CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

redfox001 · Joined: 16 Mar 2009 Posts: 2251 Location: The Netherlands

Thanks I spend a big deal of this morning reading the Frankenyokes thread. Mike also said I don't need to change the focus coils so now I am going to really believe it Very Happy

I hope to get my modified boards soon too. This version seems to be a bit different again. At least the blue gamma is bypassed but I think there is more.

Nashou66 · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 16171 Location: West Seneca NY

Spanky Ham · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 5643 Location: Comedy Central

stridsvognen · Guest

Nashou66 · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 16171 Location: West Seneca NY

stridsvognen · Guest

stridsvognen · Guest

A few meet pics.

stridsvognen · Guest

And Steve wondering what happened..

wkosmann · Last edited by wkosmann on Fri Nov 28, 2014 11:17 pm; edited 2 times in total

Before Cheryl and I wander off to Thanksgiving dinner.................

Those of you who came early (Kurt, Peer, Steve, Eric) to help set up for the Meet and/or just to play around and experiment saw some interesting video neckboard behaviour from my MP mod'd neckboards. The day before the Meet, my neckboards were taken out. 3 of Kurt's next generation neckboards were installed in one projector. MP loaned me 3 of his next generation neckboards for the weekend, and they were installed in the other projector. Steve then "stared at the boxes" for hours both Friday evening and most of Saturday, whilst Kurt did a "by eye" greyscale calibration. That was the video system configuration/calibration that was presented to the Fourth East Coast Blendzilla Meet attendees.

MP figured out a simple mod to my 8 neckboards, which he did that weekend, to eliminate the "interesting video neckboard" performance. I picked up my newly mod'd neckboards the Monday after the Meet ended, and installed them (with Kurt's help) the next day (Tuesday, October 21). I have been testing those neckboards for over a month now, and the "video noise" that Kurt, Steve, Peer, Eric and I witnessed has completely disappeared. These neckboards are stable, and present the best image that my Home Theater has ever projected.

I have since purchased a new Analog Way STE-100 blend hardware unit, and installed it in the Home Theater system. (The STE-100 that I used during the Meet was an Analog Way loaner, which I dropped off at Analog Way in Manhattan on my way up to Boston, on Wednesday, October 22.) The major advantages of the STE-100 over the Analog Way Diventix 8022 are 1) it is one third the height, freeing up some rack space, and 2) it automatically switches between aspect ratios as I switch sources, something I could never get the Diventix 8022 to do correctly. The one customer service tech at Analog Way who really understands both the Diventix 8022 and the STE-100 has told me it is possible to set the Diventix 8022 up to automatically switch between aspect ratios. I did not get around to verifying this before I removed the Diventix 8022 from my system.

As an additional experiment, a couple of weeks ago, I set the Analog Way STE-100 to output 1600 x 1200 pixels at 60 Hz. at a 4/3 aspect ratio to each projector. MP and I had tried this output resolution years ago (5 or 6 VIM/neckboard mod versions ago). We both agreed that 1400 x 1050 looked better with the then installed Marquee video chain. With the latest high bandwidth (300 MHz.) VIM and neckboard mods installed, I decided to give 1600 x 1200 at 60 Hz. another try. Upon switching to that output resolution, I had to re-set up the geometry of both projectors, and match the geometry of each projector to the other. The 1600 x 1200 output resolution puts out the best image I have ever seen on the Blend. I will stay with 1600 x 1200 at 60 Hz.

MP is working on a new set of modified neckboards for the Blend. (Yes, Eric, I'm still on the Mod Train.) This set will be up to the version that he currently has in his Marquee 8500 Ultra, that Kurt has in his Marquee 9500 Ultra, and that Justin has in his Marquee 8500 Ultra. This would also be the same version that the Fourth East Coast Blendzilla Meet attendees saw, but at the lower 1440 x 1080 at 60 Hz. output resolution. It will be very interesting to see 1600 x 1200 at 60 Hz. on this latest version of modified neckboards. I suspect this combination of hardware and software will put out the best image I have ever seen on The Blend.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!

No tweaking, only watching today......................... Smile

Dr. Little Dog

jbmeyer13 · Joined: 03 Dec 2010 Posts: 1135

So basically you are outputting a total resolution of approximately 2880 x 1200; correct? I'm assuming a 10% overlap in the blend zone. If so, it sounds like the STE-100 is significantly upscaling the horizontal lines and only slightly the vertical. I guess that's the cleanest multiple of 1920.

In your case BW is not an issue at either resolution; the real benefit of the latest mods is linearity across the grayscale. The low level performance should enhance the depth of image. What VIM do you run?

stridsvognen · Guest

Did you change that noisy left chassis.? Or is that on the to do list.? Wink

wkosmann · Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2014 3:03 pm Post subject:

wkosmann · Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2014 3:12 pm Post subject:

stridsvognen · Guest

wkosmann · Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2014 11:26 pm Post subject:

stridsvognen · Guest

Spanky Ham · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 5643 Location: Comedy Central

Great to hear, Dr. Dog!

If I could an animate, then I would do a Mod Train animation in the vein of Soul Train. Wink

How many 9500s does Steve have now?

wkosmann · Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 7:34 pm Post subject:

UncleWill · Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 7:34 pm Post subject:

Hey, quick question: who was the guy that came down from Maryland? I think it was on the Saturday of the meet. He had another guy with him.

wkosmann · Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 12:14 am Post subject:

Dear Uncle Will;

The old guy who came from Maryland was Mark Haflich. He brought a much younger guy, whose name I do not remember. The younger guy drove down from upstate New York. The younger guy was the guy who brought a couple of digital projectors. (Oh, the inhumanity.............)

Another guy came from Maryland. He was a college friend of Mark Seaton's. I don't remember his name either.

I'm not real good with names, or remembering random facts. Now if you want to know Newton's 3 Laws of Motion, or Maxwell's 4 Laws of Electricity and Magnetism, or Einstein's 2 postulates of General Relativity, or Galambos' 2 postulates of Volitional Physics, or my 2 postulates of All Knowledge, I can tell you off the top of my head.

You can probably find the names of everyone who attended by going back through the Meet thread. I do seem to remember posting lists of who was going to attend. I just finished a run, and I'm too tired to look it up. Besides, I have to go down to the HT tonight and tear apart the right projector, so I can take a bunch of boards over to MP to get them modified tomorrow.

Dr. Little Dog