Latest News
NEW PRODUCT:
CalMAN Enhanced Spyder 3 Colorimeter
June
23, 2009
 CurtPalme.com
has worked out an exclusive deal for our members to bring you this product at
a price lower than what everyone else pays anywhere on the internet! Buy direct
from SpectraCal at prices lower than buying off their own website! Same product,
same support, just more money in your pocket at the end of the day!
Introducing the CalMAN enhanced Spyder 3 colorimeter: Seven sensors for exceptional performance! Specially hand-calibrated
for use with CalMAN to ensure the highest quality and accuracy possible!
If you are looking for a great colorimeter to do home calibrations at a
reasonable price without sacrificing quality, the Spyder 3 is for you! We are
taking pre-orders now for the
CalMAN Enhanced Spyder 3 at a special reduced price of $120 off! ($100 introductory
discount and a $20 exclusive CurtPalme.com discount). Orders start shipping in early July.
The Spyder 3 tri-stimulus colorimeter features 7 sensors, giving you a more
complete calibration measurement than standard colorimeters, which only use 4
sensors.
Standard tri-stimulus colorimeters (such as the
EyeOne Display 2) use 3 sensors to measure red, blue, and green
(RGB) and 1 sensor to measure pulse. The Spyder 3 also has 1 pulse sensor, but
has two sensors for each color (RGB), which more effectively measures the range
of each color for a more accurate calibration.
CalMAN supports the Spyder 3 flawlessly. The Spyder 3 is quick-reading and
excellent at low light level work.
Included are a tripod holder and stand (for calibrating projectors) in addition to a suction-cup for
direct screen mounting.
Why has the Spyder 3 not been offered before now?
The Spyder 3 is a wonderfully engineered meter but it lacked factory
calibration. Our past experience with Spyder meters showed that only
approximately 1/3 were accurate enough out of the box for serious display
calibration. The others were simply too far off to be of any use so we've never
offered or recommended them before. Now we're now taking the guesswork out of buying an uncalibrated meter!
SpectraCal is buying Spyder 3 meters in bulk, picking the best ones, and specially hand calibrating them for use with CalMAN. The
ones that don't meet the grade are quite literally recycled! SpectraCal is enhancing each Spyder 3 unit by hand
calibrating them in their labs and storing the control files in a custom folder that ships and installs with the meter
& CalMAN.
The result is an extremely accurate device
that is highly competitive with much more expensive, NIST Certified tri-stimulus
colorimeters.
Free upgrade to
CalMAN Enthusiast for existing CalMAN Home users
Current CalMAN Home license owners can earn a free upgrade to CalMAN
Enthusiast! Order your Spyder 3 now at the special
CurtPalme.comm reduced introductory price
of $279 and current licensees will be automatically upgraded to an Enthusiast
license. This offer is available to anyone who currently has a Home Edition
licence and purchases a Spyder 3,
Chroma 5, or
EyeOne Pro meter. Offer
ends August 1st. Email us at
SpectraCal@curtpalme.com to learn of other ways in which existing Home
Edition users can earn an upgrade to the Enthusiast
Edition, just by adding additional gear to their
tool kit! Starting with CalMAN 3.4, the Enthusiast
Edition will include features not found in the Basic Edition such as Profiling,
Custom White Point Target Editor, and Design Mode in addition to greater meter
support, DPG-1000 Digital
Pattern Generator support, etc.
Already have an Enthusiast license? Email us at
SpectraCal@curtpalme.com for a special
introductory price on just the Spyder 3 meter.
Special
introductory price: Save $100 until August 1st!! The $279 introductory
price goes up to $379 on August 1st – so act now and
enjoy the benefits of a highly accurate video
calibration solution at a great value.
Confused about meters? See our
FAQ: Which meter
is right for me?
Questions? Email us at
SpectraCal@CurtPalme.com.
More Information / Buy Now »
CRT Projector
Specials and News
June
10, 2009
Confused? See our
CRT Primer to read why CRT projectors are still
used in home theaters where picture quality is
paramount. How do these and other projectors stack
up? See our
Projector Rankings page. Not sure what
projector is right
for you? Email Curt
for help!
It's been a while since I've sent a new projector
mailer out, but work and orders have been pouring in
since the new year, so it's been very hectic here.
I've inherited a lot of new clients ever since Barco
announced on their website that they are out of CRT
production as of January 2009, and I've gained a
number of planetarium and military/commercial
customers since then. Repairs and parts demand is at
an all time high, with me sending out an average of
15 boxes every week, not to mention the projector
sales to people that are still finding CRT to be a
superior image, despite what the commission
salespeople want to tell the general public.
The
entry-level,
intermediate, and
high
performance CRT projector sales pages has been updated.
Some highlights:
Qty 2 - New in the box RCF 6220 projectors:
These are
new old stock, one is still in the box, one has no
box, but is new with the manuals and remotes. These
sets are similar to the
ECP 4500, a good 7" 800
lumen set with digital convergence, great for a
1080i or 720p image. They are cheap, dirt cheap...
$300 each. Why? This is one of the very few sets
that I've never seen before, and therefore have no
backup parts for them. If you buy the two, I'll take
$550 for the pair. Lots of RCF sets were sold in
Europe, less so in North America. I'll be listing
these on eBay in a bit, so grab them now while I've
still got them. The pair of sets were supposed to go
into a high end showroom that never went ahead for
some reason. I'm sure you'll get years of use out of
these sets, but I've got them priced cheaply as I
don't have backup parts for them.
Qty 10 – Barco Graphics 808s: These are all I have
left of the 29 that I bought in January. Most have
been sold, some were parted out, there's a few left
in really nice condition. One customer that I sold a
Barco Data 808 to a few years ago upgraded to this
set, and he said the improvement was remarkable.
Fully 1080p capable, these sets use the slightly
sharper Sony tubes over the Panasonics that the
other Barco 808 models use. Convergence on green
card installed in most of these sets. Cases are a
bit marked up, but the sets themselves are in great
shape. $1200-1500 depending on tube and case
condition.
Qty 1 - NEC XG 75: A trade in from a customer that
switched to an LC set, this set was fully retubed,
and has under 100 hours on the new set of tubes.
$1500.00 with remote. 1080p ready.
Qty 1 - NEC XG 110LC: Again, fully retubed, in great
shape, focus is perfect across the board. New NEC
tubes, very hard to find. $2800.00.
Qty 3 - Vidikron Vision 1: These are the formerly
$60,000 sets with the fancy fiberglass cases on
them. Two are black, one is white. Red and green
coloured filters, 1000 to 6000 original hours on
them, all came out of home theaters. I'm still
checking the white 1000 hour one, the others have a
new green tube, the R and B are fine. Bargain priced
at $6000.00 each.
Qty 3 - Runco DTV 1100: 9" sets, 1080p capable. New
green tube installed, very similar performance to
the Vision 1's above. $5500.00 each.
Tubes, tubes, tubes: I've been very lucky to get
a whole stack of new in the box Sony and NEC tubes
as used in various sets. Pricing is as follows:
- SD 187 tubes: 3 sets available at $150 per full
set of R G and B tubes.
- 07MS tubes: 1 set available at $180 per full set
of R G and B tubes.
The Sony tubes above are used in:
Sony 10XX series,
Ampro 2000,
Electrohome ECP, RCF sets,
Barco
400, 500,
600,
700 and 701 and some
Seleco sets.
Bring your set up to as new performance with tubes
free of wear and fungus.
- E8508 as used in the
NEC PG and
PG+ sets. $390
per full set of tubes. Two sets available.
I am getting many more sets in shortly, including
another Barco 909,
Sony G90s and
NECs. I've also got
some Faroudja scalers coming in shortly...
Shoot me an
email if you see something you want that's not on
the list, but I've got good stock right now as well.
Questions or want to make a
purchase? Email Curt!
See All CRT Projectors »
NEW PRODUCT: Blu-Wire T1/R1 HDMI Extension Kit
May
29, 2009
Enable long-distance HDMI - up to 200 feet from source to display! Unlike
most HDMI extenders ours is easy to set up, reliable, uses only one cable, and
has FULLHD 1080p support! No tweaking or adjustments required - it just works!
Having issues with picture dropouts, blank screens, or dancing dots in the image?
You need to use our HDMI
extender!
Even the best HDMI cables are only certified to approximately 45 feet when
used as Category 1 ("Standard" 1080i/720p at 74.5Mhz) or 25 feet as Category 2
("High Speed" 1600p at 340Mhz). The distances are reduced in electrically noisy
environments or when lower quality (less expensive) cables are used.
The Blu-Wire HDMI T1 Transmitter and R1 Receiver provide a quick and easy method
of extending HDMI v1.3 or v1.2 + HDCP over cost-effective UTP (unshielded
twisted pair) networking cable. NO adjustments for ease of installation and maintenance,
and full 1080p + HDCP performance over SINGLE UTP CatX cable.
The Blu-Wire T1/R1 HDMI Extension Kit is produced by Obonok Technologies, the
world's leading technology for HDMI signal distribution over category cable.
Two U.S. patents are pending on their proprietary technology used in this kit.
How is the
Blu-wire T1/R1 Extender Kit better than other HDMI extenders?
- Other solutions require two CatX cables. Our solution uses only one
cable which reduces costs and making installation easier. Two less connections
also means 50% less chance of connection-related failures.
- Other solutions are only rated for 1080i and 1600 x 1200 with
bandwidth in the neighbourhood of 2 Gbps or less. Our solution supports FullHD 1080p with 6.6 Gbps of bandwidth. Future-proof your setup by making
sure your
HDMI extender supports 1080p!
- Other solutions are sensitive to cell phones and other
electrical noise such as fluorescent lighting causing noise and/or
dropouts. Our solution uses technology that is NOT sensitive to either - you
do not need to use more expensive shielded cables required by most of
the other
solutions.
- Other solutions require adjustment and tweaking to
maintain a
picture. Our
solution has Auto Gain and Auto EQ which results in a good signal regardless of
distance with no adjustments needed.
Hook-up
Hooking up the T1/R1 HDMI extender is extremely simple. Using short HDMI
cables, plug the T1 transmitter into the source and the R1 receiver into the
display then connect the two using a UTP networking cable and plug in the power
supply. Done!
Questions? Email us at
InteractAV@CurtPalme.com or visit our new
InteractAV support forum.
More Information / Buy Now »
CalMAN Professional Edition: Massive price increases coming June 1st!
May
22, 2009
CalMAN Professional level calibration
software and meter packages are going to see a price increase come June 1st. Expect to pay
anywhere from $100 to $750 more for a pro level
licence or package next month! The products will be not
be
changing, only the prices. If you've been putting
off purchasing a CalMAN pro level package I'd highly
suggest doing it before end of month.
|
Package |
Current
Price |
After
June 1st |
|
CalMAN Professional Edition -
Software Only |
$1749 |
$2495 |
CalMAN Pro Calibrator Kit
(CalMAN Professional plus an
EyeOne Pro, EyeOne
Pro tripod holder,
Chroma 5, Chroma 5
projector kit, U3 USB device, pro carrying case) |
$3149 |
$3695 |
|
Klein K-10 with CalMAN Pro Edition Software |
$7895 |
$7995 |
CalMAN Professional Edition with
EyeOne Pro
(Includes
EyeOne Pro tripod holder) |
$2549 |
$2999 |
Starting June 1st, the Hubble
and Chroma 5 meters will also no longer be available
with a CalMAN Professional licence. They will still
be offered with CalMAN Enthusiast and Home Edition
licences.
Reviews/Testimonials from Professionals
"The Pro version boasts the widest hardware support in the industry
and covers a wide variety of meters from the low-cost X-Rite Display 2 model up
to the high-end Sencore OTC-1000. Automatic test pattern generator control
is supported for the latest Model 4000 from Accupel as well as my own Model
3000, as well as the full line of Sencore and Quantum Data test generators.
Unlike some calibration programs that throw a lot to digest at once for new
users, CalMAN offers three tiers of operation ranging from beginner with a few
simple, canned wizard screens to the fully advanced mode that lets you design
your own layouts the way you want them to appear. Technical support is
top-notch, with most questions answered within a day or two as well as an
active support forum available through their site. I also found the included
help and information screens almost worth the price by themselves, for they
bring a lot of information from widely scattered sources and articles into one
convenient place. I highly recommend this program and company."
- Michael Marks, Widescreen Review Magazine #133.
"This is the most comprehensive piece of calibration software that I have
had the pleasure of working with (and I have worked with quite a few). With
their impeccable support and their willingness to listen to feedback and
suggestions, their product has evolved into quite the masterpiece. SpectraCal
has poised themselves to be a market leader for the calibration software market.
The software is well suited both for Novice and Pro Calibrators. The application
Help Files and predefined layouts are invaluable to the novice. For a Pro
Calibrator, the ability to create custom workflow layouts is just what the
doctor ordered. CalMAN has a comprehensive list of meters that it supports which
also gives it a great edge over the competition. In addition to the tremendous
meter support, this software provides you with the most comprehensive list of
analytical data I have seen compared to other software packages. In a nutshell
you can't go wrong with this software package." - Stephen Cooper,
Digital Video Calibrations
LLC, Jacksonville, FL
"CalMAN is simply the most versatile, well researched, tested, and well
documented software available for display calibration. No professional's set of
tools is complete without it. As a professional, having the ability to work
with multiple meters in the same software is fantastic. For the hobbyist, the
exceptional documentation make it not only a fine tool, but a great learning
opportunity. The support is second to none. Like many great products, CalMAN
grew out of a desire to do a job better and a curiosity about a technology. Well
done." - Leonard Caillouet, A/V Calibration and Repair Technician,
Gainesville, FL
CalMAN calibration isn't just for
professionals. A complete line of Home and
Enthusiast Edition packages are also available.
Confused about calibration meters? See our
FAQ: Which meter is right for me?
Questions? Email us at
SpectraCal@CurtPalme.com.
Complete Line of CalMAN Calibration Software & Meters »
Hard to find Barco
Graphics 808s projectors in stock
May
22, 2009
Confused? Not sure what's right
for you? Email Curt and he'll help you figure out what's right for your setup.
I managed to get a
great deal on over 20 of these hard to find BG808s
projectors. I originally bought these for parts use
only, but the tubes are in such good shape, it would
be a shame to part these sets out. 110 Khz scan
rate, 8" Sony tubes (some say that the Sony tubes
are sharper than the Panasonics used in other 808
models), 120 Mhz video cards, 1200 lumens, IRIS
camera installed in many of these sets, remote
controls included. Hard to find convergence on green
card is also included, mandatory for a blend or a
stack. The cases on most of these do have some
scratches and marks, but the price reflects that the
cases aren't perfect. Heck, I've even got some
units that are missing the top lids, so save even
more if you don't care about the looks, or are doing
a rear projection or coffee table installation where
you won't see the set. 1080p ready. The hard to find
Sony tubes in these sets are $1300 each new. Of the
10 sets I've tested so far, the tubes range from
mint to good condition (slight wear on the green
only), and have excellent emission. The prices of
these sets range from $1200-1500 each, knock $200
off if you don't need a top lid. At this price,
you're coming close to a 9" set's performance at a
fraction of the price. Heck, buy two and do a blend
or stack.
See all CRT Projectors »
Congratulations to
our Box1020/1040/1021 Contest Winners - $10 OFF FOR
EVERYONE ELSE!
May
15, 2009
Congratulations to both of our contest winners:
Nashou66 and loribates!
They get to pick their prize from any of the
following X-Vue products:
-
Box1020 RGB to Component converter & Gamma Boost:
For component displays. Combine it with the
HDfury2 to give your TV or projector with
component inputs a nice gamma boost for the best
image quality possible. Works great with the
HDfury1 too. Also useful for hooking up RGB
sources (like a laptop) to component displays.
More Information / Buy Now »
-
Box1040 Component to RGB converter & Gamma Boost:
For RGB (VGA) displays. Combine it with the
HDfury2 to give your TV or projector with RGB
(VGA) inputs a nice gamma boost for the best image
quality possible. Works great with the
HDfury1 too. Also useful for hooking up component sources (like
satellite receivers) to RGB displays.
More
Information / Buy Now »
-
Box1021 RGB Gamma Boost: For RGB (VGA)
displays. Same as Box1020 but without the RGB to
component converter.
More
Information / Buy Now »
For those of you who didn't win, do not despair!
Everyone that entered has been automatically issued a
$10 off coupon towards any X-Vue product until the
end of the month. Simply place an order for any X-Vue
product at the regular price
using the links provided above and you will be refunded $10 for each box you order
until midnight May 31, 2009 (multiple orders are allowed!).
We had 341 contestants enter giving
everyone a 1 in 170 chance of winning. Not bad!
Make sure to stay tuned to CurtPalme.com
and sign up to our
newsletter for more contests coming
soon!
Thank you to everyone for entering! We hope you
enjoyed our contest!
Remember that your X-Vue $10 off
coupons will expire at midnight on May 31, 2009!
Questions about this contest?
Email us!
See all X-Vue Products »
Heads Up! It's Home Theater
Spring Cleaning/Tune-up Time!
May
14, 2009
Every year about this time we like to run through
a complete tune-up to make sure all our TVs and
projectors are still perfectly calibrated. Most
people don't realize that calibration changes as the
components age, or for some displays (such as CRT
projectors), as the earth's rotation shifts!
(Due to the shifting magnetic field). Calibration is
not something you "do once and forget about".
Not even close.
If your displays are already calibrated like ours it's
usually a pretty fast process of just running
through the steps and making some minor tweaks here
and there. The tweaks are typically not major, but
doing this one a year (or whenever you change
equipment or settings) ensures that the calibration
errors stay minimal resulting in the best image
quality possible.
So consider this your friendly reminder to get
your meters & laptops out tonight and give your
setups the quick once-over! Your TV thanks you for
it!
Don't have calibration software or a meter? Check out
our extensive
Greyscale & Colour Calibration for Dummies
guide for free.
This guide is for the home theater enthusiast who
wants to get the absolute best picture
out of any TV or projector. It will show you how to
obtain the most accurate colours possible on any
display regardless of what sort of technology it
uses (Plasma, LCD, DLP, SXRD, LCOS, CRT, etc). No
prior knowledge or understanding of greyscale or
colour calibration is required. In fact, you may not
even know what "greyscale calibration" is at all!
That's fine! We explain why it's important along
with exactly what tools are needed and how to use
them.
Want to take it up a notch and use a professional
level solution that walks you through the steps
on-screen instead of having to read our guide? See
our
CalMAN Video Calibration Software. It's
available at exclusive CurtPalme.com pricing either alone or with hardware
meters.
Start the
Tune-up! »
HDfury2 & Playstation
3 Setup Guide
May
6, 2009
We get a lot of questions on how to best set up a
Playstation 3 with the
HDFury2 so our very own Jeremy Rice (Mr.
Tech
Support extraordinaire) has put together a
step-by-step guide
to show you the ins and outs. Plenty of pictures to make it as
simple as possible. It addresses many questions
including the following ones we see all the time:
- All I get is
a black screen. All the time. Why?
- I get a
black only screen when I try and play Blu-ray movies.
DVDs and games work fine. Why?
- My TV
supports 1080i but not 1080p? How do I turn off
1080p?
- My TV
doesn't support 24 fps (24 Hz) found on Blu-ray
movies. How do I turn it off?
While the
PS3 is a great Blu-ray/DVD player/scaler
(and it plays games too we're told! :)) our tests
have shown it to have a very lacklustre
component output so it's always best to use the
HDFury2 to convert the pure digital HDMI
output to analog instead of using the built in D->A
converters. The results are substantially better image quality:
Whites that are a lot
tighter/purer/punchier/brighter, greater contrast
range, richer colours, and a considerably (not just
a little bit) sharper image.
We've seen this first hand ourselves
time and time again and
won't go back to using the
PS3 component outputs any
time soon! Of course, the other major benefit from
using the HDMI output is that you can scale DVDs
past 480p (something that is not offered over
component).
Links:
HDfury2 & Playstation 3 Setup Guide
HDfury2 Order Page (currently on sale)
HDfury2 Mods & Upgrades (on sale for
CurtPalme.com customers until May 15)
HDfury2 Support Forum
Read the
HDfury2 & Playstation 3 Setup Guide »
Marquee HD Mods now
available for order!
May
4, 2009
We are proud to offer these special Marquee HD
mods for you to bring your Marquee CRT projector (or
clone) back up to spec and offer even greater
performance!
These upgrades are offered for the
Marquee series
of CRT projectors and clones. These machines are
10-14+ years old now so some preventative
maintenance will insure continued reliable
operation. If your machine is an un-touched
(unmodified) original you will also see a
performance increase from this upgrade: 10-20%
resolution increase for Blu-ray, better colours, and
less smearing/streaking.
This is a CurtPalme.com recommended and approved
service.
Which projectors are included with this service?
The following Electrohome Marquee CRT projectors and clones are
covered under this service:
-
Marquee 8000, 8110, 8110+, 8500, 8500LC, 8500LC Ultra, 9000,
9500LC, 9500LC Ultra
-
Accurate Imaging Technologies Accurate 8, 9, XL
-
Accurate Imaging Technologies Integrated 8
-
Accurate Imaging Technologies Modular 8,9
-
Accurate Imaging Technologies Ultimate 8-X, 9-X
-
Crystal View CV-1, CV-2, CV-3
-
GTT Audio Video HT Reference 8, 9
-
Madrigal MP-8, MP-9
-
Reference Imaging CinePro 8x, 9x, 9x Elite
-
Spatz Tech RE8000, RE9000, RE9500
-
Theater Automation Wow (TAW) HD-800, HD-900
-
Vidikron Vision 1, 2, 3
-
Visual Dynamics Reference 8/9
What improvements will the Marquee HD mods offer?
This modification brings the following improvements to your Marquee
projector:
- Sharper focus
- Reduction in video streaking/smearing
- Increased colour saturation/more accurate colours
- Increased convergence stability (less drifting)
- Lower running temperatures for improved
reliability and longer life span
If your trusty Marquee is drifting a little bit and requires regular
touch-ups (even after warm-up), then it's likely there's some tired parts on
that 10+ year old projector. An improperly running projector will have more
problems over the long run. Just like changing your oil, certain parts should be
replaced in your Marquee projector to ensure a long, trouble free life span.
On our test bench we've now seen many times now how a stock machine has
very poor spot-size capability: Test pattern grid lines are simply too fat. After
the modifications the focusing and spot size are much better. We would go as far
as to say that an original 10+ year old Marquee fed a native Blu-Ray HD signal is
losing at least 10-20% of the picture quality and resolution without these
Marquee HD mods.
More Information / Order Now! »
CONTEST:
Box1020/1040/1021 Giveaway!
April 30, 2009
We're giving away free X-Vue Box1020/1040/1021
products to a few lucky winners!
These boxes are the perfect way to do
RGB/Component conversion and add a Low-Level Black
Boost (Gamma Boost) to the HDfury1 or
HDfury2!
What is Low-Level Black Boost (LBB)?
In most displays the shadow detail content is
severely limited or simply completely missing. When
there are a lot of dark areas in the picture they
simply appear as a uniform black area even though
the original content has a lot of details within
these areas.
This phenomenon is next to impossible to
compensate by conventional means by simply
increasing brightness or contrast. By increasing
brightness true blacks start looking grey and the
overall picture only becomes washed-out.
Box1020/1040/1021 low-level black boost
selectively addresses only the correct black (the
shadow detail) information of interest creating a
very dynamic looking overall picture with a rich
shadow detail. The level of correction is adjustable
for maximum detail.
Sample Pictures
The following pictures are examples
where low-level black boost is used to bring out
tremendous shadow detail using X-Vue products. No
photo manipulation of any kind is done to any of the
pictures except for resizing.
Want to learn more about LBB (Gamma Boost) and
how to get pictures like these from your display?
See our free
Greyscale & Colour Calibration for Dummies
guide.
Enter Contest to Win! »
Moome's Sony HDMI 1.3
input card now on sale - SAVE $50!
April 29, 2009
Moome's now offering his most popular
Sony IFB-FULLHD HDMI 1.3 card at a $50 off
sale price same as all his other cards. If you're looking to add Blu-ray or other HDMI sources to your
Sony CRT projector this is the highest quality HDMI input you can add. Complete
with two HDMI 1.3 inputs and adjustable gamma boost for absolutely perfect gamma
tracking.
Want to add an HDMI input to a different display?
Consider the universal EXT-FULLHD
or HDfury2!
The IFB-FULLHD features true
videophile quality features such as two 100%
HDMI
1.3 compliant inputs for Deep Colour support, better discrete 12bit D/A converters,
faster 1GHz
output buffer, and quality op-amps for the best image
quality possible.
More Information
/ Read Reviews / Buy Now »
Massive HDFury Sale
Now On!
April 19, 2009
HDFury2 Basic Kit:
Regular price $249, Sale price $199,
SAVE $50!
BUY NOW »
HDFury2 Advanced Kit: Regular price $339,
Sale price $299, SAVE $40!
BUY NOW »
HDFury1 Advanced Kit: Regular price $149,
Sale price $139, SAVE $10!
BUY NOW »
HDFury Gamer Edition: Regular price $139,
Sale price $129, SAVE $10!
BUY NOW »
100% guarantee on all orders. Return for any reason
for your money back.
Orders ship direct from the manufacturer using fast
2-5 day free worldwide priority shipping with a
tracking number.
For larger orders visit our
volume pricing page and
save up to an extra $1500 on top of the sale prices!
See our complete list of
products and HDFury
accessories! GO »
More people buy HDFury products through
CurtPalme.com than everywhere else combined. In no
particular order, below are some of the advantages
of buying HDFury products through CurtPalme.com:
- Only CurtPalme.com provides pre
and post sales service through the
HomeTheaterExperts@curtpalme.com
email which is monitored by a team of home theater
experts with over 60 years of combined A/V
experience. You're not talking to teenagers doing
this in their spare time, you're talking to computer
techs and electrical engineers who are avid Home
Theater enthusiasts that were instrumental in the
design & development of HDFury products. We know the
difference between 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 colour space so
you don't have to. We also use HDFury products in
our
own home theaters.
- Only Curtpalme.com includes the power supply and
USB+5v cable standard in all
HDFury2 packages. The
power supply is needed in 99% of setups. Even if
your setup seems to work without a power supply, you
should use it anyway. Our experience is that you'll
get better image quality (especially if you use the
GammaX Gamma Boost product).
- Only CurtPalme.com includes the component cable
breakout in all HDFury2 packages needed for hooking
up to component displays.
- Only CurtPalme.com
offers
HDfury2 mods and
firmware upgrades. These are offered
at reduced prices (you pay only the handling and
return shipping cost) to those who purchased
their HDFury2 through CurtPalme.com. Only
CurtPalme.com ships direct from the manufacturer
to get you the latest software version of the
HDFury products to begin with!
- Only CurtPalme.com provides free product replacement
when upgrades are announced (meaning you end up with
two units in hand or cash back if you decide to ship
the old unit back). Yes, this means that our
customers actually get money back if their units
needs replacement because a subtle problem is
discovered. This has NEVER been seen anywhere else.
This also ensures that CurtPalme.com customers are
never without a working solution (no need to ship
yours back first) so you're not left without a home
theater for 4-6+ weeks.
- Only CurtPalme.com includes
*free* 2-5 day worldwide
priority shipping with tracking on all HDFury
orders.
- Only CurtPalme.com has an exclusive agreement with
HKmod to offer upgrades from previous products to
newer next generation products. Simply trade it in
for a discount on your next purchase. When
HDFury2
was announced we offered HDFury to HDFury2 upgrades
to all CurtPalme.com customers regardless of how
long ago they purchased their original HDFury.
Nobody else has done this. Buy an
HDFury2 through
CurtPalme.com and upgrade to HDFury3 when it's
announced!
- Only CurtPalme.com offers complete cable options for
all RGB cables (RED for Barco owners, BLUE for VGA
input owners, and GREEN for professional grade 5BNC
input owners).
- Only CurtPalme.com offers the
HDFury2 Advanced Kit
which includes the GammaX Gamma Boost product
required by many displays (and all CRT based
displays) for accurate gamma tracking. For more
information and to measure gamma tracking on your
display to see why you need it, refer to our
Greyscale and Colour Calibration Guide for Dummies
guide.
CurtPalme.com
Testimonials
"... absolutely amazing and as mentioned,
[CurtPalme.com] brings Customer Service to new
level." - Cornell
"... I think what you are doing is outstanding! The
way you are backing up your product makes me trust
you even more. You have a long time customer here
and I just wanted to say 'Thank you for your
effort'. It is not going unnoticed." - UGC
"I am blown away at the speed of your CurtPalme.com
tech support response! I must say that yours has
been not only the fastest, but the most relevant
tech support reply I have ever received. Many
thanks. I am also glad that "someone's reading the
content I've written" because I must admit that as I
drafted my original email to you, I was fairy
certain NO ONE was going to bother to actually READ
it !! LOL" - Eric B.
"I greatly appreciate all of your help,
correspondence, and courtesy. I have been wrestling
with my theater digital/analog issue for weeks now
and you have all been extremely patient and
informative ... I have learned a little about
signals and resolutions, (most of which from you
guys.). Just based on your customer service, I must
highly recommend CurtPalme.com to any customer I may
have. Thanks again." - Andrew W.
"I just wanted to inform you that i received the
HDfury2 unit yesterday. I hooked it up and
everything is working great... I would like to thank
you for your help on this. Your CurtPalme.com
customer service is great and you responded
promptly. Keep up the awesome work and I look
forward to doing business with you in the future." -
Chat A.
"I have a 50" Pioneer Plasma TV (PDP-5040HD) with
HDMI input as well as component video inputs.
Trouble is it is not HDCP compliant due to it's date
of manufacture. I wish to take advantage of the
1080i resolution of the TV for playback of Blu-Ray
discs with copy protection. I ordered and received
the HDfury2 in about a week and it performs exactly
as claimed. I'm experiencing a great picture, great
color, no problems what so ever. I'd recommend it to
anybody with no reservations. I also want to thank
CurtPalme.com for the personal response to my
questions prior to and after purchase." - Rees
"Is there a place on the curtpalme.com website I can
leave feedback? That is without a doubt the best
customer service I have ever seen in my life. I got
the new HDFury2 this morning! Thank you both for
taking care of this so fast!!!" - Matt
Confused? Let the CurtPalme.com home theater
experts help you choose the right solution for you.
Email us at
HomeTheaterExperts@curtpalme.com or visit our
HDFury2 FAQ.
More Information
/ Buy Now »
HDFury2 Mods &
Upgrades Now Available!
April 19, 2009
We are proud to offer a speciality service for customers who need a custom
version of the HDfury2!
This is a certified/sanctioned service offered exclusively for
CurtPalme.com by our partner JoustMods.com. This work is done under agreement with the HDFury2 manufacturer using tools
provided by the manufacturer. Your original HDFury2 warranty will remain intact!
Please don't trust your HDfury2 to just anyone!
Don't have your HDfury2 yet? Buy it off our
HDFury2 order page first!
Services offered include:
1.
Firmware upgrade
Upgrade your HDFury2 to the latest and greatest firmware version: v1.50.
It adds the following features:
- Improved reset/initialization time
- Improved power-up time
- Faster Handshaking
- No more "intermittent blanking" or
"abnormal reset" during playback with some problematic HDMI sources.
2. Custom EDID (resolution)
programming
As sold the HDFury2 supports just about any resolution and refresh rate
up to 1080p/60 (see the
HDFury2 order page for complete details). Custom EDID reprogramming is
offered to limit this resolution support.
The most common use for this is to remove 1080p support so that 1080i
becomes the highest resolution that the HDFury2 supports. This way Blu-ray
players that automatically reset to the highest resolution when first
powered on (such as certain Samsung players) will reset to 1080i instead of
1080p. This saves the hassle of having to constantly reset your Blu-ray
player resolution every time you power it up. Very annoying! Luckily the
number of players that override user settings like this is extremely rare.
A request to Blu-ray player manufacturers: You should let your users
set the resolution the way they like and remember it even after the unit is
turned off! (End rant!)
3.
Hardware change to allow for BTB/WTW
This service is being offered for those users that would prefer that the
HDFury2 support blacker-than-black and whiter-than-white (BTB/WTW) signals
when fed an HDMI component signal. The HDfury2 special 'Colour Depth Upscaling' to increase the dynamic range will continue to be used in both
RGB and Component modes (see the
HDfury2 order page for complete details).
A hardware modification must be performed and a special version firmware
(v1.51) is used which includes all of the v1.50 upgrades listed above. You
must therefore also order the firmware upgrade at the same time. Simply add
both items to your cart and check out.
Why is the firmware/EDID programming service offered for less cost if I bought my HDFury2 through
CurtPalme.com?
As a thank you to our past customers, the firmware/EDID programming service
is offered at a reduced price to those
who purchased their HDFury2 through CurtPalme.com. Please enter the original
17-digit PayPal order ID you were emailed when you first ordered your HDFury2.
This number will be verified before processing your order.
More Information
/ Buy Now »
Save $50 / FREE HDMI cable on Moome HDMI cards
March
6, 2009
Looking to add Blu-ray or other HDMI sources to your CRT projector? For a
limited time, Moome is offering incentives and price reductions on all of his HDMI 1.3 input
cards for CRT projectors:
Want to add an HDMI input to a different display?
Consider the universal EXT-FULLHD
or HDfury2!
These cards allow you to add digital devices such as
Blu-Ray players, PS3, Xbox360, Satellite/Cable HDTV set-top boxes, and PCs with HDMI graphic cards to
your CRT projector. Simply plug the card into your projector, your HDMI
devices into the card, and watch! Two HDMI 1.3 inputs with gamma correction and infrared remote control
are included.
Don't be stuck watching HD at only
480p! Add a digital HDCP-compliant HDMI 1.3 input card allowing you to watch hi-def
content at up to 1080p!
These cards are a culmination of everything Moome has learnt
over years of building input cards for CRT projectors: They are by far the
highest end cards he has yet to offer with new features such as: Two 100%
HDMI
1.3 compliant inputs for Deep Colour support, better discrete 12bit D/A converters,
faster 1GHz
output buffer, and videophile quality op-amps for the best image
quality possible. Supply is limited and tends to
sell out fast as these high-end products are only built in small batches.
This is the last HDMI input card you will ever buy for your CRT projector!!!
Widescreen
Review Magazine uses Moome HDMI cards in their reference theaters which feature
a Sony
G90 and Runco 1200 CRT projectors. "We love our 9-inch CRT projectors,
even though we have our pick of the leading edge D--ILA, SXRD, and DLP
projectors." - Gary Reber, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, Widescreen Review
Reviews/Testimonials "The card looks really good in the projector. I have the card / G90 set up now so that I can see the "just above black"
bar next to window patterns on my VP403 with windows from 0 IRE through over 70
IRE. This is with rich inky blacks and a perfect gamma curve of 2.2
through the entire luma range. The card has behaved flawlessly for my testing
and seems very solid. It also deals really well with long HDMI cables,
better than other previous cards I have seen. I do recommend it and will post
more info as time permits. I have done only a little calibration with it, and
the card already looks good. I've watched Sunshine, Mission Impossible 3, 5th
Element, Bank Job, Decent, and Ratatouille. Some of those are not exactly
reference, but the board is doing well. Sunshine with its black details and
dark glory looked absolutely fantastic. Everyone who was watching with me was
really WOWed. This is really a great card. I ran 1080x1920 @ 72 Hz today
for a couple hours at least. Coming through a monoprice, 22 gauge, silver plated
copper, 35' cable. No issues at all; no sparkles, no noise... just perfect. That
is not an easy test at all!" - Craig Rounds, official IFB-FULLHD tester, professional
calibrator (www.cir-engineering.com)
"I received my XG-FULLHD HDMI card today and I love it!
The picture is much better than what I was seeing previously. I was using a
HDFury with my Sony BD300 and VP30 video processor and was never very happy with
it. Now I have the VP30 plugged directly into the new HDMI card and the picture
is sensational. Couldn't believe how easy it was to install and setup.
Thanks Moome!!" - Rob
"...very quick install/setup and first impressions are that the XG-FULLHD
card is noticeably sharper than my HDfury/RTC2200 setup..." - Lance
"There is no doubt the XG-FULLHD card creates an image that is better than
the previous DVI card...colors are more natural, test patterns are sharper ...the PQ has taken a
step forward, and just looks 'right'. This card IS a step up in all areas of
image reproduction." - KennyG
"The color rendition of the Moome [XG-FULLHD] card is really quite
impressive. The first thing that hit me when going back to the DVI card was
how much better the HDMI card did to create a vividly lifelike image with more
subtle gradients. (See
here for XG-FULLHD vs HDfury screenshots)" - JArseneau
"... it is a true work of art from Moome, amazing in every way possible
... with the new NEC XG HDMI Moome card and my DVDO VP50pro video processor
outputting 4:2:2 YPbPr HDMI I have a image that has improved in nearly every
manner (See
here for screenshots) ... the crispness of the image has improved a lot as well, the
image is naturally sharper vs the older DVI card which looks slightly edgy
in comparison ... color resolution and naturalness has improved so much it is
unbelievablee, I am so thankful to be able to get this card for my XG, it was
worth every pennyy and more! I just can't get over home much of a
improvement this card really is, the best way to describe it is like someone
took a hold of a knob on your system labelled bandwidth and cranked it out the
roof, the natural crispness and smoothness of the image is amazing, the
contrast ratio aspects of the image may be the biggest improvement of all. I am
now going to be giddy every time I sit down to do reviews and watch films. Thank
You Moome! You are a true master sir!" - Gary (Home Theater Forum
Software and Hardware reviewer)
"The image is very sharp and the colours wonderfully vibrant and
realistic! The black levels are outstanding!! Its certainly given this XG135
a few more good years without missing out on the latest Hi def formats." -
Alan Questions? Not sure what's right for you? Email us at
Moome@CurtPalme.com and we'll help!
More Information
/ Buy Now »
New 'Enthusiast' license
for CalMAN Video Calibration Software
March
4, 2009
CurtPalme.com
has worked out an exclusive deal for our members to bring you this product at
a price lower than what everyone else pays anywhere on the internet! Buy direct
from SpectraCal at prices lower than buying off their own website! Same product,
same support, just more money in your pocket at the end of the day!
Many CalMAN users have long been asking
us for a license that would give them
more access than the Home license permits without having to go all the way
up to the Professional level. (The Professional license is meant for professional
calibrators or people who use CalMAN in business).
Enthusiasts may have quite a
bit of gear, but they're not using it professionally. The new
CalMAN Enthusiast
license supports all the meters supported by the various home licenses, including
the very popular EyeOne Pro, the Chroma 5,
and the Hubble, plus it
enables automation of whole measurement sequences
with the new CalMAN DPG-1000, the
world's first Digital Pattern Generator.
A whole new set of
meter/software packages have been introduced
around the new Enthusiast license to cater to all
levels and needs.
The new Enthusiast licence works with the
newly announced CalMAN version 3.3 (released on
March 3rd) which introduces
many new upgrades.
Confused about calibration meters? See our
FAQ: Which meter is right for me?
More Information
/ Buy Now »
NEW PRODUCT:
CalMAN DPG-1000 Digital Pattern Generator
March
4, 2009
CurtPalme.com
has worked out an exclusive deal for our members to bring you this product at
a price lower than what everyone else pays anywhere on the internet! Buy direct
from SpectraCal at prices lower than buying off their own website! Same product,
same support, just more money in your pocket at the end of the day!
BONUS! Buy a DPG-1000
before the end of March 2009 and get a free upgrade to the new
CalMAN Enthusiast licence for
much greater meter support. A $199 value exclusively through
CurtPalme.com!
ATTENTION PRO CALIBRATORS! Already have a
CalMAN Pro Licence? Save $100 on your
DPG-1000
purchase if you buy before the end of March 2009.
Email
SpectraCal@CurtPalme.com for details.
SpectraCal has been looking for the right pattern generator to offer their
CalMAN users for a long time.
When they couldn't find what they were looking for, they invented one
themselves!
The CalMAN DPG-1000 is the
world's first digital pattern generator. Rather than building
patterns from analog circuitry, it uses Twenty-First Century technology. SpectraCal's Derek Smith created the design, then he went out and looked at you
can't believe how many components until he found what he needed to create the
DPG-1000.
By assembling the DPG-1000 from commodity components, Derek was able to bring
the cost of a professional pattern generator down from the thousands to the
hundreds of dollars. But don't be fooled by the cost. You can spend a lot more
for a pattern generator, but nothing will give you more accurate patterns than
the DPG-1000 delivers!
In addition to a higher quality of pattern generation, the CalMAN
DPG-1000 is
small, convenient and easy to use. By running CalMAN with a Professional or
the new
Enthusiast license (see news item above) you can automate the
DPG-1000 to maximize your efficiency.
When you purchase a DPG-1000s you also get a CalMAN USB-UIRT
which plugs directly into your computer's USB port and controls your DPG-1000 via Infra Red.
The CalMAN DPG-1000 is more versatile, more convenient, and has a
larger
selection of patterns than other pattern generators on the market today. It
gives you even more ability to fine tune your calibration. The DPG-1000 is the perfect tool to combine with
CalMAN if you are
looking to maximize your video calibration.
Why use a
pattern generator and not a test disc for calibration?
Pattern generators are what the pro's use. For the first time
a 100% digital HDMI capable version is now available and it's the same
quality of gear the pros use, only 100% digital so there's no issues with signal
degradation or quality.
Professionals start by calibrating just the display, as accurately as they can
get it. A pattern generator like the DPG-1000 would be used, which they know you
can trust. They the professional calibrator works backwards up the chain and
calibrate each input separately. If the DVD or Blu-ray player is skewed, they'll
want to set a mode on the display that compensates for it, but they won't want
to use that mode when, say, cable TV is being watched.
Professionals know that they have no idea what the customer's DVD or Blu-ray
player is putting out, but they know they can trust their pattern generator. If
you paid a professional to come calibrate your home theater, he'd bring in a
pattern generator. Now you can do that too, at a price that is a fraction of the
cost of competing (analog only) pattern generators. (Not to mention you can
impress your friends with the fancy custom foam-lined case!) ;)
More Information
/ Buy Now »
NEW PRODUCT:
CalMAN USB-UIRT IR Controller
March
4, 2009
CurtPalme.com
has worked out an exclusive deal for our members to bring you this product at
a price lower than what everyone else pays anywhere on the internet! Buy direct
from SpectraCal at prices lower than buying off their own website! Same product,
same support, just more money in your pocket at the end of the day!
The CalMAN USB-UIRT is a device that emulates a remote control, and under
CalMAN's control, sends your DVD player the codes that
tell it to advance to the next pattern in a sequence so you don't have to select
the next pattern manually. Using the CalMAN
USB-UIRT, you can automate a whole
calibration run with your calibration disk, the same way that someone with a
pattern generator can.
The CalMAN
USB-UIRT comes pre-programmed to allow it to communicate with
almost all of the DVD players on the market, and also with the ability to learn
how to communicate with any DVD player it can't currently communicate with.
SpectraCal not only wants to provide you with the most accurate results in
your video calibration, they also want to ensure that you are able to get those
results as quickly and easily as possible. The goal is to make the process
simple and efficient. They are constantly striving to automate and simplify as many of the
processes as possible so that you can focus on the details of calibrating your
home theater to the highest possible standards.
Note: A
USB-UIRT is included for free when you
purchase a CalMAN DPG-1000 Digital Pattern
Generator (see news item above). So if you own a
DPG-1000, you do not need to purchase a
USB-UIRT
separately.
More Information
/ Buy Now »
Pronto TSU-501 Remote
price drop: Only $39 now!
February
25, 2009
Techtoys needs to make room so they've slashed prices from $59
down to $39 on the remaining Pronto TSU-501 remotess.
Free worldwide shipping included. That's approximately 1/10th of the price that
other sites sell this remote for! Cheap enough to buy one for every room in the
house and keep a spare just in case!
These are brand new, still-in-the-box touchscreen learning remotes that come with
everything you need to get set up including
software, manual, cable, batteries, etc.
Reviews/Testimonials
"The remote is several cuts above the usual slab 'o buttons. A learning
handset that's also pre-programmed with a large code library, it features an LCD touchscreen as well as soft and hard buttons — all backlit. In a thoughtful
touch, the remote automatically turns on when you pick it up (there's a tilt
switch inside) and automatically turns off after a user-settable delay. And it
can use either infrared (IR) or radio-frequency (RF) signals to control the
system. RF is particularly useful when the control center is in another room
(maximum range is 66 feet). The control center's output for a supplied dual IR
emitter even lets you control other equipment in your rack with RF commands from
the remote. Of course, you can also create macros, which allow you to issue a
string of commands with one button touch. Finally, the remote has a serial port
so you can connect it to your PC and customize the touchscreen's layout and the
remote's operation using the supplied Freedom Edit Windows software." -
Sound & Vision Magazinee
More Information / Buy Now »
See Old/Archived News »
| 
Hooking it all up!
(How to add Blu-ray players and other new HDMI
devices)
