OT - CRT projectors

[Bill Chase]

Doc,
  I still use a Mac Mini as a media server, just not to play directly.  I have iSedora running on the mini (I've also used Universal Music Server) as a music/video server pulling from direct attached storage, transmitting to the network input on an Oppo BDP-95 (I really like the Oppo for this and its ability to play numerous formats that the Mac is not inclined to natively, including FLAC & BluRay ). 
  I'm coming out of the Oppo multiple ways right now. Analog goes to tube pre to Paramounts and analog + HDMI into a Marantz 5005 for HT.  Video goes via HDMI into both straight to TV and to the receiver.
  I programmed a universal remote (Harmony Remote in this case) to family-proof the settings for common activities when I wasn't home.  My recently ordered Paramounts will allow me to omit the Marantz and entirely just continue to use the Oppo as a universal media receiver.
Merry Christmas,
Bill

 

[Doc B]

Thanks Bill,

I really love the Mini I got from you and I'm not ready to give up on it. Not sure if using it just as a server through my BDP-1600 blu ray player is possible but I'll look into it. My main goal was to be able to stream Netflix off the Mini in order to make getting at the Netflix queue easier, as the Samsung just allows access to what is in your queue already.

Anyway, I may have found a possible solution in SwitchResX. Hopefully I'll have the proj on the ceiling tomorrow and I'll be able to get back to working on the rest of the setup and see if that might work. I also asked Clark for a pair of Dungeness subs to use with the front Orcas. This should allow me to keep the deep bass out of the Orcas and the single BUF sub I have been using can then operate as the .1 effects channel and center channel speaker stand.

PB picked up a cheap Ikea rack for the gear and we put in an inexpensive rug with a black background on the light colored floor to help the rest of the blackout efforts (including shooting the 'boardroom beige' projector panels with black Plasti dip spray). When it is all done we'll put some photos up on the soon to be launched new web site.

 

[xcortes]

Well, there's no way to set a crt projector in my small tv room.


But  I need more room for my ever growing family.


And there's two shoeboxes under my kids rooms within the cimentation.


So now Dr Cortes (my father, phd in architecture, professor emeritus from the National University of Mexico and many other badges) is devising a way to recover that space. It looks like we can get a 7m x10m room. Completely light proof and sound proof. It'll be more like digging a mine than building a room.


Next steps: build two more Paramours to go from 5.1 to 7.1 (have all the parts including the Ni 050s to match the other five), build two additional Pi Pro four speakers, get a crt projector (already in process with curt palme), and, of course build the room


Doc, you'd better find a way to use the upcoming "philos" for multichannel.

 

[Doc B]

Very cool! Knowing your taste for upscale stuff I imagine you are looking in the G90/9500/909 range. I dunno anything about them, but I will say that being able to do 99% of the tweaking of the image from the Sony remote is really nice and I wouldn't hesitate to try a G90 if one came my way for a good price. And the Moome HDMI card really makes the setup easy and great looking.

Tonight I beefed up the ceiling joist support for the projector, cut a hole in the ceiling for my winch cable and when Colin gets here I will get him to help me mount the winch to the rafters in the attic. Not a lot of fun, but it beats digging a basement ;^)>

I'm sure there will be photos as we raise the beast into place. Tomorrow we should get the proj hung and converged and I will try out my new/old colorimeter.

 

[xcortes]

Nope,

This time I'll just go with the second tier and get a 8500. Curt was tempting me with a g90 but it's too heavy and it's gotta fly from BC to Aztlan.  Curt will install all the bells and whistles including the hdmi card. It's a like new projector.  This is a project that has all the family excited so no buyers remorse (as if I cared!).

 

[Bill Chase]

You guys are really giving me the bug on this one!  I'll likely stick to fleshing out the sound portion of our HT for now though-- shipping to Hawaii for a rented house is impractical & we're facing a move next summer.
These are great projects-- keep us posted!
Cheers,
Bill

 

[Chris]

Yeah, Doc, sort out the netflix scenario.. because your problem will be the same for us later on as well.. so report on your success as you are doing... And Bill, you are getting the bug for what? CRT projectors? or really bad movies with stupid titles???

 

[Doc B]

Nope,

This time I'll just go with the second tier and get a 8500. Curt was tempting me with a g90 but it's too heavy and it's gotta fly from BC to Aztlan.  Curt will install all the bells and whistles including the hdmi card. It's a like new projector.  This is a project that has all the family excited so no buyers remorse (as if I cared!).

I bet that's an excellent choice. Sounds like it's time for you to buy a couple of shovels for the kids. I'm sure Curt knows the shipping details intimately, but after getting the projector hung last night I am laughing that one would think any of these monsters would be significantly lighter than the other. After crawling around in the attic for hours building the supporting structure and then wrestling the projector the last critical inch into its hanger I am sooooo sore. Thanks to Colin for being the other wrangler. He was saying he didn't feel too bad that he missed his weight lifting workout that day. The winch worked great, I can't even imagine getting the thing above table top height without it. I'll put some photos up later today, as they may give you some ideas when the time comes to install yours.

 

[ironbut]

Well, this has turned into quite the saga!
And it sounds like once Doc gets the popcorn ready, Xavier will carry the torch to another extreme.

I gotta say that nothing makes me feel my age like crawling around in the attic. I ousted some termites from a couple of ceiling joists earlier this year and I need to get back up there and make sure that I snuffed them all out. Also need to replace a smooshed heating duct section.
My procrastination is in overdrive on those items on the "ta do list"!

Carry on my brothers.

 

[Chris]

Yes, the obituary reading you were killed by termites eating around projector while watching a movie would NOT be a good thing....

 

[Doc B]

For me the attic shock was realizing that the puny layer of ceiling insulation had collapsed to about an inch and a half thick. One more todo on my list. I was really sore yesterday after the install, but spending the day pushing buttons on the remote was a decent way to recover. After about six hours I got the setup good enough for a movie. Queenie bought a bluray of Elysium to christen it with. Great movie to test drive a projection system.

Tweaking the projector could become an obsession. I can see that the way for me to deal with it is to go at it a little at a time, refining it a bit here and there. I would continue to emphasize that the tweakiness is a major point if you are considering getting one of these guys. I've built projectors from scratch and studied optics in college and I still found it a fairly steep learning curve.

 

[Doc B]

Here's the supporting structure in the attic. The threaded rods on the lower panel hold the mount to the ceiling. No way in hell Shawn would have gone in there with all those spiderwebs.

 

[Doc B]

Here is the proj hanging from the winch cable. The straps are from the first attempt at raising it. Dumb idea.

 

[Doc B]

And here is the monster mounted up. Colin and I wrestled it into the cradle while Queenie pulled the last two clicks on the winch handle.

More good news is that the Mini is now doing 1080p beautifully. Netflix is really nice.

 

[xcortes]

Wow!

 

[Chris]

Looks good and sturdy.. good job...

 

[Paul Birkeland]

Go big or go home?

 

[Doc B]

A few tuning sessions here and there the last few days, first fine tuning convergence and then starting to play with color calibration. Unfortunately the cheapo colorimeter I bought used is shot, but I did manage to get a better gray balance by eye. As I learn more about what's going on with this setup I realize that a new green crt is in the future, if I can find one. But even with the worn one the picture is getting pretty amazing.

It's getting to be time to move on to the surround setup. I'm thinking that later in January when I have that completed we will have an open house and folks can come check out the system.

 

[xcortes]

It's going to be interesting to see how better you like surround vs two channel for movies. These past days I've been thinking a lot about the fallout shelter and I'm struggling between:

An audio room for the big rig with the addition of the crt. I would keep a smaller system at the living room around the WE's.

A 7.1 video room and maintain my audio at the living room.

I like the idea of using the bunker for my horns since I can't really play loud at nights. I'll loose the ability to do multichannel for movies though.

 

[xcortes]

In addition two channel allow the use of a BH dac.