 |
Home Theater sales, calibration, & service
We sell and service CRT projectors and
other
home theater
products & accessories, including
calibration tools for all
display types. We also offer hundreds of
free home theater tips,
as well as a discussion forum. Why
CRT? With true blacks, real contrast ratios beyond 40,000:1, and colours that do
not drift, people still choose CRT projectors for home theaters and movie mixing
studios where HDTV and Blu-ray playback quality is paramount. Carefully
refurbished and tested, our projectors will provide you with thousands of
problem free hours of service. Since 1985 we have worked on over 5000 projectors
and stock lots of spare parts. We offer trade-ins and can advise on what's best
for you.
|
Latest News
CEDIA EXPO 2013 Show Report
November 16, 2013
CEDIA EXPO is one of the leading trade shows for
new home technology including home theater, home
automation, home security, home networking, and
more. It was in Denver Colorado this year and
featured more than 470 exhibitors and 17,900
attendees from 84 countries.
There was a bewildering number of vendors from
every facet of the home theater industry, and as
usual, there was the interesting, the over the top
ridiculous, and the routine.
Forgive me for sounding a bit cynical, but after
having attended any number of trade shows over the
last 30 years, yet another ceiling or wall speaker
by yet another company claiming significant
advancements over their competitors, yet seeing the
same 'made in China' sticker on the back of said
speaker, I tend to be a bit jaded.
Visit our
CEDIA EXPO 2013 Show Report for more
pictures and comments. Did you attend the show? feel
free to post your own pictures and comments.
More Information »
Projectors for sale
November 15, 2013
See our
CRT Primer to read why CRT projectors are still used where
reliability and picture quality is paramount. Our
Projector Rankings page will show you how they
stack up. Not sure what
projector is right
for you? Email Curt
for help!
As usual, the CRT projector front is very busy.
With the new digital 4K projectors being pricey, and
with the 4K signal standard not being set in stone
yet, it's a great time to enjoy the longevity and
perfect blacks of a CRT projector.
New projectors
-
(Qty 5)
Barco Data 708: Lots of planetariums
still use these 720p projectors. They are small
and quiet. I managed to pick up 15 of them
recently, along with 7 brand new sets of tubes.
These tubes fit the Barco 701s, 708 and Cine 7
sets, as well as the DWIN 700. I'm selling them
installed and calibrated in a Barco Data 708 for
$850.00, or I'll sell a set of tubes by
themselves for $600 per RGB set. These tubes
were $650 each from VDC back in the day, and are
the sharpest ES focusing sets available. I've
never had new old stock tubes of these before,
so if you are running a worn tube 708 or DWIN
700, here's a way to upgrade. These are also the
sharpest ES focusing tubes ever made.
-
(Qty 1)
NEC XG110LC: There are lots of NEC XG
projectors still in service, but almost all are
showing tube wear at this point. I've got a
110LC that shows no visible wear, and this would
be a great upgrade for someone that has a worn
tube XG, or an even bigger upgrade from a PG, as
the mounting bracket and the throw distance are
the same between all the PG sets. Switch over
your mounting bracket from your old set, hang
this new projector, and converge. The XG 110LC
shares the same boards as the NEC XG85 and the
other NEC XGLC sets, so if you already have a
worn tube one, you've then got yourself a bunch
of spare parts. $1100.00
-
(Qty 2)
Marquee 8500: A very reliable 1080p
capable projector. Fitted with the higher
resolution HD145 color corrected lenses and
excellent condition tubes, in as new condition.
Still running a softer ES focusing set? Here's a
great way to upgrade! Case is in really nice
shape as well. Only two left. $1200 each.
-
(Qty 2)
Marquee 9500LC: Perhaps the world's most
popular projector chassis, I've got these with
either excellent condition used tubes, or I can
retube the sets with the new old stock tubes.
Performance modifications done, power supply mod
done. Prices range from $1700 with good used
tubes to $2500 for a fully retubed set in
perfect shape. Already have an 8500? Want to
upgrade to 9", but don't want to pay for the
shipping of a complete set? I'll send you all
the parts needed to upgrade an 8500 to a 9500.
That includes 3 new in the box Marquee tubes
with the yokes and magnetic already factory
prealigned, the top and bottom metal plates to
fit the tubes on the chassis, and three lenses.
$1500 plus shipping, which can be via USPS.
Total time for you to change your set over to 9"
tubes? About an hour.
-
(Qty 1)
Marquee 9500 Ultra: Brand new tubes.
Same as the 9500 LC above, but with a newer
chassis (by about 4 years) with extra geometry
control and improved video section. $3500.00
-
(Qty 2)
Barco G808s: I've got two projectors
here in stock with brand new 0 hour tubes. This
is the top of the line Barco 808 model, with the
higher bandwidth video amplifiers, and the
slightly sharper Sony tubes over the Panasonic
tubes. With Scheimpflug adjustments, these sets
are easily dialled in to 1080p. Quiet sets,
reliable. $1400.00 each.
-
(Qty 2)
Runco 1100: Same as the Barco Data 1209s
projector, both came out of home theatres with
low hours on them. Color corrected C elements,
remote control included. $3500.00 each
-
(Qty 1)
Barco 909: The absolute top of the line
projector. New green tube, no wear on the R and
B tubes. Well past 1080p capable. Several
performance modifications done to enhance
reliability. Absolutely superb! Two of these are
about to go into my home theatre over the
holidays to do a 10' wide stacked screen.
$6500.00
-
(Qty 3)
Barco/SEOS 919: These projectors are a
late model build (October 2002), and are a
modified version of the Barco 909 projectors, in
that the CRT tubes are mounted 90 degrees to how
they are commonly found, resulting in a 3:4
aspect ratio rather than a 4:3. These projectors
were stacked vertically in a tank simulator. The
HD10R5M lenses on them are designed for very
curved screens at exceptionally high
resolutions. As the projectors sit, they will
not work for flat screen home theatre use, but
for my industrial customers and owners of 909
and Cine 9 projectors, this is a very
inexpensive way to get backup parts for these
very hard to find sets. I've inspected two of
the 6 projectors I've received, and they have
5400 and 8200 hours on the chassis, which is
relatively low for the 909 chassis.
All tubes have simulator wear on them, but show
good light output and excellent focus. The sets
work perfectly, and prior to selling, I will
upgrade a number of capacitors in the set that
are known to fail in this chassis, and will test
each one for stability and reliability. The
black cases on these projectors are in great
shape, minor scuffs, but overall in nicer
condition than previous 909 sets that I've had
in. All circuit boards in the 919 can be used in
the 909/Cine 9 sets.
To convert these to flat screen use, the
following needs to happen: The tubes need to be
pulled out and turned 90 degrees to get back to
a 4:3 aspect ratio. This is easily done. The
lenses need to be changed or modified to flat
screen use. I am experimenting with these high
resolution lenses to see if they can be
converted to flat screen use. Also, the blue CRT
socket needs to be changed to one from a 909
projector, as it will not have the clearance to
fit into the chassis once the tubes are rotated
90 degrees.
The pricing is as follows:
- 919 Barco SEOS units w/worn tubes and no
lenses: $3500.00
- 019 Barco SEOS units w/worn tubes and
HD10R5M lenses: $4500.00
- 919 Barco SEOS unit w/new tubes, converted
to flat screen use w/HD10F lenses from a Sony
G90: $6500.00
- 919 Barco SEOS unit w/new tubes, left for
curved screen simulator use in either 4:3 or 3:4
aspect ratio: $6500.00
Upcoming
projectors
-
(Qty 2)
Sony G90: Both out of home theater
installations, low hours. New green tube
installed in both, or opt to get these with all
new tubes installed. Super reliable, an amazing
picture out of these at any resolution. I sold
20 of the G90s in 2012, and am closing in on 25
this year. $3500 with a new green tube, $4500
with all new tubes. Remote included.
-
(Qty 1)
Barco
Graphics 1209s: Super low hours from a
commercial installation where it was never used.
-
(Qty 2)
Runco
DTV 1200: Equivalent to the Barco Cine
9, but in a black case. Very low hours. Price to
be determined. Should be here at the end of
November.
Tubes and parts
I still have good stock of new red and green
Marquee 9'tubes for the 9500LC, 9500LC Ultra, Vision
1 and Madrigal Labs MP9. I have more reds than
greens at this point, so I'll sell the reds at $400,
and the greens still at $650.00 each. These come
with the yokes and magnetic all factory aligned, in
sealed factory boxes. I've installed 6 sets of tubes
so far, and all are in perfect shape. Will arrive
intact as well. New tubes from VDC are $2200.00
each. Stock up now for a spare set, as your Marquee
will last forever.
I have one only NEC XG/PG Xtra green tube in
stock. These are now discontinued, so finding a mint
condition used tube that is an original NEC is
almost impossible. This came out of an NEC PG Xtra
set, so I'll sell either the full set of RGB PG Xtra
tubes at $450.00, or just the green for $400.00, as
the R and B out of the Xtra set will not fit into
the XG. I'm still continuing the purging of the
older CRT ES focusing sets. At this point I've got
limited parts for the Sony 12XX, Electrohome ECP,
Barco 800/801, and I'm also dumping most of my NEC
PG parts for cheap. Email me for details. I also
have limited tubes for these projectors as well,
some in absolute mint condition that I'll make great
deals on.
(Qty 6) Sets of RGB HD145 color
tinted lenses. All off of XG or PG Xtra
projectors. Lenses all in good shape, no
scratches. $60 per set. -
(Qty 7) Full sets of tubes for the
Barco 701s/708/Cine 7 and DWIN 700 projectors.
New in the box, individually packaged. $600 per
set.
-
(Qty 10) Boxes of 2 sets of RGB tubes
for 9" sets. I purchased over 100 used 9" tubes
from a flight simulator company, and I'll never
use all of these. All tubes have the ‘windshield
wiper' wear pattern to some degree, but they are
very evenly worn with no text burn, and over a
wide area of the tube face, so if you have a
small wear area pattern on your 9" set, or need
a genuine LUG tube to experiment with, here's a
chance to get a great deal on 2 complete sets of
RGB LUG tubes, 6 tubes in total. Starting bid on
eBay is $100,
I'll sell them for $100 per box. Shipped in 6
pack boxes. No mounting hardware of HV leads
included.
I will be listing a bunch of other used tubes on
eBay shortly at
low starting prices. All tubes will be tested and
evaluated as to condition before listing.
Reel to reel tape recorders
As some of you know, one obsession of mine is
vintage reel to reel tape recorders. I've gathered
about 40 of them over the last 4-5 years, mostly
high end home stereo and studio machines, such as Technics 1500 series, MCI and Otari machines, and a
couple of Revoxes and Akais. One recent arrival is
an absolutely mint condition Teac X2000R, with 10.5"
reels, EE tape capability and internal dbx noise
reduction. Perfect working shape, I've got all the
equipment to align and test these vintage reel to
reel machines. I'm selling off a bunch of the
refurbished machines on
eBay. I'm going to
try and list a couple a week as I get to them, and
if you see one on eBay that you're interested in,
feel free to email me rather than bid. I'm also
always looking to buy reel to reel machines, so if
you have one in the basement somewhere, give me an
email and I'll let you know what it's worth.
See my
eBay summary for more listings.
Questions?
Email Curt!
See All CRT Projectors »
Price drops on calibration software and packages
September
5, 2013
Looking at getting the most out of your TV or projector?
Calibrate it for the
best results! We've dropped our prices on our ChromaPure video
calibration software and bundles including the highly popular
Display 3 PRO packages, making DIY professional
quality calibration less expensive than ever
before!
Pair a meter with
ChromaPure and you have an intuitive, very easy
to use calibration package that walks you through
the calibration process. Doesn't matter if you're
new to calibration or a seasoned professional,
ChromaPure provides all the features you need,
including advanced features not found in any free
software.
Don't want to do the work yourself? Completely automated calibration
is available using
ChromaPure Auto-Calibrate with a
Lumagen Radiance or
DVDO Duo video processor. Anyone
with little or no training can now calibrate their
display to professional standards in just minutes.
Just click a few buttons and walk away. Automatic
calibration of PC and Mac monitors is also possible
using the retail (boxed) version of the
Display 3 meter (aka i1 Display Pro III),
now available for order bundled with ChromaPure.
Support for life is included in all packages.
There are no yearly maintenance or support fees.
Unlike some other calibration packages, none of our
meters are locked to only work with the software it
was sold with.
To order visit our
ChromaPure order page. We ship worldwide.
Testimonials
"I don't want to sound like a cheerleader for ChromaPure but in my opinion
realistically, even using it manually, the ChromaPure software is much easier
to use and is more flexible than [other commercial calibration software], hence, in the end faster
with better and more consistent results." - Ron W
"Last night I had my first opportunity to use ChromaPure on the famed JVC
D-ILA 750HD Front Projector. Calibrating the Color Management System (CMS) with
the Color Management Module on ChromaPure was, dare I say?...a "BREEZE".
Yes...CMS is a breeze with this software! I can't overstate my wholehearted
endorsement of ChromaPure and Tom Huffman, the man who "wrote the book" on Color
Management. In fact, I traded my [other commercial calibration] software in to get the ChromaPure
System specifically for new generation displays with Color Management Systems,
as well as LED illuminated displays." - Bill Hergonson, Owner,
Coast Calibration, Carlsbad, CA.
ISF/HAA Level II Certified
"I asked Tom what his key goals were when he set off to develop
ChromaPure. He said that he wanted to offer a calibration program that
incorporated the features that he wanted to use, along with a well thought out
workflow. I'm pleased to report that ChromaPure has delivered on those goals and
more. ChromaPure is an excellent calibration program that is well worth the very
reasonable purchase price. The software is easy to use, well thought out
and is very stable. The CMS support is a
standout feature that is not available in competing products and by itself is
worth the price of the software. When combined with all of the other features
like multiple colorspace support and multiple color difference model support,
the program is a compelling bargain. I found that the program yielded excellent
results while significantly speeding up my calibration times. After using the
program, I've decided to use ChromaPure for all of my display calibration needs.
Future display reviews on this blog will be done using ChromaPure, so expect the
graphs from ChromaPure to show up often." - Mark Petersen of
VideoVantage.com
"ChromaPure is very straight forward in it's process ... for the home user that
simply wants to calibrate their display quickly and easily, it's very easy to
get going and get fantastic results in a single evening, with no steep learning
curve. I really loved using ChromaPure. It was simple, powerful, and fast.
With the integrated pattern generation features, it sped up my calibrations by a
ton, so that I could do one in under an hour without a problem. Tom Huffman was
also very responsive, answering all of the questions that I had, and taking all
of my suggestions to heart... If I was starting with nothing, and wanted to
calibrate my own displays, I would purchase the i1 Display with ChromaPure
package, as it's an easy way to get started and get great results if your
display gives you access to a full CMS." - Chris Heinonen and Mark Vignola
of HomeTheaterHiFi.com "For the home user like me, I don't want to spend hours trying
to sort through the interface. I want to spend that time on the actual
calibration. If its software you use only a few times a year, I think it is
important that it be very intuitive and user-friendly... and I guess that is the
main reason I like the looks of Tom's solution. ... I think most home users will find ChromaPure's
easy-to-navigate interface a real advantage." - Stash64
"I have just received my copy of ChromaPure and it simply can do
everything I want or need to easily and completely do an accurate run. My
opinion is from beginner to long time pro, ChromaPure is now at the top of my
list for calibration software whether it is expensive or free." - JimmyR
"ChromaPure is designed with the home user in mind and I
believe does a better job of stepping the beginner through the whole process and
in the correct order." - Sean
"I can give a Novice's testimony that ChromaPure is a DELIGHT to use!
Congrats to Tom for a beautiful product, and thanks to him for taking the effort
to bring it out. (And he has been enormously responsive in 'hand holding' me
through my endless, probably trivial, questions!). I've only been through the
process once, using a Display LT (that I've had for over a year), and the
result is outstanding. UMR (Jeff Meier) did a calibration of my RS20 almost
a year ago, but I'm now on my second lamp, in fact already with a 1000 hrs on
it! So the original calibration was quite out of date; even my first attempt
has produced a more striking pic, more depth, and rich natural colors. This
weekend I'm looking forward to using an EyeOne Pro to 'train' the Display LT,
and then go through the process again. Great fun, and even better when it
works!" - Millerwill
Confused about meters? See our
FAQ: Which meter
is right for me?
Questions? Email us at:
chromapure@curtpalme.com
More Information »
Old News »
|
|
|
|
|
