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

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Digital Cinema Forum   » Dolby 3D alternative usage (Page 1)

This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2

Author Topic: Dolby 3D alternative usage Jesper Meng Film Handler Posts: 16 From: Skoerping, Denmark, Denmark Registered: Mar 2013 posted 11-24-2014 04:03 PM                        I have a rental company mostly doing mobile outdoor cinema, 2 screens, ap. 100 shows each summer for almost 20 years. I have two Barco 32B, recently i sold one and ordered a 4K version with Dolby 3D. Maschine 1 is 2K/Doremi IMB/Showvault. The new one is supposed to be Doremi IMS, but i might wait for an IMS2, no jobs in the book right now. I have made a single 3D show with a Xpand kit, but ended up buying Dolby as i think it is the best solution, for me. I expect that there will be more 3D shows in the future, and more non -cinema alternative stuff. But i am new to the 3d..... 1) Is it possible to stack the two 32B's 2K/4K for 3d? 2) If so, how is it configured? 3) Does any of you have experience with connecting computers to the projectors for 3D? Thanks for a great forum, lots of good stuff here.  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 11-24-2014 04:29 PM                     You mean stacking a 2k 32B and a 4k 32B for Dolby 3D? Should work, as long as you feed both machines through HD-SDI. Dolby has a special colour wheel kit for stacking applications. However, after you built it in, you can't use each projector for Dolby 3D alone as previously. You would need to put the traditional single machine colour wheel back in. I guess it is possible to stack two traditional Dolby 3D equipped machine with the split colourwheel, but you will not gain as much light as with the special stacking wheel. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Marcel Birgelen Film God Posts: 3357 From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands Registered: Feb 2012 posted 11-24-2014 04:41 PM                     Stacking two projectors using the split Dolby 3D color filter wheel will probably never result in an acceptable image. You need to converge two images over each other. Without the help of additional convergence tools (which you can't use because of the ever present encryption), this will simply be almost impossible to get right, especially with two different projectors. The fact that this whole setup needs to be mobile isn't helping either. Also, using two different projectors, especially a 2K and a 4K machine in a stacking setup isn't something I would want to advice. While it will just work, I doubt it will look good, especially up close. Besides the added difficulty of getting the brightness right between both projectors, the picture of the 4K machine will definitely look different compared to the 2K picture. While usually almost nobody will notice this, you're now putting them "side-by-side".  |  IP: Logged Sam D. Chavez Film God Posts: 2153 From: Martinez, CA USA Registered: Aug 2003 posted 11-24-2014 07:16 PM                       quote: Carsten Kurz I guess it is possible to stack two traditional Dolby 3D equipped machine with the split colourwheel, but you will not gain as much light as with the special stacking wheel. AFAIK, there are no official single color wheels for Barco. It has been done using modified single color Left eye, right eye wheel kits from Dolby that need customer modified brackets, Barco only sells the split wheel kits. But, perhaps my information is out of date.  |  IP: Logged Marcel Birgelen Film God Posts: 3357 From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands Registered: Feb 2012 posted 11-24-2014 07:25 PM                     While it seemingly doesn't appear on their official product list, I'm sure they have been available for the DP-3000, officially supported by both Dolby and Barco.  |  IP: Logged Sam D. Chavez Film God Posts: 2153 From: Martinez, CA USA Registered: Aug 2003 posted 11-24-2014 08:10 PM                       Hopefully true but someone still needs to create custom brackets, hopefully someone who knows what they are doing. Imagine the cost of damaged wheels.  |  IP: Logged Pete Naples Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1565 From: Dunfermline, Scotland Registered: Feb 2001 posted 11-25-2014 01:47 AM                     Marcel, it can and has been done using two standard split wheels. You need HD/SDI distribution amplifier and both projectors need to be critically picture aligned and balanced for light. This doesn't give the same light output as Dolby 3D LS solution but does give an increase over a single projector, it also means you have redundancy in case of any failure. It's not uncommon to do this for premieres, festival screening and the like. Dolby UK can provide technicians and equipment hire for this, I'd imagine Dolby in the US can too.  |  IP: Logged Marcel Birgelen Film God Posts: 3357 From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands Registered: Feb 2012 posted 11-25-2014 02:57 AM                     I know it has been done on a few occasions with XPand's active 3D system, as this is the only way it will work with that system. I'm wondering, how will this work with encrypted content and a HD SDI splitter/amplifier? And how do you maintain such a system in production? You'll be constantly adjusting the picture alignments of at least one of the projectors to avoid creating a blurry mess. Christie does have a DCI dual projector system using an external camera and using their own custom convergence system. (Essentially like the Digital IMAX system.) It also supports Dolby 3D, although I'm not sure if they support it in the split color wheel configuration.  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 11-25-2014 06:36 AM                     Well but stacking solutions for dual or even quad projector 3D are quite common. Yes, they need to be adjusted properly, but that is also true for e.g. a RealD XL unit. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Marcel Birgelen Film God Posts: 3357 From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands Registered: Feb 2012 posted 11-25-2014 07:23 AM                     The two images of a RealD XL unit originate from the same light engine and also went trough the same projector lens. Convergence will be less of an issue here. Stacking and stitching projectors together via edge blending is certainly quite common and has been done since the days of the CRT projectors, but besides the stacked 3D solutions for large screens, not really common for DCI applications. The biggest problem here is the encryption between player/server and projector. IMAX has their specific, non DCI-compliant solution and Christie has a DCI compliant solution. I'm also still wondering how you can successfully split the encrypted HD-SDI signal coming from a server to two projectors, if you would want to go the "do-it-yourself" route by simply repeating the same signal over multiple projectors. Similar setups have been done in the past with two servers, running besides each other and keeping each other in sync.  |  IP: Logged Jesper Meng Film Handler Posts: 16 From: Skoerping, Denmark, Denmark Registered: Mar 2013 posted 11-25-2014 08:51 AM                        Thanks for the replies! I guess i must be more precise. I am trying to define the possibilities with the equipment i have. The 3D thing is a 'product in development' for me, but it should be possible to use it for premieres, festival, at least, that was the plan. It would also be nice for me to be able to offer the equipment to other kind of events, for example a dentist convention, i know that they use 3d for visualization. But has anyone used Dolby 3d for something like that? In the replies i can see that a HD/SDI distribution is necessary, that means that i have to have a Doremi with a Dolphin card? Does that fit in the showvault?  |  IP: Logged Dave Macaulay Film God Posts: 2321 From: Toronto, Canada Registered: Apr 2001 posted 11-25-2014 09:14 AM                     You can not have two media blocks on a server - like both an IMB and a Dolphin. You can ask Doremi about this but I have very little doubt about it. I suppose you could have two projectors each with a normal color wheel projecting Dolby3D® together with the images aligned. That would give you more light - but color setup would become troublesome. As already posted, you need different filter wheels for true two-projector Dolby3D® (one eye per projector) - the wheels are not made to be changed easily although it's not a horrible job in a Barco "B". The wheels do cost a LOT though! I believe the ShowVault has a "chase" capability to run two-projector 3D: you need two servers, one slaves to the other. Ask Doremi about that, though.  |  IP: Logged Marcel Birgelen Film God Posts: 3357 From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands Registered: Feb 2012 posted 11-25-2014 10:31 AM                     quote: Jesper Meng It would also be nice for me to be able to offer the equipment to other kind of events, for example a dentist convention, i know that they use 3d for visualization. Are you sure you would even need a dual projector setup? A Barco 32B (both the 2K and 4K version) is a very powerful projector. With a 6K bulb, you can still light up respectable screen sizes using Dolby/Infitec 3D.  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 11-25-2014 10:44 AM                     Doremi has a training sheet explaining all supported configurations for dual/quad-projector setups - Dual-HD-SDI, Dual-IMB, Dual server, etc. But the problem for alternative content is not only the projector setup, but the availability of 3D content and equipment for this application. 3D content is not plugandplay. It is nearly plugandplay for consumer media and equipment, but not for pro-stuff. You need to build some expertise before you offer it. A 3D capable DCI system is not sufficient. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Marco Giustini Film God Posts: 2713 From: Reading, UK Registered: Nov 2007 posted 11-25-2014 12:36 PM                     I believe Dolby 3D is limited to 10m-ish with the most powerful lamp. Can't Jesper use a L/R configuration? That way convergence is not an issue. Also, Jesper mentions an IMB/IMS configuration. Not sure if Doremi IMB supports a dual projector configuration yet. Dolby don't. I know Qube do, but it't not a device I would recommend.  |  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.