CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

scottap · Joined: 27 Mar 2007 Posts: 177 Location: Palo Alto, CA

Since my Barco 708 is sitting on the floor in the corner while I wait for Curt to repair the focus board, I thought I'd try to recreate the moviegoing experience by going to an actual movie theater. At first I couldn't figure out why the image on the screen looked so terrible: colors were muddy and washed out, black levels were crushed, and the picture was almost unwatchably soft. Then I realized I wasn't watching film projection. Rather it was actually digital projection, and the softness I was seeing was poor convergence (really poor convergence). Shocked

And this wasn't the mainstream multiplex that shows Spiderman III on 12 screens, this was the one that shows the foreign and independent films. (Fortunately, the film I saw, Black Book, had, along with fuzzy subtitles, plenty of easy-to-see sex and violence. Thumbs Up

)

So the lessons I learned: Digital crap is everywhere, no more going out to the movies for me, and until I get my board back, I'm just going to sit really close to the TV.

Brian Hampton · Joined: 22 Apr 2006 Posts: 1173

I went to see Spiderman III the other day and the last time I was in the theater before that was either Star Wars III or Batman Begins (can't remember which one.)

My local theater is terrible so I want to the next town where much to my surprize things were hardly better. The ceiling was white, yeah, white. Ceiling tiles that can be bought black but why bother. The screen had 3 easy to spot and hard to ignore damages areas. The film was out of focus so when the close-ing credits rolled they adjusted it which did make things a bit better.

I miss the Metreon in San Francisco. I hated living in California but at least some movie theaters there still know how to set things up.

I couldn't wait to get back to my HT and trying to emulate my local theater is not part of the experience for me anymore because thank goodness I've got a much better experience at home.

-Brian

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4899 Location: Flower Mound, TX

And some people wonder why I don't go to the theater and just wait for the movie in HD!

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 11:18 pm Post subject:

I was at a movie theater and the previews were done with an awefull digital POS projector. I went and asked customer service if the movie was in digital also. Her reply" I don't know but I know it's on film" Meh that's what you get for minimum wage and no training.

edfowler · Joined: 16 Jul 2006 Posts: 27

I actually got my money back after suffering thru an awful presentation of Superman returns.

Cineplex SUCKS. Homeplex rocks

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 10:17 pm Post subject:

I got my money back for Episode II the 5 guys in the front row were smoking sweet leaf. They got arested, I went to a bigger screened theater to see it on film. The combination of the smoke and the digital made me wanna hurl. Now I know it was JUST the digital causing it.

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4899 Location: Flower Mound, TX

BGSPCS · Joined: 23 Aug 2006 Posts: 115 Location: Pottstown, PA

The theater in my town where i live has 7 DLPC(Digital Light Projection Crap) projectors and 1 film projector. I guess they kept one 35mm projector in case all of the DLP's break. I just found out today on fandango's website. http://www.fandango.com/nationaltreasure:bookofsecrets_102902/movietimes?location=19464&date=12/29/2007
Its the theater at the top of the list

I haven't been to the theater in my town in many years, mainly because its a run down dump. I always goto the second theater on the list, they are much cleaner and have real film projectors for the movie along with stadium seating. The pre movie crap is on a digital projector though. In the main lobby they have a big screen that shows previews that is obviously rear projected and i'm almost certain that it's a CRT projector. I don't think it has been serviced since they built the theater because the blue seems missing. The theater may be less then 10 years old too. I'm not 100% sure though.

Moose · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 788 Location: Minnesota

I've been to one movie where I knew the projector was digital and I have to say I was very impressed. I experienced none of the above. It was sharp, blacks were at least as good as any film I've seen, colors were just fine and I saw no artifacting of any kind, try as I might to find them. The projector was an NEC (I looked). Don't know anything about it other than that.

My local theater, all film, is ok most of the time. Sometimes the sound level is too low.

BGSPCS · Joined: 23 Aug 2006 Posts: 115 Location: Pottstown, PA

Here is an NEC DLP projector probably used in your theater.
http://www.nec-pj.com/products/dlpcinema/2500/index.html
6000 Watt Light Bulb, liquid cooled, 2000:1 contrast ratio with 3 DMD's, 2048 x 1080 pixels (lower then the best CRT unit 2500x2000) however the DLP is very very very bright at 26,000 lumens. This thing seems to put out 30,000 BTU of heat.

Moose · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 788 Location: Minnesota

MikeEby · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Posts: 5237 Location: Osceola, Indiana

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

I doubt the majority of patrons to public movie houses care about the technical quality of the image on the screen. Heck, most would have a difficult time knowing what trademark technology that are watching, let alone know a good/bad setup. Oh sure, some might notice a dim bulb or lamp, and occasional out of focus condition, or even a rare instance of enlightenment that the aspect ratio is incorrect, but for the most part the gross majority are there as a social activity.

As such, who cares.

Person99 · Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 4899 Location: Flower Mound, TX

Well, they opened an all digital AMC by my house in december. 12 screens every single one of them with 4K Sony LCoS digitals. Since it has opened, I've seen 4 movies there:
I am Legend
Nim's Island
Speed Racer
Horton Hears a Who

The last film projected movie I saw was Bee Movie. I also saw Cloverfield on a 2K DLP machine at a different cinema.

So, here is where I stand (not that anyone cares). I will only go to movies at my 4K digital cinema--period. You cannot drag me to a film cinema anymore. All 4 of those have been so far above any presentation I've ever seen in a commercial theater it is not funny. Bee Movie which should have look as good as Horton Hears a Who was not even comparable. Soft, not as bright, not as good of saturation, etc. Cloverfield was not that great and certainly turned me off DCI, but the AMC turned me around.

So, if you've got an AMC with Sony 4K machines in it--go see a movie there. It is awesome.

**kal** · Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 1:40 am Post subject:

My problem with film presentation is that often the film stock is so horrible to begin with (low grade, been played 1000 times, etc) that it looks bad. Going digital at least you have consistency.

A couple of years ago I saw a documentary at the national film board here. Shot on 35mm, shown a good room, with an actual projectionist running it, and first run print on good film stock (not the crap they use for multiplex's to save money). Man, what a difference!

Kal

perisoft · Joined: 29 Aug 2007 Posts: 2920 Location: Ithaca, NY

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 4:05 pm Post subject:

LMAO