Topic: Gearhead's midfi-ht setup

[gearhead]

well, after much drilling and hammering... here it is my pride and joy now.



this represents just a functional installation for now. as you can see, all the
wires are just sticking out at the moment, and the endcap at the bottom of
the mount isn't installed yet. that would be my next course of action though
- cable management. i also placed it quite high for it to be unobtrusive.



at that height, you can see that the joystick for lens shift adjustment is quite
up to the limits of its vertical travel already. i've also used a sunpak 77mm uv
filter to serve as lens protection. i was supposed to use the 81C filter tweak
but can't seem to find this filter locally.

[CocoBoy]

Wow, exciting naman yan.  I'm sure it's all worth the effort.  Sandamakmak na screws etc., pati oil filter grip remover kasama sa pic AE900 has lens shift so I figured the perfect view mount you;re using is ok.  Screen, screen , screen!!! Saka screenshots pag meron na.  Is that the pana PJ you got from your friend?  Congats bro.

[gearhead]

Sandamakmak na screws etc., pati oil filter grip remover kasama sa pic

Is that the pana PJ you got from your friend?  Congats bro.

thanks bro.  yes, that's the pana ae900 i bought from a fellow member here.

hehe... that oil filter grip is for a different purpose. that would be for tightening
the pole of the sabre totem a/v rack that will replace the present cabinet. here
are some more details of the pj mounting on the perfect view tv mount. i'm very
happy about the color integration of the two units. it looked as if i color-matched
the paint job of the mount to the color of the pj itself.



it took me a while to get moving with this project since just the mount weighs
quite substantial already. all in all, both units would be approaching 6-7kg so
there was really some trepidation on what best to use to mount them. as it is,
i only needed tox#5 and some fitting screws to hold them up together.

[gearhead]

Screen, screen , screen!!!

you can see how tight my viewing area is. sagad na talaga both sides.

[gearhead]

the plain 90" sabre glass beaded projector screen courtesy of lecram  :



the pj and screen in action. i turned on some ambient light just to show the
unit in its surrounding.





and now with the lights off:

[gearhead]

some more screen shots before i call it a day:



even at this small size you can still make out some details of the hair strands
of the blonde girl in the background. 





as you can see, i am watching at quite an steep angle as the height of the
diamond 9.6 won't allow the screen to be brought down any lower. they are
quite tall speakers at around 44". i even haven't used its spikes yet.

[gearhead]

that glass-beaded screen from matz (which i got from brother lecram for a song, hehe) has done great wonders to my pj viewing as compared to when i was just using the plain white illustration boards. and to think i was getting quite a good picture already with that temporary screen. image is brighter and colors more vibrant. i say the gain of the glass-beaded screen really helped to boost the relatively low 1100 lumens of the ae900, as compared to the 2000 lumens of the ax100. i was hesitant for a while to use this screen reading about the loss of clarity (daw) for this types of screen. now i'm one contented and happy pj owner.   

i was dreaming of owning one even since the time of the ae-500 and sanyo z-1's, or maybe even a bit earlier than that. i thought it would only be just a dream. it took a while, but i am living my dream now... even how modest it is as compared to the cineplex of other members here.  wow, life is good. 

[audiojunkie]

Sir gearhead... congratz to your new viewing environment.... very nice setup...  

[gearhead]

thanks, bro. support from this community really motivates me to undertake projects such as this.

[streetsmart]

Congrats! I like the screen. Parang match talaga sa pj mo. 

Actually the 1100 lumens of your pj isn't bad, especially if you compare that to CRT na baka 300 to 500 lumens lang. Problem is that with age, the light output of the pj starts to diminish and that's why you need a higher gain screen. What's the gain of your screen?

By the way, in your new set-up, tinanggal mo na ang TV?

[gearhead]

yes, bossing. the tv went to the bedroom already. i'm on the lookout now for 19-21" lcd tv's. it could be with internal tuner or a monitor with an external one. i've already ordered an hdmi-dvi cable for use with my upconverting player for times i don't wanna use the pj. i'm more inclined towards the two-piece setup for now. might pick up the tuner or the monitor tomorrow on my way to get the cable. wow.... parang me butas ang pitaka ko.  :'(

the gain of this glass-beaded screen is i think 2.0 (or is it 2.8?) as per matz if i remember right.

[MAtZTER]

Its 2.0. 

Congrats on your new PJ setup! Truly a dream come true & you didnt need to spend an arm & a leg due to your diligent resourcefulness.

Dont forget to put your 9.6 forward for better audio imaging!

Pic naman ng gears!

[streetsmart]

the gain of this glass-beaded screen is i think 2.0 (or is it 2.8?) as per matz if i remember right.

Your screen is probably 90" x 51" (16:9) so the area is 31.6 square feet.

The rating of your projector is 1100 lumens and the screen gain is 2.0 so the total lumens is 2200.

If you divide 2200 by 31.6, you get around 70 foot-lamberts, which is way too high. The standard for home theaters can vary from 12 to 24 foot-lamberts. It can even be less, in a totally dark room.

However, the reality is that the light output of the pj deteriorates with age. It also depends how far your pj is from the screen. If the pj has a zoom and you place it at its "wide-angle" point, the pj will again lose light output. In other words, the actual light output of the pj could easily be half or even a third of the rated output. At a third of the rated output, you will be getting 23 foot-lamberts, which is still on the high side.

I guess you will have to observe and see if your eyes get tired after a while of watching films. This could be an indication that the pj is too bright. In that case, just let in a little ambient light (maybe at the back of the room), in order to reduce the perceived brightness.

Good luck and happy viewing! 

[gearhead]

Congrats on your new PJ setup! Truly a dream come true & you didnt need to spend an arm & a leg due to your diligent resourcefulness.

Pic naman ng gears! 

thanks, bro matz. since i really wanted a nice setup on a limited budget, due diligence talaga ang kailangan. i want to put up a pj, but since kapos sa budget, need to be diligent naman. my strategy is to have a target range for my budget. in this instance, since my original plan is to get a plasma... i set my budget between 80k-100k. then i work around the low estimate and adjust accordingly but with the high estimate in mind as the limit. most of my gears i got from diligently checking on posts here in the B&S section, so the quite substantial savings. 

i still need to setup the new sabre racks from you (courtesy of AA), and then i will post the new setup.

[gearhead]

Your screen is probably 90" x 51" (16:9) so the area is 31.6 square feet.

The rating of your projector is 1100 lumens and the screen gain is 2.0 so the total lumens is 2200.

If you divide 2200 by 31.6, you get around 70 foot-lamberts, which is way too high. The standard for home theaters can vary from 12 to 24 foot-lamberts. It can even be less, in a totally dark room.

However, the reality is that the light output of the pj deteriorates with age. It also depends how far your pj is from the screen. If the pj has a zoom and you place it at its "wide-angle" point, the pj will again lose light output. In other words, the actual light output of the pj could easily be half or even a third of the rated output. At a third of the rated output, you will be getting 23 foot-lamberts, which is still on the high side.

I guess you will have to observe and see if your eyes get tired after a while of watching films. This could be an indication that the pj is too bright. In that case, just let in a little ambient light (maybe at the back of the room), in order to reduce the perceived brightness.

Good luck and happy viewing! 

wow... i learned a lot from that post. thanks, sir.

so far, i'm contented with the output. i mostly watch in either cinema 1 (for better color) and cinema 3 (for better contrast), or normal if the material is particularly dark. from what i've read, the cinema modes decreases light output to about 300-500 lumens.

The range of lumen output on the AX100U is exceptional. In optimized dark theater mode, our test unit measured 343 ANSI lumens.

using that figure and your computation, that would be 343x2=686 lumens. divide that light with the screen area we get around 22 foot-lamberts. maybe that's why i never experienced the eye fatigue that you mentioned. now i know that i'm still within the standard moviehouse luminance. thanks for the info.

[jerix]

Great!  Bro i presume you are already using the DV-600. Do you have other pic files showing image pic of your other player? Your digi-cam captures excellently and we may be able to see the difference if any. 

[gearhead]

brother jerix. yup, the screenshots are with the dv600 na... but even with my dslr, i think you'd be hard-pressed to pinpoint differences between players since they're both capable naman. what i can say is that the upconversion of the pio 600 is slightly better than the panny internal scaler. that's to say a lot considering the panny has a good upconverter already.

my impressions with the 600 vs 5500s, the philips delivers smoother video quality with less noise at the expense of a little softness. the pio has more contrast and sharpness but a small amount of noise naman. if you're not looking for imperfections and more on an enjoyable viewing experience, both readily delivers naman.

so, if you're about to get a new player, i'd say go for the pio 600 for the very balanced video and audio performance, and future-proofing to some extent. if u have a pj or planning to get one, i also recommend the pioneer for the hdmi convenience. if you already have a player with component out and you have no major issues with it, you're not missing that much staying with it for a while.

one other note on the panny/pio 600 combo: the ability of the pio 600 to output 480i/576i  comes in handy when watching 4:3 material. you can use the JUST (justify) setting to watch in 16:9 without too much distortion. at 720p, only 16:9 and H-Fit is available as choices in aspect ratio conversion.

[jerix]

Thanks for this good insight bro.  actually i am well satisfied with the performance of my pio 676 with my ax100, the ax doing the upscaling to 720p. I am still in a 'wait n see' and a bit hesitant to get an upcon player considering some views that to see a significant difference, i just have to get an HD player which price is pretty much scaling down now until the end of the quarter. I am in the process of absorbing views to serve me well come decision time.

The screen shots you posted were nice though. Ang galing, ang linaw! 

[gearhead]

some more screenshots from "love actually":

the beautiful ms. keira knightley:


this is the same as docelmo's sc from his w100 here:

http://pinoydvd.com/board/index.php?topic=58159.84,

but this one's from my panny ae900. it is just disappointing na yun palang
c-interactive copy na P150 is full frame edition (4:3), so i have to use the
"Justified" aspect ratio of the panny to fill the 16:10 screen. also, the
compression is a bit too much for my taste, though acceptable na rin. one
more sc that shows some compression artifacts here, particularly on the lips
area:

 

[kt]

wow nice setup bro!

[gearhead]

hi, brother kt... visited your setup and it's one nice config too. i also once had an sr4500. nice amp, bang-for-the-buck especially partnered with easy to drive speakers as the mordaunt avants, premiere and carnivals. i had mine paired with a gale complement and no complaints the time i still have those. naawitan lang kasi ng sis ko kaya i have to try another road and a different flavor - this time hk/wharfes naman. was considering the lcd's/plasmas sana kaya lang i really wanted a big screen just like your 46" (or is it 50" already) but at that time can't afford that size panels. so i figured it would be quite some time before maabot ng flat panels ang 90" sa presyong sub-70k. haven't been happier with my choice. watching movies at this screen always brings a smile to my face and a flutter in my heart.

bottomline is... be contented with what we've got and enjoy it while it lasts.  congrats and happy viewing.

[XXXyzledge]

great setup !!

galeng nung upgrade path na tinatahak mo sir!
hehehehehe......

wala pa pix yung newly acquired pi10 mo sir?

have a question:
yung velocht mo wat size?
mine is a cht-10r.... natatanggal ba yung front part nun
to expose the speaker? (front part is the piano finished face)

[gearhead]

yup. the grill can be removed but mine is a cht-10 rev. 1 if i may call it that. have only tried the pi-10 with my system for a short duration last night and will post my feedback later.

[streetsmart]

Hey, gearhead .. I just bought a screen which is exactly the same as yours. Ganda kasi ng screenshots mo. 

Also from SGT Home Theater. Install ko bukas tapos post ako ng picture. 

[gearhead]

if you just bought your screen it's probably the black unit with matte white screen. gain of that is 1.0 while mine is 2.0 as it is glass-beaded. you'd be hard pressed to find this screen now. i got mine from a third party na actually... parang NOS (new old stock). matte has its strength though particularly in the area of color accuracy. if you have the ax100 your screen will be perfect for it. congrats  on your purchase and happy viewing. enjoy!!!. i can't say the same for myself for now as i'm still in the process of setting up.  i plan to do my dvd marathon/s once i am through configuring my system. i'm almost there though, say @70% ()

[streetsmart]

if you just bought your screen it's probably the black unit with matte white screen. gain of that is 1.0 while mine is 2.0 as it is glass-beaded. you'd be hard pressed to find this screen now. i got mine from a third party na actually... parang NOS (new old stock). matte has its strength though particularly in the area of color accuracy. if you have the ax100 your screen will be perfect for it. congrats  on your purchase and happy viewing. enjoy!!!. i can't say the same for myself for now as i'm still in the process of setting up.  i plan to do my dvd marathon/s once i am through configuring my system. i'm almost there though, say @70% ()

Hehe. Mine is exactly the same as yours. Its gain is 2.0. 

Actually, I have a Da-Lite matte white screen now. Motorized pa nga. Bumabanga lang ilalim nya sa center speaker but that won't be a problem with the new screen kasi 16:9 na sya. Heto:



The problem is that the image is not bright enough kaya I had to get a high-gain screen. I have been trying to order a Da-Lite High Power screen which has a gain of 2.8 pero hirap na hirap ako. Kaya try ko muna itong screen mo. 

[gearhead]

wow, naman. ang ganda ng setup mo brother. ang laki ng room at for sure
acoustically treated pa. malamang bumabayo yung mga speakers mo dyan.
is there a couch pa behind the center tables? yun kasi ang sweet spot but
i see the other two seats are sa side.

you mean the da-lite was the one replaced by the sabre screen? if your gain
is 2.0, that means glass-beaded nga. matagal mo na ba nabili yun? kasi at
this time wala na nga stocks ng sabre glass-beaded.

[gearhead]

after hearing another well-regarded speaker set in my system, i now appreciate
more fully both my d9.5 and d9.6. i have decided to stick with them and just do
some bit of tweaking to see if i can extract a bit more performance from them.

here's my opened d9.5.



a closer look at the woofer. shown is the open backed chassis:



from wharfedale:

Our completely new chassis design is not only incredibly strong, it has very
little to obstruct these rear moving pressure waves. As the air moves more
freely through the chassis, timing is improved and distortion is reduced.

[gearhead]

here's the lower section of the tower:



the heart of the matter... the x'over network housed also in the lower bin.

[streetsmart]

is there a couch pa behind the center tables? yun kasi ang sweet spot but
i see the other two seats are sa side.

Heto theater ko. Kinakabit ko na ngayon ang new screen. 

http://pinoydvd.com/board/index.php?topic=69030.0