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Author Topic: lamphouse shootout christie d40 or strong x60? Craig Mueller Film Handler Posts: 22 From: Aptos, CA, USA Registered: Aug 2008 posted 09-21-2008 03:37 PM                     I was hoping to get a professional (to semi professional) opinion on whether or not I should switch out lamphouses. I currently have an old christie xenolite d40 for my large screen with a 3k osram. The adjustments in the back are deteriorating, and are currently broken so I have to adjust the bulb with the side open and shove the holder around by hand while the bulb is lit, no fun. I just cant get it to be as bright as I would like it. My company just acquired from a now defunct drive in an old strong x60 that is in ok condition save a couple scratches on the reflector (which looks pretty new). I don't have screen specs (I think it is roughly a 40' screen in scope) but would it be worth it to switch out the lamphouses? Would the x60 have better light for the same wattage than the christie d40? I would love to have proper working adjustment but if there is little light gain, then it hardly seems worth it.. Thanks as always for your help!  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-21-2008 03:41 PM                     The X60 is one of my favorite lamphouses it will provide lots of light  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 09-21-2008 08:11 PM                        The Christie SLC may well be a worthy contender. Anything Christie before that is best thought of as a load bank for a small screen. The Strong X60/Super 80/Ultra 80 use the same reflector; need I say more? Louis  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-22-2008 08:27 AM                     The SLC for sure... but some think its the wrong color temperature.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-22-2008 11:00 AM                     Prints are timed for a specific colour temp and christie is the probably the only company that feels that the industry should time prints for the products they make  |  IP: Logged Robert Minichino Master Film Handler Posts: 350 From: Haskell, NJ, USA Registered: Dec 2005 posted 09-22-2008 11:05 AM                        I hate to say this, but given the way modern TVs are set out of the box (and are left that way), most people couldn't give a damn about color accuracy, and the white balance is only a small part of that. Even with the cinema light source's temperature being off significantly both film and digital cinema will have significantly better color than almost anyone at home these days.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 09-22-2008 04:59 PM                       Craig, given a choice between those two: X-60. No contest.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-22-2008 05:06 PM                     Robert, I completely agree and I have yet to see any proof that the color temp is any different than what Strong's reflectors produce... they ARE made by the same company too so more than likely they ARE the same. The Timster, The X-60 works much better for 70mm and can even be used without a beam spreader, but I don't worry myself about obsolete formats. Its whats going on today that really only matters. We don't outfit multiplex's with 70mm gear any longer. And then the SLC works VERY WELL with it's beam spreader for 70mm. X-60 parts are almost non existant, the few that are available have been priced out of this planet by Strong... and thats a big matter when it comes to me any making decisions about what to sell. Christie has somehow managed to keep all of their replacement parts pricing very realistic. Mark  |  IP: Logged Craig Mueller Film Handler Posts: 22 From: Aptos, CA, USA Registered: Aug 2008 posted 09-22-2008 06:17 PM                     Thanks for the input everyone, having a lamphouse that doesn't require the incredibly stupid act of adjusting it with the side open while on is worth it alone in my book.. I'll try to get a picture or illustration of the scratches up tomorrow, I am a little worried that they are large enough to affect performance. Glad to hear experts vote for the x60, very encouraging.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 09-22-2008 09:08 PM                     Gee Mark...you haven't measured an X60 (and the subsequent incarnations that use that reflector) and the Christie SLC? The Christie is going to be, on average in the 6500K range. The Strong can be where you want it to be (use the three letter code on the reflector to match them)...including at the reference 5400K. With the Christie, the gate will get notably much hotter given the same wattage. I can also get more light out of the Strong. They may be made by the same company, but they are clearly made to different specifications. Geez...TI makes all of the DLP imagers and everyone uses the same lenses yet you have witnessed that some companies can get more light than others. Oh...and I just installed another pair of 70mm projectors and they will indeed run 70mm. No, I didn't use Strong lamphouses, as you might imagine. Steve  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-22-2008 09:45 PM                     quote: Steve Guttag Gee Mark...you haven't measured an X60 (and the subsequent incarnations that use that reflector) and the Christie SLC? Nope! No call to measure them here. Not even to satisfy my curiosity... When you have one complex full of one type and another complex full of the other type... I have enough to do as it is. quote: Steve Guttag Geez...TI makes all of the DLP imagers and everyone uses the same lenses yet you have witnessed that some companies can get more light than others. Good point except... not everyone is using the same optical coating on their prisms, mirrors, and integrators... and there ARE different types of lenses available, High Contrast and High Brightness... but again not from all manufacturers of DLP. In fact the manufacturer with the patented coating didn't feel there was even a need for the high contrast lenses until the new coating was introduced... in other words you wouldn't have seen any difference with either series of lenses before it's introduction. So yes, there is indeed a visible difference in gaining another 500% of contrast ratio. Mark  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 09-23-2008 06:20 AM                     Mark, we definitely work in different circles. I've had lenses rejected due to color temp shifts. In fact, our purchase of the PCA-100 predates the need for it in DCinema. We are always having to match multiple projectors and to hit certain white-points. One feels rather helpless to be doing a screening in a typical cinema and the film maker asks what we can do to get the color better since the fleshtones were shifted too blue. If nothing else, it teaches one to use equipment that will hit closer to the mark...even in typical cinemas. One thing that DCinema brings to the table, in spades, is the ability to hit a desired white-point. Steve  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-23-2008 08:21 AM                     Steve, I realize that. I left behind my days of having to have matched lamphouses when I quite the dailies thing and moved out here. 18 years and over 40 films was more than many others ever get to do. Even if Strong lamphouses are closer to the correct color temp their stance of continually discontinuing parts, lack of even many common parts, and rediclous high replacement parts prices precludes me from even considering them. In fact I would consider Kinoton, or something like Big Sky way before Strong. For our "everyday" type of customer Christie has just proven to offer highest performance for the buck, most reasonably consistent parts prices and unparalleled support afterwards. Mark  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 09-23-2008 10:18 AM                        I hate to get into these arguments... it's like talking politics. But... I have to agree about the Big Sky lamps. If Craig has the opportunity to evaluate them, I think it would be worth his time. My observations are generally anecdotal, but in my extreme conditions (drive-in, no-gain screens) I feel the Big Sky boxes put out at least as much light as the X-60, if not more, and they run at least as cool as the X-60 I used with a glass reflector (try getting one of those these days!). This year, I had a literal meltdown in one lamp (probably my fault... another thread here). My outside exhaust fan failed and sealed the duct. The rear-mounted internal blower in the lamphouse was good enough to keep the bulb seals cool, but some parts needed to be repaired. Big Sky had the emergency package overnighted, and the pricing was very reasonable... one area where a company could certainly nail you. I was very happy with my X-60 boxes, but I couldn't continue risk my business on aging equipment I couldn't get parts for. In that regard, Mark makes a very good point.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-23-2008 10:41 AM                     Exactly! My whole buisness stance towards exhibitors has always been to provide the best bang for the buck whilst still being able to get parts and support for the equipment down the line say 10 or 15 years later. Even little Big Sky is far superior in this realm than Strong is. Now, I've had to translate this all over to digital as our digital sales go crazy here. And Christie has hands down won in the department for projectors and Dolby for servers with Doremi comming in a close second. With digital I can't rely on European companys nor the Dollar vs. the Euro no matter how nice their set up software is... thats something thats not used very often anyway. NEC can't seem to quite decide who is doing what. They have NEC direct and there is Strong. At one show you go to they are being shown by Strong and yet at another show they are on display by NEC themselves... even though NEC would be choice #2 for me it still makes me scratch my head and wonder just how comitted they are and just how much longer Strong can last. Mark  |  IP: Logged

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