Using Barco DP 2000 with HDMI

[Paul Gabriel]

I have been trying to display something from my PC to the projector for some time now using the DVI port butt it doesn't work. Any ideas?

[Leo Enticknap]

There are lots of possible reasons.

The most likely one, IMHO, is that if the computer's graphics card has HDCP permanently enabled on the output, then you won't get a picture, because the DP-2000's input board doesn't support it. Later Series 1 projectors did support HDCP on the DVI input, but many do not. I'm not sure if the DP-2000 was ever available with an HDCP-enabled DVI input. But I've dealt with numerous 1500s and 2000s that do not support HDCP.

Another possibility is if your PC is outputting a resolution, frame rate, and chroma subsampling format that the projector can't support. The installation manual doesn't state what the DVI input will and will take, but it has this for the SMPTE 292 (HD-SDI) input:

DP3000_HDSDI.PNG
Assuming that it's the same for the DVI input, then if your PC is trying to send it 1080p60 (which is what the HDMI output of an average Windows laptop these days is typically capable of, as a maximum), then the projector can't cope with it: 30 is the maximum for progressive, or 60 for interlaced. You could try reducing the vertical frequency (frame rate, in other words) and/or resolution in your computer's display settings, and seeing if this gives you a picture.

[Marco Giustini]

There was a table from Barco to tell exactly whether the TI board would support HDCP or not - and it also depended on the backplane if I remember correctly?
Can you try a Blu Ray player first? If that works, then you should be able to use your computer too. If it does not, then you should make sure your computer is not outputting HDCP - I am not sure whether that is possible or not.

[Carsten Kurz]

Paul - are you sure there is a suitable preset configured for the DVI port at all?

You need to have a Series-1S Type 4 or Type 5 processing board in the projector. Only those will support HDCP.

But normally, a PC should work without HDCP complications, however, you should set it to 1920/1080/60Hz. What type of PC is it?

[Leo Enticknap]

One gotcha is that all recent Mac laptops have HDCP permanently enabled on the HDMI output. With Windows computers it depends on the graphics card. Many will only engage HDCP if an application (e.g. Amazon Prime streaming app, DVD/BD player app, or some other app that plays DRM-protected content) that asks for it is running. A few have HDCP permanently engaged, and some don't support HDCP at all, with the result that apps that ask for it either won't work at all, or only through the analog (VGA) output.

[Steve Guttag]

All series 1 projectors, on their DVI inputs are really looking for 1920x1080 or 2048x1080P at 60 or 59.94Hz. On a single DVI port, it is looking for 8-bit RGB color space. It is possible via "twin-link" to step that up to 10 or 12 bit but I've yet to see the benefit given that of the era, you were mostly working with 8-bit devices (DVD, Blu-ray) and the additional bit depth just didn't seem to make it worth the effort.

As for HDCP, that is up to the TI boards on later units. Type 4 and Type 5 (GORE) are HDCP compliant. Barco did have an HDCP daughter board for Type 3 and earlier systems with their original signal backplane (in the Elca box). If you have a Type 4 or 5 TI board then the bypass daughterboard should be installed. Later signal backplanes did not have the spot for the HDCP card.

As for Apple products, they default to HDCP enabled for all sources. However, if you have a device (not the projector) that can send the appropriate EDID, it can be turned off...you just can't do it via the Apple product itself. Note, when HDCP is turned off, the Apple product won't output any HDCP enabled content, naturally.

[Leo Enticknap]

So something like an HD Fury Vertex might persuade a Mac to work with a Series 1 non-HDCP projector, presumably.

I remember that the NC2500 we had at the Egyptian would only work at 59.94i or 60i on its single DVI input - no 1080p higher than 30.

Thanks for the detail on Series 1 TI boards (and to Carsten). Effective next week, I will have zero regular support customers with Series 1 equipment in revenue earning service, so anything approaching that level of detail I had in my memory has evaporated. Next week, a high end residence theater currently using an iS8-2K fed by a DSS100/DSP100 (installed in 2008) will see them replaced with a 1201L and an IMS3000. That projector does have the HDCP-compatible board in it, fed from a Lumagen scaler; but as the bulb in it is now several thousand hours over warranty and starting to flicker, and as the projector would need to be removed from a pod that it has effectively been built in to in order to replace it (don't get me started on high end home AV integrators who believe that digital cinema projectors are maintenance free), the end user has made the very sensible decision to do a major upgrade project of the entire system. The end user's estimated net worth is such that the reliability that the extra investment will buy is really a no-brainer: it would be like you or I replacing our 55" TV.

[Steve Guttag]

I am surprised that the NEC-2500 had the restriction to 1080i/60 and 1080p/30 but I can't claim to have tested one. I have, on the other hand, hooked up numerous Barco and Christie S1 projectors and those theatres that wanted something more than Blu-ray, we often had an ACS2048 scaler on the head of it (for sure if there were SD sources that needed scaling/anamorphic encoding handling...that sort of thing. The ACS2048 was a mixed bag as it had a VERY fussy HDCP system. But on the scaling side, it had the Folsom technology that is found in the ImagePro and many of the ASCII commands for the ImagePro worked the ACS2048 too. It is now a VERY rare bird that we install scalers as most everything is HD or UHD.

[Paul Gabriel]

Paul - are you sure there is a suitable preset configured for the DVI port at all?

You need to have a Series-1S Type 4 or Type 5 processing board in the projector. Only those will support HDCP.

But normally, a PC should work without HDCP complications, however, you should set it to 1920/1080/60Hz. What type of PC is it?

I't's a Dell Inspiron 15

[Paul Gabriel]

Paul - are you sure there is a suitable preset configured for the DVI port at all?

You need to have a Series-1S Type 4 or Type 5 processing board in the projector. Only those will support HDCP.

But normally, a PC should work without HDCP complications, however, you should set it to 1920/1080/60Hz. What type of PC is it?

I checked, there's isn't any preset for the DVI, I was told the button 6 was configured for it, turns out it wasn't.

[Carsten Kurz]

So, the first thing is to set one up, using Barco Series 1 setup software. Are you familiar with that software?

[Leo Enticknap]

...we often had an ACS2048 scaler on the head of it (for sure if there were SD sources that needed scaling/anamorphic encoding handling...that sort of thing. The ACS2048 was a mixed bag as it had a VERY fussy HDCP system. But on the scaling side, it had the Folsom technology that is found in the ImagePro and many of the ASCII commands for the ImagePro worked the ACS2048 too.

It also has dual DVI outputs to the dual DVI input of a Barco Series 1 projector: my understanding is that this is what enables 1080p60 above 8-bit.

The upscaling from NTSC and PAL that the ACS-2048 offers is of astonishingly high quality. The 1080p output makes a VHS tape look like it was originated on Beta SP (subjectively, to me, at any rate). I use one that I bought on Ebay for $150, in combination with a Blackmagic HDMI capture card, to capture VHS, Video 8 and Hi8 tapes for friends and relatives. I set it to output 1080p30 for NTSC, and 1080p25 for PAL when doing these transfers (i.e. combine both interlace fields into a single frame), which cuts down on the captured file size, too. I guess that almost no-one wants to use them for this because the ACS-2048 doesn't process audio at all (hence the fact that they are now almost worthless on the used market), thus adding hassle for using it as a capture processing device. I capture analog audio from the VCR into a PC audio card simultaneously, and the sync is good enough without having to do any post-processing, for most tapes.

[Paul Gabriel]

So, the first thing is to set one up, using Barco Series 1 setup software. Are you familiar with that software?

I am, I will do that and see if it works

[Paul Gabriel]

So, the first thing is to set one up, using Barco Series 1 setup software. Are you familiar with that software?

It worked, but I get this colour mix up

[Dave Macaulay]

Did you modify a cinema macro by changing the input to HDMI? Probably still on XYZ color, change that to REC709.