Posts: 2 From: Sioux Falls SD Registered: Oct 2009 posted 10-19-2009 04:10 PM                     Might want to look at the Klein K10 with the calman professional software.....Accurate and Fast at a Fraction of the cost... Here is the a link http://www.sencore.com/products/color-light/186  |  IP: Logged

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