Old News

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Projectors for sale
December 11, 2014

Many here probably don't read the forum often, but I've started putting together my own home theater again after 7... yes... 7 years of being idle. I've decided to go all out this time, and to clone Cliff's setup in Chicago. His features a 10' wide screen and dual Sony G90 projectors for 2400 lumens of light output and a near infinite contrast ratio. I first saw Cliff's setup in 2007, and it is amazing. I've been back several times since, and each time Cliff has improved his system a bit.

Well, not to be outdone, I've put two Barco 909 projectors on my own ceiling, to see how close I could come to Cliff's setup. While the system will be one of those 'it's never finished' projects, my room is a far cry from Cliff's at this point. I have a thread going on in my forum showing my (slow) build. Note that the forum is more or less un-moderated, and that thread has gone in several directions, but the progress is being shown. I work on the room in-between working on everyone else's projectors, so the work is slow. I do plan on doing more over the upcoming holidays, as my acoustic transparent screen is here, as are the Moome HDMI cards for the Barco 909.

Even with the little work that has been done on the theater, and there is a bit of a drifting issue between the two projectors, the picture shows massive potential. Frankly, since having watched my stack for about 20 hours so far, there's simply no going back to a smaller screen or a single projector. A two projector setup does need regular tweaking, but the end result is amazing.

Over the summer I purchased a lot of projectors, and as a result I (again) have over 100 CRT projectors in stock, including over 40 9" projectors of all makes and models. With more coming in within a month, it is time to dramatically drop the prices on some sets until the end of December, as I simply am running out of room.

In no particular order, here's a 'priced-slashed-inventory-reduction-we-won't-be-undersold' type pricing on some projectors. (hint: try a stack!) For those looking to upgrade, here's a great way to do so:

(Qty: 3) NEC XG sets: Either little or no tube wear. XG 75, XG 110 and one XG110LC: $500 each. A great upgrade for those that still have NEC PG sets, which are now becoming unreliable due to bad capacitors. I see no such failure on NEC XG series.
(Qty: 3) Sony G90: Top of the line CRT projectors. All have been fully tested, and come with a new Dallas chip installed along with a factory remote. Ceiling brackets available. Razor sharp, very reliable. Breakdown as follows:
- 1800 hours, original tubes, very faint 16:9 wear. $1800
- 231 original hours. No wear. Remote and manuals included. $2800
- All new LCP tubes, had about 6K hours on the chassis. Good as new. $2300
(Qty: 2) Runco 1100:The Runco 1100 is the same as the Barco Data 1209s. 9" LUG tubes and GT 17 lenses come with these Runcos. Fully tested and test run, the cases do need some touchup work done, as both have scratches on them. The cases are intact however. Original shipping box for one of them as well. Very light 16:9 wear, red and green (dark) C elements. Will run 1080p, but you need a scaler between the source and projector to adjust for image wraparound. Anything under 1080p and you don't need a scaler. $900 each
(Qty: Many) Electrohome Marquee 9500 Ultra: I recently purchased a bunch of very late model Marquee 9500 Ultra chassis made in 2008. That's about as late as you can get, I believe the last Marquee 9500s left the factory in 2012. These all came from a flight simulator installation on small screens, so all CRTs have hexagonal shaped wear, and HD10L lenses, that are only good up to a 72" wide screen. Still, if you have a 9500 and want to upgrade to the latest 9500 Ultra chassis that’s well under 10 years old, here's a great way to do so. I've tested al of the chassis, and they work flawlessly. Convergence is solid as a rock on each set. The cases are a bit marked. I will ship without tubes and lenses to save on shipping if you want. $800 each. With brand new red and green and a used blue (near mint shape) and GT17 lenses: $1800 each.
(Qty: 3) Vidikron Vision One: These are the 9500 Ultras with that fancy fibreglass case on them. All three are indeed Ultra sets (many were sold with the non Ultra chassis). I have one each in black, white and that shiny gloss metallic blue, the only case I've seen in that colour. All either have new or near new tubes with no wear. $1500 each.
(Qty: Many) Barco 909: I have several Barco 909 projectors in stock that I am about to go through and retube with new and good used tubes. I will announce those in the next mailout, sometime in January, but pricing on those will also be less than ever before.
(Qty: 3) Dark green C elements out of brand new Marquee greens: $200 each.

I am blowing out all of my NEC PG tubes since I no longer support these sets. I have 2-3 sets of mint/near mint and I think even a couple of new tubes in stock for the PG and the PG+ (these will not fit the PG Xtra or XG sets). Yours for the paltry price of a donation of your choice via Paypal, and cover shipping.

I have a great selection of good used CRT tubes for almost all projectors out there. I have nothing in the way of mint 8 or 9" green tubes, as I am putting those into sets that I sell, but if you'd like some good used condition tubes, just email me with what you're looking for.

Lastly, some of you may not know that I also do vintage audio repairs, and have developed a bit of a reputation locally for working on reel to reel tape machines. So much so, in fact, that a friend of mine that owns Innovative Audio has sold me his entire inventory of low end and midrange decks. I currently have over 50 reel to reel decks, ranging from Sony and Akai to Teac and Sansui, along with a bunch of parts as well. If you have a box full of tapes somewhere, but your reel to reel has bitten the dust, email me for what I have in stock, or check out what's for sale on eBay under my eBay summary. I try and list 2-3 decks a week, and have had great success selling them. Analog audio is making a huge comeback with vinyl, and cassette tape and reel to reel is also gaining in popularity for that warm analog sound.

Also, if you have an old reel to reel gathering dust, let me know, as I do buy them, and as with projectors, have been known to travel great distances to pick them up.

I am tentatively planning a road trip at the end of January 2015 from Vancouver to Albuquerque and back. Nothing has been firmed up yet, but it's looking to occur sometime around the last week of January, and will be back in Vancouver by the end of the first week of February. I may travel down to Los Angeles, or may drive directly to New Mexico, all depending on weather conditions.

See my eBay summary for complete listings.

Questions? Email Curt.

See All CRT Projectors »

DVDO AVLab TPG 4K (Ultra HD Test Pattern Generator)
December 5, 2014

The first pocket-sized test pattern generator supporting full 4K Ultra HD resolution (3840x2160) at 50/60Hz.

Designed specifically for use with Colour Management System (CMS) software such as ChromaPure (which can control the box remotely as part of auto-calibraton), the AVLab TPG is powered by USB and uses the USB interface to automatically control the video calibration workflow. It is the ultimate tool for AV professionals in the field to deliver lab-quality functionality to on-site display setup and calibration.

It offers a similar suite of test patterns as the DVDO Duo with a few differences. First, and most importantly, it outputs true 4K. It will even output 4K at 60 Hz using YCbCr 4:2:0. This makes the TPG the most affordable 4K video test pattern generator on the market by far.

The TPG is incredibly compact. It easily fits in your hand, which makes it ideal for portable applications. Furthermore, it can draw its power entirely from a connection to the PC via USB, so the user doesn't have to worry about connecting it a separate power source.

It also comes with a remote control for standalone use, and is fully supported by ChromaPure (as of version 2.5.1). Every serious calibrator, video tester or engineer, or enthusiast with a 4K display should have one of these as part of their toolkit.

For complete details see our DVDO AVLab TPG 4K order page.