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Author Topic: color meters Kyle Mitchell Film Handler Posts: 23 From: Streator, Illinois, USA Registered: Jan 2014 posted 06-14-2014 04:51 PM                     Which ones are approved by NEC and Christie? Anyone have any for sale?  |  IP: Logged Marco Giustini Film God Posts: 2713 From: Reading, UK Registered: Nov 2007 posted 06-14-2014 05:07 PM                     Unless Christie or NEC have developed an automatic calibration for their machines which I'm unaware of, there are no 'approved' colour metres.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-14-2014 05:51 PM                     It's not if a color meter is approved or not it's if it's designed to do the job you need and to what accuracy. The higher the accuracy the higher the cost. There are three primary meters in use today. I use a Minolta, there are also capable meters by USL and Photo Research. I also carry a Spectra screen brightness meter with at all times since I do not always carry the Minolta which is too expensive to leave bouncing around in the car all the time. Some ONLY measure color space and foot lamberts. The Minolta goes much further... Occasionally used meters do come up for sale. Photo Research USL PC-100 Minolta CS-200  |  IP: Logged Marco Giustini Film God Posts: 2713 From: Reading, UK Registered: Nov 2007 posted 06-15-2014 04:24 AM                     I like the Jeti, very small and convenient to carry around  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 06-15-2014 09:18 AM                     I use the USL for the bulk of cinemas...very convenient. By and large, it does the job just fine. For screening rooms and Dolby 3D, I prefer the Photo Research. It is the gold-standard in the DCinema industry. Its accuracy is the best. However, while it is great to have all of this test equipment that spits out numbers to plug in...they are near meaningless if you don't have them calibrated. Most color meters need to be re-calibrated once per year for their readings to be accurate.  |  IP: Logged Marco Giustini Film God Posts: 2713 From: Reading, UK Registered: Nov 2007 posted 06-15-2014 09:38 AM                     I'm not going to argue about the calibration but AFAIK colour meters won't drift like a Dolby Clock if you don't calibrate them! I'm not saying you shouldn't have them calibrated on a regular basis though.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 06-15-2014 12:12 PM                     Ask a manufacturer how long they should remain accurate. Have more than one meter and see how long they agree with each other. Depending on the method of reading the color, they are more or less prone to drift too.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-15-2014 12:24 PM                     Steve is right. The sensors they use are very touchy, extremely sensitive and they do require frequent calibration. If you use it a lot or if it lives in your service vehicle then probably twice a year would be safe. Mark  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 06-15-2014 02:03 PM                     We use the Photo Research PR-655 model at my location. For the main theatre and two DI rooms.  |  IP: Logged Harold Hallikainen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 906 From: Denver, CO, USA Registered: Aug 2009 posted 06-15-2014 05:51 PM                        Another consideration is the technology used to measure the color. I believe spectrometer-based instruments are more accurate than optical filter based instruments since the filter shape on the spectrometer instruments is defined by numbers in a table instead of layers on a lens. This is important with "spikey" sources like xenon. On calibration, it is unlikely that two instruments or an instrument and a source will drift the same. So, if the projector was calibrated with a recently calibrated instrument and later is still in tolerance, it probably is. I'd like to again point out the USL LSS-100, which is permanently installed in the auditorium and, with the help of a test DCP, reports luinance, color, and SPL for each speaker. Harold  |  IP: Logged Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 06-15-2014 05:51 PM                        The Photo Research Cinebrate spectroradiometer is what I carried with me during my Christie jobs here in NM and TX.  |  IP: Logged Amanda Mundin Expert Film Handler Posts: 122 From: Belper, Derbyshire, UK Registered: Sep 2005 posted 06-16-2014 11:55 AM                     How much does the USL LSS-100 cost out of interest?  |  IP: Logged Clint Koch Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1435 From: San Luis Obispo, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 06-18-2014 05:36 AM                     List price for the LSS-100 is $785.00 US  |  IP: Logged

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