CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[racerxnet]

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I have been working on my 8500 trying to get the best possible picture. Here are some test patterns I took of the output at 720p.

MAK

[Tim in Phoenix]

Hello

If you want the best picture, get some 9" LUGs from cmjohnson and solve the problems associated with air coupled lenses that were never very good. It will be a revelation for you.

[greg9518lc]

Good to see you are moving forward there is alot more potential out of those 8" tubes. Looks like you need a good astig/focus setup and a calibration and you will hit another level.

[racerxnet]

Hi Greg,

Those shots are a 1080p test displayed at 720p. I did the initial test to see if I could resolve 720. After that I masked the tubes and reset mechanical focus. I will try 1080p after I get back from vacation. My eyes hurt from moving rings and yokes many times. Have to bust the glue so the convergence grid is square to the tube and screen. Never was level since I got it and hate seeing the skew at 2 electrically. Otherwise , thanks for the note. I'll post more shots after another round.

Mak.

[greg9518lc]

Great Mak, you are getting closer for sure look forward to your progress as it will get better.

[racerxnet]

1 Pixel 10.08 Mhz @ 1080p x 60hz shots of my 8500. I use Calman's pattern generator for my HTPC. These are a white field, so all 3 tubes lit at 60% brightness.

Mak

[greg9518lc]

Those are looking pretty good. How you liking the picture these day's?

[racerxnet]

The picture looks very good after working on the gray scale. I want to max the raster usage for output. When I set it up, the image was just inside the tube face and I had banding on the left side. Looking at the tube, I could see black masking being drawn on the tube face. Very faint, but noticeable. Once I shrank that inside the tube, the banding disappeared. I want to look into making sure I use all the tube face for light output. Just not sure why there was banding. The convergence grid was centered on the install. Anyhow, I will continue on with the project.

Will have someone come out and calibrate it properly once its dialed in. I'd like to move the PJ forward if possible after working on raster usage.

Mak

[greg9518lc]

[racerxnet]

Red Quail lens for testing. Hoping to see an improvement over the HD 144's on the PJ now.

[greg9518lc]

How's the new lens working out?

[racerxnet]

[greg9518lc]

[racerxnet]

Greg,

Is Kurt in town yet? It would be nice to meet with you two sometime. We are not that far from each other.. I am still running Mikes boards at 60hz. I don't see judder or it does not bother me at all. Maybe it's because I am getting old and senile... Be great to have some experienced hands tinker with my set up.

Mark

[greg9518lc]

[racerxnet]

Had some time to mount the Red Quail lens and compare some test material. The first thing that stood out to me was that the image size of the Quail lens is the same as the HD144. I did not move the projector forward or back, just mechanical focus and electrical focus. Did a comparison of the star chart with both lenses, Red tube on, and could not see any appreciable increase of resolution. I wanted to, but I will not convince myself it's better. The quail lens focuses well in the corners. The mechanical focus has to be touched up on the other colors, but for this quick test Red was my main concern. It was hard to get a good picture of the red starburst. All pictures are from the Quail lens.

Mark

[gjaky]

Forget that starburst pattern, it has no usable feature for fixed pixel raster displays other than generating moire pattern. Instead use proper 1:1, 2:2, 3:3 test pattern, or full screen small text for readability. In the other thread I also wrote down how can you evaluate the optical quality of the lens, that also worth a try.

[greg9518lc]