Z1/FX1 on a large theater screen. How it looks like?

[Radek Svoboda]

I read the reports about Sony showing the Camera on a large screen. Has anyone see this? How does the image look like? Does it look sharp enough? Is the CineFrame 25/24 better? Is software deinterlacing better?

If you have digital projection, do projectors project 1080i or you need to convert to1080p?

I read that digital projection is better than optical. So if you project this camera digital and 35 mm film optical, will 35 mm film look a lot better, a little better, equal, worse what? Will digital projection look better than optical projection of Super 16 mm originated film, equal, worse, or what. I'd like learn.

[Nicholas Natteau]

Hi Radek,

One of the first things I did after buying my Sony Z1U video camera, was to do some shooting and then hook it up to my NEC HT1000 optical projector. I was amazed!!!

Although my projector is not natively HD, it can project an HD image via the Component, DVI, or even RGB ports.

Anyway, the projected picture size was 100 inches diagonally, and my viewing distance at 8 feet. The picture quality of the Z1U was nothing short of phenomenal!

In fact the best way to see the difference between SD and HDV is to do just that: test your FX1 or Z1U with a projector! You'll be amazed!

- Nicholas

[Peter Rixner]

Has someone done a printout to film ? That's really the thing. I want to make some Cinema commercials in near future, so I'd like to know, if I can offer that with good reason using the z1.

Thanks !
Peter

[Wayne Orr]

I attended a theatre demo of various HD products that included footage shot with the Z1 and projected on a full-sized theatre screen through a Sanyo projector. The demo material supplied by Sony was OK, but not-jaw dropping. Footage shot by a DP in Las Vegas was more impressive.

The most interesting footage was side-by-side comparison of Z1 versus PD150 footage. The PD150 footage looked quite good on the big screen, and certainly was not "blown off the screen" by the Z1 footage.

This is not meant to suggest that Z1 isn't a teriffic camera, but I was expecting a bit more.

Wayne Orr, SOC

[Ben Buie]

<<<-- Originally posted by Peter Rixner : Has someone done a printout to film ? That's really the thing. I want to make some Cinema commercials in near future, so I'd like to know, if I can offer that with good reason using the z1.

Thanks !
Peter -->>>

I don't know how things are done in Munich, but here in the states the "pre-show" stuff before the previews (what I assume you are calling Cinema Commercials) are done primarily via digital projection and not via film projection. They don't project on the entire screen though, only about 50% - 75% of the screen is used. I believe the primary reasons for this are a) the lights are still on so people can find their seats, and digital projectors are much brighter than film projectors, and b) it would be way too expensive to always do a film print for commercials.

Ben

[Peter Rixner]

Thanks Ben,

but here in Munich - where people wear funny trousers and drink beer al the time :) - only a handfull of theatres have digital projection. At least the ones outside the big cities. There filmprint is very normal. But I guess that will change as projectors getting more and more affordable.

In the meantime we will still have to make printouts, which we allready have done with stills and graphics. But now, with the Z1 I intend to go to the movies :)

I just wonder if it will look as good as I expect it. Sure it sould be MUCH better then SD.

Peter

[Radek Svoboda]

I read some post that the Sanyo presentation looked awful. The projector was not HD. Sony also showed the footage later with Qualia HD projector and it looked great. Can someone confirm if it is true.

[Ben Buie]

<<<-- Originally posted by Peter Rixner : Thanks Ben,

but here in Munich - where people wear funny trousers and drink beer al the time :) - only a handfull of theatres have digital projection. At least the ones outside the big cities. There filmprint is very normal. But I guess that will change as projectors getting more and more affordable.

In the meantime we will still have to make printouts, which we allready have done with stills and graphics. But now, with the Z1 I intend to go to the movies :)

I just wonder if it will look as good as I expect it. Sure it sould be MUCH better then SD.

Peter -->>>

Wow, that is surprising, considering how cheap you can get DLP projectors for (MUCH cheaper than any film projector). Keep in mind I'm NOT talking about the kind of digital projector you would use to project a movie (like the 2k and 4k projectors used in some big movie theaters to show the digital version of Star Wars Episode II and III). I'm talking about home-theater (typically 1280x720) projectors that cost <$5k.

They ONLY use these to do commercials before the previews start, the previews and the movie are both projected on film.

Anyway, to answer your question, yes the HD of the Z1 should hold up much better than any SD camera when transferred to film. I've never seen a transfer with my own eyes though.

Ben

[Ben Buie]

<<<-- Originally posted by Radek Svoboda : I read some post that the Sanyo presentation looked awful. The projector was not HD. Sony also showed the footage later with Qualia HD projector and it looked great. Can someone confirm if it is true. -->>>

Sanyo makes so many good HD projectors that it would be surprising if they didn't use an HD projector, but it would have been a native 720p projector and not 1080i.

The Qualia (native 1080i) would have given a better indication of what a blow-up to film would look like, and the differences between the PD170 and the Z1 should have been obvious on that type of projector.

Not to mention HD looks like a wet dream through the Qualia anyway :)

[Jeff McCutcheon]

I saw it on the qualia at DV expo in LA - 20 foot screen - looked very very good... I couldn't see any pixels or artifacts although I don't really have a trained eye. The only problem was it was still interlaced.. need to see deinterlaced footage to be absolutely certain..

dvfilm will transfer one minute of footage to film for something like $250. If anyone is in LA and interested let me know, maybe we could split costs (although I should mention I don't own a Z1).

jeff@meltworks.com

[John Jackman]

<<<-- Originally posted by Peter Rixner : Has someone done a printout to film ? -->>>

Early next month I will be shooting a test segment that we will print to 35mm. It will be projected in a theatre and reviewed by a panel of film DPs. Results will be in DV Mag -- I'll post again when I know what issue the article will be in.

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

At NAB, Sony will have several film segments to show.
The Latin America launch of the Z1 was done on film vs HDV, and it was stupendous, IMO. Very impressive quality. My only wish was that I had something shot on an Arriflex 35 to compare it to right there/then, as intercut or side by side or A/B or something, because I was struggling to believe what I was seeing. Still sort of am struggling with it, but I've got a copy of the original HDV footage, so I know it wasn't a dream.

[Radek Svoboda]

Sorry, what stupendous means: stupid, splendid?

So for Latin America Sony transferd HDV footage to film and it looked fine on big theater screen? You mean the camera is good to shoot feature with it and have it shown in regular theaters worldwide?

[Steve Mullen]

<<<-- Originally posted by Radek Svoboda : I read some post that the Sanyo presentation looked awful. The projector was not HD. Sony also showed the footage later with Qualia HD projector and it looked great. Can someone confirm if it is true. -->>>

I've seen the same Sony demo video on both. Obviously the Qualia looked dramatically better. But that isn't really the important point.

1) The Qualia is 10X/100X more expensive.

2) it was set-up properly.

3) The Sanyo most likely was not.

5)However, my Sanyo is set-up perfectly. But, no matter. It has a cheap de-interlacer. Likely a $5 chip. The Qualia probably has $500/$5000 deinterlace built-in.

What this means is that ANY interlace camcorder's ulimate viewed quality is going to depend significantly on the display. In particular, the display's deinterlacer. Simply put, to get the most from Sony HDV you'll need a top of the line (read very expensive display) to get great results.

Moreover, when working in your NLE -- if you ever need to deinterlace -- you had better use the most sophisticatd one you can get. Likely, not the one found in Premiere and FCP.

Almost all widescreen displays are progressive as are computers and film. It is only common sense, IMHO, that one's first priority is to shoot progressive. Every other feature is debateable. Especially when we know there is no significant resolution difference between interlaced 1080 and progressive 720.

Moreover, 720 requires 1/2 the computer power to play and edit.

Therefore, the issue of how good the 1080i HDV looked on a Qualia is relevant only when your productions are going to shown digitally on this type of projector -- which is not going into cinemas.

I suspect most hi-end video theater projectors are ONLY progressive because they expect to be showing film transfered frame-by-frame to disk. So you can't count on you local digital cinema having any de-interlacing equipment.

IMHO. if you take emotion, branding, and marketing out of the equation, technology is pointing very clearly in only one direction.

[Radek Svoboda]

Sure, but I have FX1E. What is best deinterlacing software? What is best mode to shoot for film out? How good will the film look like on big screen?

How much is Qualia projector? How big was screen used with this projector?