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Author Topic: M.D.I. 3D silver screen David Stone Film Handler Posts: 75 From: Hornsby, Sydney, Australia Registered: Jun 2008 posted 09-29-2009 07:39 PM                     Has anyone installed or used a M.D.I. 2.2gain silver screen from canada for 3D, in particular for RealD, and does it comply with RealD'S requirements. Kind Regards, David Stone.  |  IP: Logged David Zylstra Master Film Handler Posts: 432 From: Novi, MI, USA Registered: Mar 2007 posted 09-29-2009 08:29 PM                     Last I knew the only screens RealD "approved" of were the MDI or Harkness (they also asked that we specifically said the screens were intended for RealD on the order to ensure we got the right coating). All of our RealD screens are Harkness. I heard that Hurley has come up with a washable silver screen, but posts here mention issues with the surface; not to mention I don't think the Hurley is "approved" yet.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-01-2009 01:06 PM                     Very very definitely stay away from the Hurley washable surface! What a splotchy piece of crap! I do however reccomending checking out the Big Sky washable surface which is brand brand new. I was talking to the gal from Big Sky who was at the Mountain West NATO convention and she said it had been tested and approved by Real-D and it acuaually surpassed their specs. As with any NEW product such as the Hurley and Big Sky be very leery until it's prooven itself. My beef with Hurley is they would not stand behind a very obviously defective product. When I was at CLACO we installed an 84 by 56 foot MDI silver at Zion Canyon and it was a very nice surface... Mark  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 10-03-2009 09:41 AM                        I had a few discussions about a year & a half or so ago with a tech from MDI who claimed that their 3D silver is lenticular and that's unique for the industry so far; lenticular silvers were abandoned around the time of the miltiplex construction. MDI's lenticular silver which makes a big difference (so he claimed) in eliminating or at least greatly reducing hotspots. What he said their goal was, was to make a truly dual purpose silver that can be used for 3D as well for 2D without the downside of the smooth surface silvers. I would be interested in knowing if this is true or just hype. I know that Fox's original CinemaScope specification called for a curved silver lenticular screen (they called it the Miracle Mirror or something like that) because they wanted to compensate for the light loss. That lenticular surface and the curve mitigated the hot spot problem. Last night my nephews dragged me to see FINAL DESTINATION and boy, the hot spot was pronounced -- we were sitting only slightly to the left side of the theatre and the whole right side of the screen was dark. I can't imagine how annoying this must be when this theatre shows standard 2D titles.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-03-2009 10:37 AM                     Well, Thast a load of crap! The one we hung wasa painted surface, was not lenticular and it also hotspotted just like any silver surface would. You can't paint on a lenticuluar surface!! UNless there is something very recenbt no one has made a true lenticular since Technikote stopped making their lenticuluar surface. Mark  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 10-03-2009 12:03 PM                     Frank, if you go see Final Desination in a Dolby 3D auditorium, I think you will find noticeably different (and better) results.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-03-2009 12:49 PM                     quote: Brad Miller I think you will find noticeably different (and better) results. Dolby can also hot spot just as well if any of the new high gain white surfaces are used. Harkness does make a 2.0 gain white sheet!! Actually, I have seen far more variance in brightness amongst the locally installed Dolby systems than in any of the other polarized systems. The Dolbys can range from decent rightness to not even watchable. You just do not know what you're going to be seeing... even in the same location!! I'm debating on weather to even go see the Toy Stories in 3-D or not and weather my eyes could take that low of light level for that amount of time. Mark  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 10-03-2009 03:00 PM                     If the screens are that dark, then the person who decided the specs in that auditorium shouldn't have that job. There is no excuse other than just being CHEAP and not giving a shit about the customers.  |  IP: Logged Demetris Thoupis Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1240 From: Aradippou, Larnaca, Cyprus Registered: Apr 2001 posted 10-03-2009 03:17 PM                     1.4 gain for Dolby is the best compromise solution for wide auditorium. 1.8 starts the Hot Spot syndrome and I don't even want to think of 2.0 Demetris  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 10-04-2009 01:30 AM                        quote: Mark Gulbrandsen Well, Thast a load of crap! The one we hung wasa painted surface, was not lenticular and it also hotspotted just like any silver surface would. You can't paint on a lenticuluar surface!! UNless there is something very recenbt no one has made a true lenticular since Technikote stopped making their lenticuluar surface. OK, so if that's the case, AND if it is true that lenticular will still hold polarization (no idea if that is true or not since this sales guy was handing me a load of bs from top to bottom), then it would behove Technikote or other manufactures to jump in an start making lenticular sheets again given that it looks like 3D is going to be with us for at least a decent short term, maybe longer. It really would be nice to have a dual purpose screen that one didn't have hide in shame when running 2D on it.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-04-2009 11:42 AM                     quote: Brad Miller If the screens are that dark, then the person who decided the specs in that auditorium shouldn't have that job. There is no excuse other than just being CHEAP and not giving a shit about the customers. Brad... I couldn't agree more. Don't forget you are the loaner out there that is doing it right!! Few others do it right even fewer care in the least. Frank... Technikote was bought up by Big Sky. They won't be producing any lenticuluar sheets. They are however producing a silver sheet that is not only washable but it is a nice consistant surface.... not splotchy like Hurley's sheet is. Mark  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 10-04-2009 11:56 AM                        Ok, so then the questions still remain, 1) will lenticular hold polarization and if yes, then 2)how come no one is making what seems like it would be a perfect solution for a screen that will work well with 2D as 3D with the elimination or reduction of hot spots?  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 10-04-2009 01:35 PM                     Lenticular screens do NOT prevent hot spots...they limit cross-reflection (aka self illumination). They were more popular for curved screens, not Silver ones. I don't see why a lenticular surface would prevent the keeping of polarization, however, the hotspot will remain...just the contrast would improve on a curved silver screen IF the image was self-illuminating the edges from cross-reflection. Steve  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 10-04-2009 03:11 PM                        Thanks Steve -- so silver, be it smooth or lenticular, will equal hot spots, just that lenticular will reduce cross reflection plus better light to the audience as one normally gets with any properly curved screen. So much for the claims of the MDI sales guy. He would have done well in the used car business.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-04-2009 04:37 PM                     MDI 3d screens are textured not sure if one would say lenticular  |  IP: Logged

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