CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

macgyver655 · Joined: 22 Aug 2007 Posts: 8508

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oroA5ocL250

donaldk · Joined: 17 Jun 2008 Posts: 308

One of the guys involved with the installation (he claimed) posted this to AVS a few weeks ago, he never answered our questions. And like a typical stager he didn't fill the sreen taking the opportunity to increase perceived contrast.

ecrabb · Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 7:47 pm Post subject:

That's pretty kick-ass.

From another user video I saw, the black levels were obviously elevated, but who gives a sh*t? Ultimate PQ clearly isn't the goal for exhibition-type work. I'll go out on a limb and say not more than a handful of people watching the Orlando Magic game even know what on/off contrast is, much less cared about it.

That Smart Arena Systems looks like a little upstart... They have photos and videos from exactly one project, and it's the Orlando Magic game. Pretty cool, though!

SC

greg_mitch · Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 5320

That is very cool. I wonder what the view is like in the lowest section?

Here is the actual opening night, complete with fans, and someone singing along with Phil.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWWqBN2t81w&feature=related

macgyver655 · Joined: 22 Aug 2007 Posts: 8508

According to were I got the info from, they used 4 Christie projectors, edge blended on a 45x80 ft white canvas.

Didn't say just what kinda projectors and the info cant be confirmed so take it with a grain of salt.................

ecrabb · Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 10:26 pm Post subject:

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 11:59 pm Post subject:

What surprises me is that it's called the Amway Arena. Anyone else notice that they are flooding TV with advertising lately?

The company used to be hush hush a bunch of years ago...

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 12:09 am Post subject:

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 12:14 am Post subject:

No, I don't think so. Many years ago I did an a/v presentation for them, with a projector and stuff for them to run some cleaning solution video. They managed to talk for 2 hours about how great this cleaner was. They didn't strike me as a pyramid scam, but a staff member of mine a few years later was a sales rep for them in his spare time (his wife did it fulltime I think), and he acted all hush hush about not telling anyone that he dealt with Amway.

I didn't quite understand they were all quiet about it, and now, 18 years later, they're on TV. Go figure. ANyone got the inside scoop why they changed tactics? I know they sell a crapload of product...

ecrabb · Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 12:25 am Post subject:

They get a really bad rap (in some cases, totally deserved) for the pyramid-scheme-like behavior. I don't think they've ever been convicted of anything truly illegal, like running a Ponzi scheme, though MLM is by definition very pyramid-like...

Anyway, the name and reputation got so bad in the 90's, that in the early 2000's, they created a whole new company called Quixtar... Same products, same structure, but on the internet. Curt, that's probably where the "hush hush" thing came from with your friend... There was a point where people really didn't want to be associated with Amway.

I didn't realize it, but I just read on the Amway wiki that the DeVos guy that started Amway owns the Orlando Magic, and that Amway bought the naming rights to the arena in 2006.

So, I guess they figure it's been long enough now, they can bring the name back.

Interestingly, it sounds like some of the products are actually pretty good, and another of their companies even has some IP that some other big companies are licensing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amway

SC

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 12:33 am Post subject:

Gotcha, that's interesting to know. My employee did it in 1994 or so, I did the a/v presentation in 1986 I think.

stefuel · Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 12:57 am Post subject:

macgyver655 · Joined: 22 Aug 2007 Posts: 8508

cmjohnson · Joined: 03 Apr 2006 Posts: 5180 Location: Buried under G90s

If you freeze frame at the right moments in that video, you can see clearly that they're using four blended projectors and the blend zones are not well tuned as of the time of the video. The transitions are very easy to see.

I'm guessing they're using four projectors that are each in the 12,000 lumens plus category. Christie's line goes up to 35,000 lumens (!!!)
but I'd be surprised if they had gone to that extreme.

Though these big boy digitals don't give anything close to the black levels that a CRT enthusiast demands, I've got to say that they're
very good machines and a lot of fun to play with. Right now I've got two Barco SLM R6 3 chip DLP units in my garage that I'm going
over prior to resale. I'm just starting a full checkout on them. They include integrated edge blending and are very flexible units,
built from the ground up to be part of a blended multi-projector system. They've got plenty of lamp life left, too, which is a darned
good thing as the lamps are seven thousand dollars each. (Full module, refurbs are a little less.)

CJ