Some friends and I are thinking of starting a monthly Bay Area HDV event. I was giving it some thought and wondered what some of you experienced folks would recommend in the way of 720P projection? And how to play the media? D-VHS? WM9?

I'd love to get some opinions on this (other than that there's a good chance of not many people having work to exhibit yet).

<<<-- Originally posted by Robert Jackson : Some friends and I are thinking of starting a monthly Bay Area HDV event. I was giving it some thought and wondered what some of you experienced folks would recommend in the way of 720P projection? And how to play the media? D-VHS? WM9?

I'd love to get some opinions on this (other than that there's a good chance of not many people having work to exhibit yet). -->>>

If you are in a fixed location then a CRT projector will give you the most bang for the buck. CRT's will provide the best contrast and color reproduction of anything not priced in the stratosphere the down side it size and setup. CRT projectors are HUGE and require a lot of setup but picture quality for screens under 120” wide is second to none. If portability is required then look a DLP projectors. Look at a DLP designed for home theater because the corporate grade projectors have slower color wheels (I think that what there called) produce a rainbow effect while playing video that some people like I are susceptible to. This effect is very annoying and will give you a headache in a very short period of time.

DVHS is ok but getting your files too work can be tricky I understand. I like WMP9 because you can fit 2 hours of material onto a standard DVD. If you go WMP9 you will need to have decent PC to play it on. A 2.4 Gb P4 w/ 256 MB and decent video card should do the job nicely.

Mike

It would have to be portable. We'd probably be someplace new every month or two.

<<<-- Originally posted by Mike Eby :

If you are in a fixed location then a CRT projector will give you the most bang for the buck. CRT's will provide the best contrast and color reproduction of anything not priced in the stratosphere the down side it size and setup. CRT projectors are HUGE and require a lot of setup but picture quality for screens under 120” wide is second to none. If portability is required then look a DLP projectors. Look at a DLP designed for home theater because the corporate grade projectors have slower color wheels (I think that what there called) produce a rainbow effect while playing video that some people like I are susceptible to. This effect is very annoying and will give you a headache in a very short period of time.

DVHS is ok but getting your files too work can be tricky I understand. I like WMP9 because you can fit 2 hours of material onto a standard DVD. If you go WMP9 you will need to have decent PC to play it on. A 2.4 Gb P4 w/ 256 MB and decent video card should do the job nicely.

Mike -->>>

We had been looking at the Sony Cineza VPL-HS10, but not having any experience with projectors we're not sure if we're on the right track or if it will be bright enough for public exhibition. I have a Roland digital mixer and we can provide a pretty good mobile 5.1 setup if anyone is working with AC-3 sound. The projector, screen and media playback are all issues, though, and like I said, I'd love any feedback. Also, for live playback of clips from a hard drive is there some kind of software available that would allow us to present the program fairly professionally (as if we were rolling tape in a broadcast situation) or would we need to hook up a video mixer and multiple playback sources and run the program like that, using the computers as if they were tape decks?

I would not recommend the HS10 for a large screen as it doesn't have enough lumens...even when its pitch black to put on a good show. We have a 133 inch screen and demoed a few FP in the $5K range and the best one with enough lumens to put on a good show as the sanyo PLV-70/boxlight cinema 20. Combine that with a nice Stewart Firehawk screen or a Da-lite high contrast cinema screen and you'll love the results.
There alot of opinions on the best FP, some like the DLP film look, others like the LCD bright colors, and some still like the CRT look. But for a venue, I would stick with a very high lumen output and for that the plv70/boxlight20 would work out nicely. You would also avoid the rainbow DLP problem. Also this FP has almost no screendoor effect at all. Check out www.avsforum.com for more info on FPs. Whatever you do, don't get sucked in by those salesmen at various AV stores pushing whatever they happen to have in stock.

Thank you very much for that insight. I'll look into the Sanyo/Boxlight. I had wondered if the Sony was going to be bright enough. Chances are these screenings will be in places where control of ambient light isn't perfect.

Now the biggest question on my mind is how to play back the HDV video to best effect.

<<<-- Originally posted by Lisa Lee : I would not recommend the HS10 for a large screen as it doesn't have enough lumens...even when its pitch black to put on a good show. We have a 133 inch screen and demoed a few FP in the $5K range and the best one with enough lumens to put on a good show as the sanyo PLV-70/boxlight cinema 20. Combine that with a nice Stewart Firehawk screen or a Da-lite high contrast cinema screen and you'll love the results.
There alot of opinions on the best FP, some like the DLP film look, others like the LCD bright colors, and some still like the CRT look. But for a venue, I would stick with a very high lumen output and for that the plv70/boxlight20 would work out nicely. You would also avoid the rainbow DLP problem. Also this FP has almost no screendoor effect at all. Check out www.avsforum.com for more info on FPs. Whatever you do, don't get sucked in by those salesmen at various AV stores pushing whatever they happen to have in stock. -->>>

Take a look at the reviews at Projector Central:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/sanyo_plv_70.htm

You may also want to consider the newer LCOS based projectors as well...depending on your budget.

I’m glad this topic came up on here. I am again looking for a way to get high quality video out of my notebook computer from it’s VGA port. I would like to convert that signal to some kind of adaptor that uses the component inputs on my HDTV. It doesn’t have a DVI connector.

I’m surprised how hard it is to find reliable information on this subject. Right now I am using an ancient Focus VGA to SVideo transcoder that I just happened to have lying around. The picture looks, okay, but it’s very soft. I think the adaptor puts out an 800/600 sized image. Not sure if that’s accurate.

Anyway, there is no such thing at any of the stores where I live. Even the high-end place said they get asked about connecting a notebook to an HDTV every day, and they have no idea about how to do it. (!)

I did find a company online that sells a Vesa adaptor cable (VGA to Component) for $19.95 I was just going to order it when I decided to talk to their tech guy. He said (and is the first one to tell me this) that it won’t work. That the HDTV will not know what to do with the signal coming from a computer VGA output. He suggested their Transcoder device for $199. It converts VGA to a variety of formats like 480P and 1080I with componant outs. I almost ordered it, but decided first that I really want to hear some user testimonials before I put my money down. Do you REALLY get a clear image from it – as clear as say a dedicated Pscan DVD or DVHS player? Or will I end up with something as soft and fuzzy as I have now.

Anyone tried this? Thanks.

Are you talking about RGB inputs on your HDTV? If so you can just use a VGA to RGB cable.

If you are looking for the insider scoop on info such as VGA to component and which brand is the best one, I would head over to www.avsforum.com and ask in the HTPC forum. Those guys will know what they are talking about. I only use DVI to DVI, but I have heard of VGA to component adapters and but I didn't hear that it cost that much money.

If you guys are planning a Bay Area HDV exhibition of some sort, I'd love to take part in it. I don't know if any of you are members of the San Francisco FCP Cutters group, but they have a big monthly meeting that might be an appropriate forum for this if you were able to get hold of an HD capable projector. I did take along some HDV footage to their meeting that I showed during the break on a G5 with a 23" cinema display, but not all the people there got to see it, they might well be interested in having a section on this at their next meeting.

All the best.

Paul, you've died and come back to life!!!!!

Welcome back old friend...stay a while.

Chris

Thank you Chris, glad to be back to a site where freedom of speech is respected. I hope I can make a positive contribution.

Yeah, if you go to the FCP cutters meeting I'd like to see some of your stuff shot on HD10.

Paul, we'd love to feature your footage. I hadn't thought about trying to coordinate with the SF FCP group, but it sounds like a great idea. Neither of us are members, but both of us use FCP. We should probably try to attend a meeting sometime soon. We're looking to pick up this equipment with grants we get in January, so it will probably be February before we can set up our first screening. By then the word from CES on new HDV product should be everywhere and maybe there will be more new interest in the format, as well.

<<<-- Originally posted by Paul Mogg : If you guys are planning a Bay Area HDV exhibition of some sort, I'd love to take part in it. I don't know if any of you are members of the San Francisco FCP Cutters group, but they have a big monthly meeting that might be an appropriate forum for this if you were able to get hold of an HD capable projector. I did take along some HDV footage to their meeting that I showed during the break on a G5 with a 23" cinema display, but not all the people there got to see it, they might well be interested in having a section on this at their next meeting.

All the best. -->>>

I wish we had this in Palm Beach County, Florida (Miami is 80 miles south, Orlando is 160 miles northwest). I did however meet with some guys last week. I'll keep their names hush hush, but I was shocked to learn who they were, and what they do for a living (not JVC guys, but they KNOW HDV, thank God!). I also was shocked to learn that they're based in my area, but that's a blessing.

I'm really looking forward to December when we shoot a tiny little film. I'm ignoring the HD10 while I focus on directing, but my buddy will DP and I'll throw some video clips up.

And then wait until I can cut on FCP... Sigh...Part of the reason why we delayed it for two months...

heath

ps-Wish I was in the Bay area!

<<<-- Originally posted by Lisa Lee : Combine that with a nice Stewart Firehawk screen or a Da-lite high contrast cinema screen and you'll love the results.
-->>>

Any suggestions on a screen? I notice that Stewart makes their Automatic Vertical Screen and Da-Lite makes their Deluxe Insta-Theater in 4:3 video format only. Not to be goofy about it, but if I'm screening 720P at 16:9 I hate the idea of having blank white screen sandwiching the image. It's not like having black letterboxing.

BTW Heath, I moved here from Tampa. We just started "winter" here in the Bay Area. That means cold rain for three months. Enjoy Palm Beach and smile when you think about our traffic, real estate prices, rainy winter and new governor. ;-)

-Rob (taking his nine credit hours of mandatory "Segment III" courses in the beauty of human diversity and wondering if this state is for real)

It depends whether or not you want a screen that electronically drops down or you want it permanently mounted. Stewart has many many custom options as does Da Lite. You could have it 16:9 with a 4:3 matte, so you always have black borders no matter what. I would recommend only a 16:9 screen, and get a 4:3 matte if you plan to watch regular TV on your projector.

We like the perma mounted screens because the ones that roll down tend to wrinkle occassionally. So, ours is the high contrast cinema 16:9 mounted on the wall...but it depends how much space you have and whether or not you plan on it being portable.

Since there are so many screen options, I would recommend giving the guys over at www.avsforum.com a call, their prices are extremely reasonable and they know what they are talking about. We bought our screen from them and the projector directly from the boxlight company. The guys that run the AVSforum website have their website at
http://www.avscience.com/

If you want specific information on the latest screen technology, head over to the avsforum and look under front projector screens. In the past year, they have developed a lot of new technology in screens that allow for better viewing angles, better black levels, etc. You can often post what projector you plan to purchase and people there will recommend various screens for you. The screen you pick is extrememly important, so don't be afraid to plop down some serious money for a good one. Most people new to front projectors neglect factoring in to their decision buying a good screen. And, lastly, I would recommend picking a screen that will suffice for years to come, because most people who use front projectors end up upgrading the FP but keep the same screen.

It sucked, weather-wise, yesterday and the past few days in West Palm Beach, but today is nice, clear as a bell. Which REALLY makes me wish I had the HD10.

Have fun with the exhibitions and KEEP US INFORMED!

heath