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

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Digital Cinema Forum   » Choosing a Digital Projector for a Drive-In (Page 1)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Author Topic: Choosing a Digital Projector for a Drive-In Barry Floyd Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1079 From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 04-03-2012 01:49 PM                        We plan on do our conversion from 35mm to digital later this year and I'm now starting to get quotes on the machines and installation costs. I've got the projectors narrowed down to 2 specific models - the Barco DP2K-23B and the Barco DP2K-32B. Both of my screens are 25 feet x 59 feet, with a throw of 354 feet. The 23B maxes out at a screen size of 75 feet with a 4kw bulb. The 32B can do screens up to 105 feet with a 6.5kw bulb. Since 4kw digital is brighter than my existing 4kw from my Xenex I lamphouse, will I be fine with the 23B? Most of the dealers I've spoken with are steering me towards the 23B. I know the 32B will give me WAY more light than I need, but I'd rather not spend the extra money if it's not needed. Don't really plan on doing 3D, so not really worried about loos of light from that. Any thoughts?  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 04-03-2012 02:15 PM                     Are you planning to show 3D?  |  IP: Logged Barry Floyd Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1079 From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 04-03-2012 02:36 PM                        No. From what I've seen so far, the only 3D system that actually works in a drive-in setting s is the Dolby 3D with the reusable glass - mainly because of the lack of needing a silver screen surface.  |  IP: Logged Sam D. Chavez Film God Posts: 2153 From: Martinez, CA USA Registered: Aug 2003 posted 04-03-2012 02:49 PM                       I don't believe there is no such thing as too much light in a Drive In, but you're the owner. You will no doubt find a use for the extra light and the resale value might be better down the road if your plans change. Yo should make sure there is a suitable lens for your throw. I like all the Barco's, but Christie is a good rugged projector with plenty of light as well.  |  IP: Logged Barry Floyd Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1079 From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 04-03-2012 03:16 PM                        Some have said that too much light on a drive-in screen will bring out any and all imperfections in the screen surface. Another owner in Ohio last week installed a 32B and they shot a 25.7 reading on the light meter with the 6.5kw lamp on an 83 foot screen. They cranked it way down, but he's still a little over 14 f.l. Last quote I got, they "calculated" I'd get 13.7 with flat and 10.3 with scope using the 23B. I'm sure that's probably way more than I'm getting now, but it's still not 14fl. I do not plan on taking the 1/2 drive-in VPF's, so I doubt it would be an issue.  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-03-2012 03:25 PM                        Out of curiousity, how do DIs that use the Dolby 3D system make sure that they get back the correct number of glasses per car, given that one car may contain a variable number of occupants? I guess that the good part (at least for those not doing carload pricing) about 3D at a DI would be that it would eliminate the people-hiding-in-the-trunk problem.  |  IP: Logged Barry Floyd Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1079 From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 04-03-2012 03:49 PM                        Scott, I've only seen it at one theatre and that was at the Galaxy Drive-In in Ennis, Texas. I went down to Dallas for the DITA meet back in November, met Brad and Jeremy from Film-Tech and we all (the whole group) took a trip down to the Galaxy one night. If I remember correctly, when you buy your tickets, and if you have 5 people in the car, they give you 5 pairs of glasses and a laminated card with the number "5" on it. When you leave the theatre for the night, you have to drive by the glasses collection station and you have to give back the number of glasses printed on the card. That drive-in has the full commercial dishwasher and drying racks for the 3D glasses in a ground floor room below the projection booth. It was a pretty efficient set-up. They were running Series 1 Christie projectors when I was there back in November.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 04-03-2012 04:25 PM                     Remember your drive-in screen is NOT a 1.0 gain, so you need more to achieve the same result. Barco is really the best option for a drive-in due to the sealed light engine.  |  IP: Logged Sam D. Chavez Film God Posts: 2153 From: Martinez, CA USA Registered: Aug 2003 posted 04-03-2012 05:48 PM                       Brad is right for sure regards the screen gain. The gain could be anything from maybe 1.0 with white paint to way less depending on the age of the paint job, etc. "Another owner in Ohio last week installed a 32B and they shot a 25.7 reading on the light meter with the 6.5kw lamp on an 83 foot screen. They cranked it way down, but he's still a little over 14 f.l." I seriously question this figure. Did they use some sort of silver paint perhaps?  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 04-03-2012 06:38 PM                     Lamps lose brightness with aging, so, go and do yourself and your patrons a favour and get the 32B. The windshield will eat some light as well, so the normal 14-16fL measured outside the car is not practical anyway. Also, more light on the screen might give you a real chance for some extra shows. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 04-03-2012 07:37 PM                     Agreed Sam. Although the Barco 32B is the brightest projector available, 25.7 footlamberts on an 83 foot drive-in screen surface tells me something isn't stirring the Kool-Aid with those numbers.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 04-03-2012 08:35 PM                        Earlier starts (in June) equal more money, equals more satisfied customers (for later in the season.) Once I tried to "size" drive in lamphouses (on film). I was wrong: On film 4500 watts with the best projector and the best lenses and the screen angled and painted properly is the only answer. Since the delivery medium (digital) is not relevant, the basic idea still holds. Wouldn't you sell more family tickets if you started at 8 pm that you will at 10 pm? Act accordingly. Louis  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 04-03-2012 09:32 PM                     If your screen had a 1.0 gain AND you were able to obtain a lens suitably long for your "flat" picture...I would predict you would need over 38,000 lumens for scope and 24,000 lumens for flat...even with an anamorphic lens, you would need about 31,200 lumens for scope. My recommendation get the bigger projector....again, I don't know where you are going to get the 7.47 TR lens for flat. Barco's lens line tops out at 5.5 and they don't have an anamorphic option.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 04-03-2012 11:51 PM                     quote: Steve Guttag My recommendation get the bigger projector....again, I don't know where you are going to get the 7.47 TR lens for flat. Barco's lens line tops out at 5.5 and they don't have an anamorphic option. Prob the only way to get under these numbers is to build two small projection buildings that are closer to the screen - more like getting a 200ft throw to the screen with those screen measurements. Then you can, maybe, play with the 23B idea, but the 32B will give out excellent results due to that the gain of the screen, as Brad mentions, will not be the 1.0 needed along with you be outside with the elements of stray light, dusk situations and so forth. Brighter is better. - Monte  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-04-2012 10:24 AM                        Steve--out of curiousity, how do you get those numbers? I would have done (image area in sq. ft.) * (desired luminance in fL.) * (screen gain). That gives me: (25 * 1.9) = 47.5 * 25 = 1187.5 square feet for flat image 1187.5 * 14 * 1 = 16625 lumens needed for 1.85 image at 14 fL on 1.0 gain screen) (25 * 2.35) = 58.75 * 31 = 1821.25 square feet for scope image without anamorphic lens 1821.25 * 14 * 1 = 25498 lumens needed for 2.35 image at 14 fL on 1.0 gain screen I did not account for the chance that longer lenses are probably slower than the "typical" lens that is used to measure light output, and that manufacturers' claims of brightness are often overstated. I also did not account for bulb aging. Do those three factors explain why your figures are 50% higher than mine? Or am I missing something else? Edit: It looks like Christie has lenses that would work in Barry's case, if he isn't committed to Barco. Edit 2: Something is wrong here. The Barco web site says that the DP2K-23B puts out 24,500 lumens, but is good for a 75ft. wide screen? Huh? Even using my numbers, it would be marginal for Barry's screen, even if it were 1.0 gain.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

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.