Digital Projection is pleased to announce we will soon commence shipping Mercury HD (single lamp) projectors with a new yellow notch filter that improves color gamut and reproduction.

Why is this yellow notch filter important?

All current products within the Mercury lineup employ Metal Halide lamps as their illumination source. These lamps deliver many benefits, including longer lamp life, exceptional lumen per watt efficiency, and low cost of ownership. Metal Halide products are generally very suitable for business and high use applications.

However, the compromise in using a metal halide lamp is that they produce low red and yellow spectral energy, as compared with the broad spectral output of a Xenon lamp. Typical comments from customers comparing our Mercury products with our Xenon lamp-based projectors, like our HIGHlite series, are that the skin tones aren't as rich and that yellow and gold tones don't seem as deep.

To optimize our Mercury products for critical color applications, such as Home Cinema venues, Digital Projection's engineers have designed an improved optical engine incorporating the new yellow “notch” filter. This special optical filter corrects the spectral performance of the Metal Halide lamp, while sacrificing minimal projector lumens.

DPI tested numerous Mercury projectors, both with and without the yellow notch filter. In all cases, the native color temperature was corrected by roughly 1200° K, while light output was reduced by only 2%.

This benefit of this color correction will be most noticed when viewing video and HD content, as this material is produced with an intention to be presented on displays with native color temperatures of 6500° K (DVD movies are one example). The yellow notch filter increases the separation between red and green, enabling better reproduction of skin-tones and a slightly wider overall gamut. It also makes saturated reds and green foliage look far more realistic. Although this performance still does not quite match that of a Xenon-based system, it greatly improves the accuracy of color reproduction while still retaining the metal halide benefits of lower cost and longer lamp life.

For most home integration projects, front projection systems are typically relied-on for only the darkest room in the house - the home cinema. But with a bit of pre-planning and some powerful source mapping technology, front projectors can be employed as custom aspect ratio, multi million pixel desktops that enable the simultaneous viewing of multiple content and formats. These systems can be configured to suit nearly any room in a residence. DP calls these solutions Mega Media Walls.

A Mega Media Wall consists of one to 3 projectors, in-line with a powerful multi-source processor such as a Vista Spyder. The projectors are usually integrated in very efficient rear projection configurations. If a single projector is used, it is almost always one of Digital Projection's 2K x 1K resolution products, such as the HIGHlite 10000HD-R or the Lightning 35HD-R. When more than one projector is employed, the resolution platform of the projectors is selected based on type and mix of content to be viewed, and the custom resolution and screen aspect ratio that best suits the home venue.

As an example, for home media use, three dVision sx+ projectors could be employed in a soft-edge-blend array to create a seamless desktop that is 1050 pixels tall and 3700 pixels wide - nearly 4-mega pixels producing an aspect ratio of 3.7:1. If the screen is 4' tall, the total Mega Media Wall width would be 14.8 feet! Soft-edge blend technology within the multi source processor assures the image transition from one projector to the next is visually seamless. The extraordinary resolution and aspect ratio deliver astonishing visual impact and truly amazing multi-media viewing capabilities.

Armed with a Spyder multi-source processor, this astounding display can present an endless combination of content simultaneously. A family gathered in the Mega Media Room can enjoy one-another's company while also having individual media experiences. Dad can watch ESPN HD, Mom can watch the latest DVD release, Sis can do internet research for a school project and bro can be playing his favorite video or computer game. Every source is displayed as a window within the 4 million pixel desktop and each window can be scaled to any size and positioned anywhere on the desktop - just like running multiple applications in windows on your PC. The difference is that the Mega Media Wall delivers each source at ultra-high resolution, and in a larger-than-life scale that will satisfy any family of media consumers.

When the Mega Media Wall is not in use by the homeowners, it can be programmed to display the family's favorite art, a custom collage of family photos, or simply glow in colors or with scenes that complement room decor. When it is in use, the viewers can select between dozens of preset screen looks - custom programmed desktops with the size and position of commonly viewed sources already configured. Alternatively, they can click and drag each source to fill as much or as little of the screen as they like.

Of course, multiple media experiences occurring in the same room simultaneously does require audio be managed a bit differently than in a traditional, one-source-at-a-time media room. This is normally addressed by configuring the system to route the audio for the primary source (defined by the customer) through the room audio system, with the audio for all secondary sources being available via wireless headphones. Alternatively, zone audio technology, similar to what museums use, can be employed.

If you feel you have customers who can benefit from a Digital Projection Mega Media Wall, just let us know. We would be happy to review the application and define the projector configuration that best suits the venue and the customer's expectations. Of course, if you want to see a Mega Media Wall in action, DP will demonstrate systems at INFOCOMM, June 2005 in Las Vegas, and at Cedia, September 2005 in Indianapolis.

While DP's powerful line of projectors remain the best solution for creating inspired home cinemas, it is a shame to only use them in the darkest room of the house. With the Mega Media Wall, you can enrich your customers lives by bringing DP's exclusive performance to the center of their homes - where their families live, love and entertain... the family room... the master bedroom... the media room... any room can be a Mega Media Room!

Optimizing the lens aperture on DPI's new dVision Series Projectors

Every lens for Digital Projection's dVision sx+ and dVision HD projectors includes an internal motor driven aperture that can be remotely adjusted to optimize the balance between projector light output and contrast for a specific venue. In practice, the effect of this aperture is simple: When in its maximum open position, the projector's full brightness is transmitted through the lens and onto the screen. As the aperture is incrementally closed, the projector's brightness and optical scatter light are clipped, resulting in lower lumens but rewarding with significantly reduced black level and a higher contrast ratio.

When using a dVision projector in a high ambient light environment, the proper setting for the aperture is its maximum open position. The reason is that projected imagery in high ambient light venues will not benefit from a projector with high contrast (low black level), but will benefit from maximum lumens. Indeed, in high ambient light environments, the only way to increase the environmental dynamic range of the image is to either turn out the lights, or bring as many lumens to the table as you can possibly muster. Thus, for high ambient light environments, beyond assuring the aperture is fully open, you may also want to run both of the dVision's lamps at full power. Depending on the content being displayed, you may even want to add some white boost and select one of the more dynamic gamma presets.

However, in venues with high control over ambient light, the benefits of the adjustable aperture really come into play. The darker the venue, the more an image with ultra low black level and high contrast can be appreciated. In theatrically dark venues, once a minimum threshold of projector lumens is achieved (enough to produce 12-16 Ft. Lamberts of light as reflected by the screen), screen black level and contrast ratio become a dominant factor in creating superior image quality.

Follow the simple procedure below in venues with low or theatrically dark ambient lighting:

•  Set up the dVision as you normally would, starting with both lamps on "High" and white boost "Off" or set to a minimal level.

•  With the room lighting set to typical viewing conditions, display a test pattern or a static source that exhibits both 100% white and 100% black content, as well as a range of intermediate shades. Select the projector gamma and set colorimetry to your preference. Adjust projector brightness and contrast accordingly.

•  If the image is far too bright for the venue, reduce lamp power on both lamps, or turn one lamp off. Adjust lamp brightness until the image is still somewhat brighter than you need it to be. Re-check colorimetry and gamma if necessary.

•  Finally, start closing the aperture while carefully watching the black level in the 100% black content area of the image. Optimally, you want to achieve zero black level (no visible illumination in the black content) while still projecting enough lumens to produce the target Ft. Lamberts required for the venue. If in your search for “perfect black” the projector brightness drops too low and you can't achieve your target Ft. Lamberts, re-adjust lamp power and/or turn on both lamps.

You may need to go through the cycle a couple of times before you strike the perfect balance between screen brightness and black level. The goal is to produce perfect black and your target Ft. Lamberts while running one or both lamps (as necessary) at the lowest possible power. Lower lamp power equals longer lamp life, so by following this process, you not only achieve the optimum balance between contrast and brightness for the venue, but you are further rewarded with the lowest possible operating cost.

Tech Tip Archive

Demo Program - Home Cinema Dealers:

• Home Cinema Dealers may purchase (1) demonstration iVision or dVision projection system per calendar
  year at 50% off DPI's published list price. So long as that unit is maintained in the Dealer's demonstration inventory through the end of the calendar year it was purchased, and the dealer retains in their employ at least one technical associate who has received Digital Projection training certification, the Dealer qualifies
  for Elite Home Cinema end column pricing on all additional iVision and dVision projectors purchased through
  the end of the same calendar year.
• Home Cinema Dealers may purchase (1) demonstration Mercury or HIGHlite projection system per calendar year at 50% off DPI's published list price. So long as that unit is maintained in the Dealer's demonstration inventory through the end of the calendar year it was purchased, and the dealer retains in their employ at least one technical associate who has received Digital Projection training certification, the Dealer qualifies
  for Elite Home Cinema end column pricing on all additional Mercury and HIGHlite projectors purchased
  through the end of the same calendar year.
• Home Cinema Dealers may purchase (1) demonstration Reference Display projection system per calendar year at 40% off DPI's published list price. So long as that unit is maintained in the Dealer's demonstration inventory through the end of the calendar year it was purchased, and the dealer retains in their employ at least one technical associate who has received Digital Projection training certification, the Dealer qualifies
  for Elite Home Cinema end column pricing on all additional Reference Display projectors purchased through
  the end of the same calendar year.

December 2004
End of Year 2004
January 2005
February 2005
March 2005