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This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
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Author
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Topic: Laser "upgrade"?
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Jack Ondracek
Film God
Posts: 2348
From: Port Orchard, WA, USA
Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 09-04-2013 09:04 AM
I've been watching the story about a laser projector, about to be installed in the Seattle Cinerama. This makes me wonder if we'll see the technology at the smaller theater level any time soon.
Barco maintains that they'll build an upgrade that basically allows you to convert to laser by swapping out the light module. Interesting, if it works out that way.
I have two "23-B" models that put plenty of light on my back screens. I don't see the (assumed) cost of converting them being paid off in xenon savings during my lifetime, so I'm not considering conversion of those two. As for my big screen (86 ft with a 32-B), I would consider upgrading that one.
The light on my big screen is adequate, but doesn't pop like the back ones do. I'm also burning through bulbs. 4 of them have gone out on me during my 7-month season. I'm averaging 130 - 150 hours on the Ushio 6.5kW lamp before the anode droops and won't strike. Maybe I shouldn't complain... I'm getting free replacements, but we do have to keep an eye on the machine. One of my 4kW bulbs had the same thing happen with something like 600 hours on it.
Cooling isn't an issue, at least as applies to specified operation here. Barco specs something like 350cfm external. I'm running twice that. Due to the dusty environment here, I'm venting the machines directly into the booth and pulling the heat out with commercial air conditioners. They maintain a constant 73 degrees in the booth.
I assume that, cost notwithstanding, laser would cure all those problems. Less heat? The Cinerama says the Christie laser will do over 60,000 lumens, too.
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Marcel Birgelen
Film God
Posts: 3357
From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands
Registered: Feb 2012
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posted 09-04-2013 12:46 PM
I'm wondering... how will this whole upgrade thing work in a 3-chip DLP setup? A laser projection system doesn't use a single light source, it uses three.
So, for this to work, you would need to change the whole light path from the sources to their respective DLP chip. Only what comes after the DMDs could possibly stay the same.
quote: Scott Norwood
How does the laser thing actually work? Separate red/green/blue lasers? How does the laser beam get do the DLP chip? Is there a beam spreader to make the laser beam cover the area of the chip, or does a narrow beam scan the chip line-by-line (like a CRT)?
There are three separate light sources for R, G and B. Either, you flash the different light sources at a single DMD (like the color-wheel or LED based single chip DLP chips), or you have a dedicated DMD for every color.
The laser beam, in the setups I've seen, is spread over the whole chip. The problem with this technique is that it creates a static speckle pattern that needs to be hidden/blurred somehow.
There are also some laser projectors using a CRT-style technique, but they don't seem to be proposed for cinema usage. The main advantage of such a setup is, that you don't need any lenses to focus the picture. The biggest disadvantage is the non-static picture, which can introduce flicker.
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Carsten Kurz
Film God
Posts: 4340
From: Cologne, NRW, Germany
Registered: Aug 2009
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posted 09-04-2013 05:02 PM
Most LIPs use multiple laser sources (some hundreds) as a first measure to reduce speckle. As far as I know, the better ones use multiple methods to reduce it.
http://lipainfo.org/wp-content/uploads/Greg-Niven_Projection-Summit-2012.pdf
To my knowledge, the Barco retrofit option actually attaches to the light pipe, it sends all three colours through it, simulating a white light source like the Xenon bulb. This could be improved technically, but is probably not possible without replacing/deconstructing the whole light engine. You do not get to the individual RGB paths without that, and then the retrofit idea is no longer there.
As a side effect of this simple retrofit idea, there is little improvement in overall picture quality - especially On/Off contrast remains as low as before.
Kodak used a dedicated laser based design, which among other things achieved higher contrast using DLP imagers. Wether IMAX goes the Kodak way, or follows the Barco retrofit strategy, or a mix of both, who knows?
Scanning concepts are not used in cinema projectors. The only professional alternative approach so far nearing market readiness could be REDs laser projector, which to my knowledge uses grating light valve technology.
Sony already demo'ed a laser illuminated cinema projector using their SXRD imagers. So all relevant imager technologies can use laser illumination. Sony even has 3LCD based business laser projectors in the market.
NEC has a 5000 lumen professional laser projector ready for this autumn. Seems to be based on their large venue or maybe even their DCI projector engines. Is said to cost more than 150.000US$. 4k, 20.000hrs laser life span. The idea is simply to cut costs for units with high runtimes like in the simulation or entertainment market. Not only runtime of the light source, but also to reduce wear on other components during continuous operation.
NEC says they can offer upgrades to 10.000, 30.000 and 60.000 lumens once laser safety regulations are relaxed.
Still, I don't see this coming to cinemas soon. Only very large screen operators will have an economical benefit.
- Carsten
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Edward Havens
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 614
From: Los Angeles, CA
Registered: Mar 2008
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posted 09-04-2013 07:36 PM
One also needs to look at the marketing aspect.
In my neck of the woods, we were the first theatre to be all-digital projection when we opened back in 2008. Five years later, the moviegoing audience in our market still equate us with being the best theatre to see a movie at, even though all our competitors save one have since gone digital as well. Our guests saw the difference in the picture and sound quality versus the other houses, and we've been enjoying a 55-65% market share since the day we opened. Adding an IMAX digital system in 2011 has only helped increase our market share, since we have the only IMAX system in the entire county. People will drive 25+ miles, past two competitor houses with their PLFs, in order to see our IMAX presentation. I even got a compliment about our theatre when I was getting something to eat at a Burger King drive-thru just last night, a good 25 miles from my theatre.
Being one of the first to have something like Laser Projection will be a leg up on your competition. Start watching the local Seattle grosses now, and watch them jump at the Cinerama when present something like Thor or The Desolation of Smaug or Captain America exclusively in 4K Laser Projection.
Something like sound most people don't care too much about. Most non-industry people don't have the capacity to understand the difference between 4-track Dolby A, 6-track magnetic, 8 Channel SDDS or Atmos, but they can certainly see how much clearer most DLP presentations look compared to what they used to get at poorly-maintained 35mm houses of the past. And Laser sounds newer and cooler than mere digital projection.
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Jack Ondracek
Film God
Posts: 2348
From: Port Orchard, WA, USA
Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 09-05-2013 01:08 PM
quote: Steve Guttag
Jack, what is odd is that we have customers with the Ushio 6.5K. All have made it to warranty without incident. They have, at most 600cfm too. We did drop one of them back to the 6KW and that one too made it to warranty without incident (did real well, in fact...very low light fall off...the DXL-60BA2/L. I'm wondering if the lamp not striking isn't partly a Barco issue...they have the weakest igniter of the bunch and their software has it give up a bit too soon. I have had to put multiple strike cues into our automations...mostly to deal with Osram though. Ushios normally are just not an issue.
As for lasers...they are not talking about an indefinite life span...the longest I've seen published is approaching 50K hours...most seem to be talking about 20K-30K hours. So we are talking about 10-15 xenon lamps on the smaller side but 40+ lamps on the larger.
Steve, good thoughts.
I don't see anything wrong with the projector. When relatively new, the bulbs strike whenever you turn them on. The anode droop is pretty easy to see. You can tell the plasma ball isn't hitting the center of the anode. Rather, it's hitting the top third, then rolling off the top of the anode. Do they put magnets in these lamphouses, too?
Admittedly, I'm not giving the 6.5kW bulbs much of a break. It's taking everything they put out to give me a good picture on my 86-foot screen. By the time they quit, the drop-off is pretty noticeable. I don't doubt I'd get better life if I turned them down. In any case, I'm not taking them anywhere the projector isn't willing to send them, power-wise, and they're running within spec. Seems they ought to get a lot closer to warranty, if not meet it. In the meantime, I'll accept the replacements until someone figures out what's happening. I've hit the screen with the output of a fresh bulb 4 times this year... something that's pretty unusual for anyone, I suppose.
The other interesting thing (to me), is that while I didn't make a habit of rotating my bulbs when I was running 35mm, it isn't an option with these Ushios. the wires are too short.
As for lasers... I'm running about 900 hours a season, +/-. At the short end of your life estimates, that gives me 22 years on the system. I'm really hoping to turn this place over to someone else by then!
Still, that works out to 29 bulbs, assuming I made warranty on all of them. At roughly $1,700 each (w/tax & shipping) and no price changes (!), that's just over $49,000 for light. Since I'd be spending the money anyway, getting a better product for a conversion cost in that ballpark wouldn't be a deal breaker for me.
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