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Learn how to design and build your dream home theater! Over 500 pages and 800 photos!

CurtPalme.com Presents: The Home Theater Book
March 28, 2012

Learn how to design and build your dream home theater! Over 800 construction photos spread over 500 pages!

The Home Theater Book chronicles the building of nine dedicated home theaters from start to end including design, construction, electrical, HVAC, finishing, and more.

The fundamentals of building a dedicated home theater are taught by walking you through the process from concept to completion.

This book was created for those people who fall into one or more of these categories:

Want to design or build a home theater themselves.
Are going to contract out the theater construction and want to know what to watch for.
Want to learn from the experience of other home theater owners, including pitfalls and lessons learnt.
Love home theater and want to see what others have done, including seeing hundreds of home theater construction photos!

Also included is bonus content with hours of audio interviews with home theater experts, including an all new audio interview about video calibration with Kal Wallner (Editor of CurtPalme.com and author of Greyscale & Colour Calibration Guide for Dummies).

The book is split into four parts:

Part I: Planning What is Home Theater? Audio Options Video Options Screen Options Seating Options Soundproofing and Acoustics Speaker placement Wall construction techniques Designing Your Theater
Part II: Construction Prior To Construction Walls Screen Wall Framing Ceiling Soffits Stages Proscenium Risers Line of sight considerations Hush Box Equipment Room / Rack Concessions / Snack Bar Heating and Cooling
Part III: Electrical 120 Volt Versus Low Voltage Ground loops Power Control Lighting control systems Network Wiring Cable / Satellite Wiring Component Wiring IR Repeaters Speaker Wiring
Part IV: Finishing Insulation Drywall Lighting Sound Treatments and Wall Fabric Paint Carpet Columns Moulding Seating Equipment Installation Speaker Installation Opening Night!

The Home Theater Book is a digital download available for immediate access upon payment. No shipping!

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Projectors for sale
March 18, 2012

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!

It's been a while since we've put out a list of projectors for sale, but given that we've got in dozens of new sets, it's high time that one got sent out.

Considering the large number of high end 9" sets that we've received in the last month, some older projector parts had to go. We have now recycled all Sony 10XX parts, analog Barco parts (1000, 1001, 1500, 400, and 600) and ECP 3000/4000 parts. We also got rid of Zenith PRO 851 and 880/881 sets, and most of our Ampro 2000 and 2600 parts. We did keep select ECP parts, specifically the power supplies and a few neck boards, but considering we haven't had an inquiry in over 2 years for these parts, it was time to liquidate literally 500 lbs of PC boards and other parts. We do still have a test chassis for each of these sets however, so if you're still running one of these 22+ year old sets, we can still repair boards if need be.

Over the next 6 months we will be blowing out a lot more of the older ES focusing set parts for dirt cheap. This includes most parts for the Barco 800/801/500/1200, more Electrohome ECP boards (3100 and 4100 series), Zenith PRO 900, most Sony 12XX parts, SD187 tubes, 07MP tubes, 07MSP tubes (some in mint condition), some NEC PG parts and tubes, and a bunch of the older Marquee 8000 parts. If you're running one of these sets, here's a good time to stock up on boards and tubes for next to nothing. Shoot Curt an email to discuss what you're looking for.

As for the new sets that we've gotten in, here goes:

Barco 808: We have a number of really nice condition Barco 808 sets. We have virtually all four models in stock, from the BD808 to the BG808s sets at very attractive prices, but two of the BG808s sets deserve mentioning:

We received in two new old stock Barco 808 split packs recently (8" tubes). Both of these had under 150 hours on the chassis, one was still fastened to the plywood mounting hardware that they ship in. Barco puts about 130 test hours on the chassis before shipping, so these indeed were new old stock.

For those not familiar with split packs, these are sets where the electronics is in one box, and the tubes and lenses are in another. The boxes are connected with a 6 foot umbilical cord. These were designed for flight simulators, so that there was a lot more flexibility with the installation of these sets. While the boxes are simply powder coated aluminum, they do allow for neat installations where you might mount the lens box between studs in a low ceiling, for a low profile CRT installation. For more information and pictures see this page at Barco.com.

We can sell these split packs as is, or we can put all the boards and tubes and lenses into a BG808s chassis, so that short of the motherboard, you'll have a new old stock BG808s projector. We're selling these sets at $2000 each. Perfect for 1080p! The cases on the BG808s sets that we can drop these tubes and electronics into are in good shape, minimal marks and scratches.
Marquee 8500: We also have three Marquee 8500 sets in stock with excellent condition tubes, along with one Vidikron Vision 2 (Marquee 8500 with the fibreglass case on it in white). $1800.00 each.
Marquee 9500 Ultra: Two low hour (about 2500), 1 owner units, no tube wear. Top of the line sets that are still in production by VDC. We go through these sets fully, clean all module contacts and test run the projectors. With a Moome HDMI card these are excellent 1080p and beyond sets, with a life expectancy of over 10 years. $3800 each.
Sony G90: Two sets available (with 1 more possibly coming in). Top of the line Sony sets, capable of well past 1080p. We install new Dallas memory chips into these to prevent premature failure, and they come with original Sony remotes. We've got two sets here with light wear, but also have brand new green tubes in stock. $3000 with light wear on the green. $4000 with a brand new green tube (no R or B wear).
Barco 809 split pack projectors: Here’s a rare find: These sets are the same as the Barco 808 split packs described above, but with a 909 tube and lens end. The tube box comes with 9" LUG tubes, the best you can get, and with the super rare and expensive HFQ900 lenses. In essence, you get a 909 projector attached to a BG808s set of electronics. Not quite the adjustment range of a 909 chassis, but we've always said, most of the performance of a projector is based on the tubes and lenses used, not the electronics behind them. The BG808s set of electronics has the best specs of all the Barco 808 chassis. We have 7 in stock.

These came out of a simulator, where they were in standby mode for long periods of time, with no light coming out of the tubes, but were apparently only used twice in the last 10 years before they were pulled out of service. There is absolutely no wear on the tubes, and the emission is as new. They put out an amazing picture!

Two options with these: We can sell them as split packs as offered, but I can also pull the tubes and electronics and put them into Barco 1209s or Runco 1100 chassis that we have here, for a conventional, turbocharged 9" set. Comes with remote. $4500 each. A steal for an amazing 9" set. Listed on eBay here (no reserve).

Again, we have also received many parts in recently, too numerous to list, and we've scrapped a lot of chassis, with lots more to go. We simply don't need 150 projectors in stock. If you want some backup parts, we have multiples of almost everything in stock at this point (save for Barco quads and Marquee HVPS) and a bunch need to go. Why buy "as is" parts on eBay when you can buy tested ones that come with a warranty here?

See our eBay listings for additional items. Interested or have questions? Email Curt!

See All CRT Projectors »

New lower price on professional JETI Specbos meters
February 27, 2012

Professional calibrators (or an enthusiast with really deep pockets) take note!

Effective immediately:

The JETI Specbos 1211 / ChromaPure bundle has dropped to $9395 USD (a $504 drop).
The JETI Specbos 1201 / ChromaPure bundle has dropped to $7995 USD (a $404 drop).

Contact us for meter only pricing.

The Specbos 1201 and 1211 are the most affordable true reference color analyzers available on the market today. Just mount either on a tripod, facing towards the source, connect to ChromaPure Professional and use as you would any other color analyzer.

At some point many professionals conclude that their work requires a reference colour analyzer. SMPTE has established standards for such a device. It must measure color accurately to within ±0.002 xy at or above 10 cd/m2 and luminance accurately to within ±0.5 cd/m2 for white field measurements. These are very exacting specifications that no standard tristimulus colorimeter can achieve, at least for chromaticity. For this level of accuracy you must have a 5nm spectroradiometer.

Unfortunately, such devices are not cheap. The Photo Research and Minolta reference devices start at about $15,000 and go up to near $30,000. The X-Rite EyeOne Pro is reasonably affordable, but it is a 10nm device that cannot routinely achieve ±0.002 xy accuracy. Furthermore, in addition to being expensive, true reference devices also often suffer from practical limitations. They can be slow and have problems with low-light readings.

In the last few years a German company JETI Reference Instruments developed two true reference spectroradiometers, the Specbos 1201 (also known in the U.S. as the Orb Optronics SP100) and the Specbos 1211, that solve most of these problems.

First, they are relatively affordable, that is at least what passes as "affordable" in the context of reference devices. Second, both are reasonably fast for higher luminance sources, and the 1211 is speedy even with low luminance sources. They are also amazingly compact and portable and both include a nifty laser spotter that allows for accurate aiming.

The only feature these incredible devices give up to the established Photo Research and Minolta competitors is stand-alone operation. The Minolta and Photo Research alternatives allow for aiming through optical sights and readouts on a small LCD screen. They are fully functional devices without a PC. In contrast, the JETI devices work only when attached to a PC via USB with custom software (such as ChromaPure of course!). For display/home theater calibration this is a non-issue as you'll be using calibration software anyway.

Confused about meters? See our FAQ: Which meter is right for me?
Questions? Email us at: chromapure@curtpalme.com

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New HDMI 1.4 card with 3D for Sony CRT projectors
February 13, 2012

Upgrade your Sony CRT projector by adding two HDMI 1.4 inputs with 3D support, gamma correction and infrared remote control! Don't be stuck watching PS3, Blu-ray, and DVD at only 480p! Add digital HDCP-compliant HDMI 1.4 inputs allowing you to watch hi-def content at up to 1080p resolution!

The IFB-FULLHD card allows you easily add digital devices such as Blu-Ray players, PS3, Xbox360, Satellite/Cable HDTV set-top boxes, and HTPCs with HDMI graphic cards to your Sony CRT projector. Simply plug the card into your projector, your DVI/HDMI devices into the card, and watch!

How does the 3D work?

When used together with a Radiance video processor, the IFB-FULLHD v3 HDMI card allows 3D movies, games, and other content to be viewed on your Sony CRT projector. The Radiance does the processing to convert the 3D signal into something your Sony CRT projector can understand and display, while the IFB-FULLHD v3 HDMI card interfaces with and controls your 3D glasses. Enjoy 3D at 720p120Hz or even at custom resolutions like 1080p75Hz.

The Optoma 3D-XL or Viewsonic VP3D1 3D video processors have also been tested with this HDMI card. Unlike the Radiance however, the output resolution is fixed at 720p120Hz.

Any Infrared (IR) Active Shutter glasses or Radio Frequency (RF) Active Shutter glasses that include an emitter will work with the IFB-FULLHD v3 card as long as the emitter has the standard 3-pin DIN connector.

How does the new v3 card compare to the older v2 card?

Complete information on the new card can be found in the manual. Below are a few highlights:

Feature	IFB-FULLHD v2	IFB-FULLHD v3
HDMI version	HDMI 1.3	HDMI 1.4
3D support with sync output	--	Yes
Radiance sync support (The Radiance can control the 3D sync timing on the card's 3-pin DIN connector instead of the card)	--	Yes - Via Input 1
Gamma	Improved Gamma for more linear greyscale (changes suggested by Walter/WTS)	Even more advanced Opamp
Sharpness	Sharper Image (changes suggested by Mike Parker)	Even more advanced Opamp
Picture purity	Cleaner/Less noise (changes suggested by Mike Parker)	Even more advanced Opamp and new analog power supply design
Range expansion	Yes. Supports 0-255 RGB level support for higher dynamic range (in addition to 16-235)	Yes. Supports 0-255 RGB level support for higher dynamic range (in addition to 16-235)
Stability	ESD enhanced to prevent electrostatic discharge	ESD enhanced to prevent electrostatic discharge
Black boost	Supported	Supported
Able to manually select colour space with remote	Supported	Supported
Sync polarity adjustment	--	Yes
Optional horizontal image shift	--	Yes

Questions? Email us at Moome@CurtPalme.com.

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BLU-RAY RELEASE DATES & MUST-HAVE TITLES

Test Discs:

		Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics: Audio and video calibration test patterns and instructions. Get the most out of your HD home theater using this disc and our Greyscale & Colour Calibration for Dummies guide.
		Spears & Munsil High-Definition Benchmark Blu-ray Disc Edition: Advanced video benchmarking and calibration. While there is some overlap, it is a a perfect compliment to Digital Video Essentials as it has deinterlacing and chroma alignment tests, as well as other advanced features. No audio calibration so Digital Video Essentials is still required. Comes free in the box when you purchase the (phenomenal!) Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player.

Latest Reference Quality 'Must-have' Blu-ray Discs:

	The Muppets
	The Descendants
	A Dangerous Method
	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
	The Adventures of Tintin
	Hugo 3D
	War of Arrows
	A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas 3D
	Wings (1927)