Will Barco join the 2chip camp?

[Elinor Chang]

Dear all,
According to reliable sources, barco's new product will be adopted 2chips. It is currently being manufactured in a new factory in Wuxi, China. The reason for the DP2K-6E EOL is to make way for this new product.
Is there any information about it in other regions, does it indicate that 2Chip world is coming?

[Marcel Birgelen]

To me, the "2-chip" development is nothing to be excited about. It's simply a dirty hack and will introduce new artifacts.

The whole idea of this 3-chip thing is to elevate the cinematic experience from the "home cinema experience" by providing a superior product: Superior, far bigger picture and better sound. If the future of cinema is cheapo 2-chip DLP projectors, my future will be my OLED screen at home, because that will offer a far superior picture...

[Steve Guttag]

It was my understanding that the DP2K-6E was EOLed to get rid of the mercury lamp style projector. It was effectively replaced by the SP2K-7S (more lumen output, similar pricing, same lensing). 2-chip DLPs shouldn't even be DCI compliant. The one I've seen (not by Barco) had a noticeable rainbow effect more akin to an A/V projector. Then again, the target room for it was more of a boutique type "private rental" that resembled more of a home theatre than a commercial one.

[Leo Enticknap]

Furthermore, the main marketing strength of the Series 4 line is that it brings down the price of 3P laser plus three-chip DLP technology to a price point previously inhabited only by laser phosphor. Why undermine that reputation for not compromising with the digital equivalent of Cinecolor or two-strip Technicolor, when one of their two competitors (NEC) did so?

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

I was going to say that there is no way it could do DCI color space. I wonder if one chip has a rotating filter in front of it. Steve mentioned a rainbow effect and the old LCD stuff that used a spinning filter had exactly that effect on certain thigs.

[Harold Hallikainen]

Instead of a color wheel, how about pulsing the primary color lasers on a single DLP chip. If the flash rate is high enough (and the DLP fast enough), it seems like this could work. It would eliminate color registration issues.

Harold

[Randy Stankey]

I remember reading somewhere, a while back (I forget where) that 2-chip DLP uses two color wheels. One for RGB and one for CMY.

I wouldn't even consider using a color wheel projector in a movie theater.

[Marcel Birgelen]

Instead of a color wheel, how about pulsing the primary color lasers on a single DLP chip. If the flash rate is high enough (and the DLP fast enough), it seems like this could work. It would eliminate color registration issues.

Harold

The "ALPD 4.0" 2-chip DLP technology the Espedeo Supra 5000 uses, doesn't use a color wheel, it already pulses its laser sources. It does use a phosphor wheel though, as it is an LP projector. Below you can see the light path:

alpd4.png

According to Appotronics, who developed this particular setup, it achieves 99% of the Rec2020 color space, so it should broadly exceed DCI-P3. The first DLP chip is used for contrast enhancement and the second for color rendition. So, essentially it's a poor man's setup of Christie's Dolby Vision setup, but it still needs to cycle through different colors.

While this may be true on paper, for me, even current single-chip LED projectors do create a visible rainbow pattern, which really is a no-go for any professional application. Keep in mind that increasing the color cycle will also reduce the maximum achievable pulse-width resolution of the DLP chips themselves.

Until now, I've not seen a convincing non-3-chip DLP solution, I wouldn't even consider a single-chip projector for a home cinema setup, I'd rather go for a 3LCD solution instead...

[Stefan Scholz]

It should work, though. But specs is one thing, and static color is a spec. The projectors seem to do their job, I even saw a video, where it was installed in quite a large hall, which I doubt can be done.
Still have to evaluate one myself. I seem to be quite sensitive to any PCM based light modulation. And a triple colorflash unit was always an annoying no go.
There's one thing to be true, if something offers a competitive advantage at lower cost, it will be done.

[Elinor Chang]

I got some rumors from Barco sales that the new model will be SP2K-6E, 5000lm. I wonder why Barco classified the 2chip as SP2K series.

[Marcel Birgelen]

Why would they call a new model, with a completely different light source and light engine and probably based on Series 4 electronics rather than Series 3 the same as an existing model? Doesn't make sense to me.

[Tom Bert]

The "ALPD 4.0" 2-chip DLP technology the Espedeo Supra 5000 uses, doesn't use a color wheel, it already pulses its laser sources. It does use a phosphor wheel though, as it is an LP projector. Below you can see the light path:

alpd4.png

According to Appotronics, who developed this particular setup, it achieves 99% of the Rec2020 color space, so it should broadly exceed DCI-P3. The first DLP chip is used for contrast enhancement and the second for color rendition. So, essentially it's a poor man's setup of Christie's Dolby Vision setup, but it still needs to cycle through different colors.

While this may be true on paper, for me, even current single-chip LED projectors do create a visible rainbow pattern, which really is a no-go for any professional application. Keep in mind that increasing the color cycle will also reduce the maximum achievable pulse-width resolution of the DLP chips themselves.

Until now, I've not seen a convincing non-3-chip DLP solution, I wouldn't even consider a single-chip projector for a home cinema setup, I'd rather go for a 3LCD solution instead...

Where did you get that visual? It's very different from how I understood the Espedeo works

[Stefan Scholz]

alpd4.JPG
Taken from the Appotronics website, it seems to be the latest of their developments in these advanced laser phosphor technologies. And that is, what is in that Espedeo box.
alpd2.JPG
What I found interesting, that they claim to have 20k cinema installations done since 2014, with extremely good reliability.
It is not quite clear, what type and size of projector they mean, but according to the Chinese website, they offer models up to 33 k lumens.
So, by these figures, they must be a "substantial player" in the field of large venue projection, with the EspedeoSupra 5k being one of the smallest models, which is so far the only (and not directly sold from Appotronix) to appear globally. Or am I wrong in that?

[Tom Bert]

alpd4.JPG
Taken from the Appotronics website, it seems to be the latest of their developments in these advanced laser phosphor technologies. And that is, what is in that Espedeo box.
alpd2.JPG
What I found interesting, that they claim to have 20k cinema installations done since 2014, with extremely good reliability.
It is not quite clear, what type and size of projector they mean, but according to the Chinese website, they offer models up to 33 k lumens.
So, by these figures, they must be a "substantial player" in the field of large venue projection, with the EspedeoSupra 5k being one of the smallest models, which is so far the only (and not directly sold from Appotronix) to appear globally. Or am I wrong in that?

OK: also saw it. That "45-degree element" on the top of the drawing is a mirror, not a DLP. They show it on all their ALPD1.0-2.0-3.0-4.0 graphics

[Gordon McLeod]

I thought the DCI wording was it has to be a 3 chip