my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Digital Cinema Forum   » Ability Of Consumer Digital Projectors

Author Topic: Ability Of Consumer Digital Projectors Robert E. Allen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1078 From: Checotah, Oklahoma Registered: Jul 2002 posted 04-16-2010 12:29 AM                     I'm planning a mini cinema. I will admit I'm a film guy and know nothing about digital equipment (other than those I've run for pre-show). I will have a 40' throw to an 8' x 20' screen. Can consumer type digital projectors handle this and how many lumens do I want. Also can those machines do both 'scope and flat with a lens change? Thanks for your help.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-16-2010 08:27 AM                        Your screen sizes will be as follows: 8' x 10.6' (4x3) 8' x 11' (1.37) 8' x 13.3' (1.66) 8' x 14.2' (16x9) 8' x 14.8' (1.85) 8' x 18.8' (scope) You will want masking stops for each format. Since video is not entirely standardized, you will also want the ability to bump the masking one way or the other, in case you are showing something that is slightly wider or narrower than a standard format. One issue that you will run into will be letterboxed versions of subtitled material, where the subtitles extend into the letterbox area. This is annoying, and it happens all the time. For a video projector with a 16x9 chip, you will need a zoom lens that will cover a throw ratio (throw/width) of 2.12-2.82. This should be do-able with one lens. This will let you zoom between 16x9 and 2.35, while filling the screen. Narrower ratios can be pillarboxed (black borders on the sides) within the 16x9 image. The area of the largest image will be 10.6' x 18.8' (including unused area above and below the screen), which is about 200 square feet. The cinema standard of 16fL represents 16 lumens per square foot on a 1.0 gain screen (the video standard is actually 12fL, but a slightly brighter image may not be a bad thing). You would therefore need at least 3200 lumens. Since most brightness ratings for video projectors are somewhat optimistic, you really want a 4500-5000 lumen unit or a higher gain screen. All of this applies regardless of the make and model of the unit that you choose. Unless it has a 4x3 chip, which is becoming less common. I know that you are aware of the licensing issues involved here, but I will point this out anyway, for the sake of others who may stumble on this thread: copyrighted material must be licensed in order to be legally screened, regardless of whether admission is charged.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.