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Anamorphic Lens Seminar


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The DNP has accurate colour at all angles, the BD does not.

The BD has noticeable screen texture or sparkle, the DNP is supposedly much better in that regard.

I have not seen either screen but from what I have read I am not interested in the BD and would only consider the DNP.

If you plan on selling a BD it would be wise to see both in action before settling on one.

This mob are selling a 100” DNP fixed screen for $2999 which is not too bad. The prices you quoted are way off the mark and typical of inflated Oz prices.

http://www.hot.com.a...een-best-screen

I plan on seeing the BD before I commit... The pricing offered by the above is cut throat and well under the rrp of the DNP, a reason to steer clear of that brand as a stockist. I don't think they're a normal stockist either, but rather stock they sourced elsewhere and is why their stock is sold 'as is with no returns'.

The BD has 3 gain types .8, 1.4 and 2.4 - the DNP only has a gain of .8 so not much choice there imo.

The RRP quoted prices are typical of such a screen here in Australia (the DNP has similar rrp pricing btw!). They may be cheaper in the USA, like projectors, that's a given. But stating their prices are way off the mark when comparing them to a box mover who has slashed their pricing is not an accurate representation of the products value, just opinion.

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I plan on seeing the BD before I commit... The pricing offered by the above is cut throat and well under the rrp of the DNP, a reason to steer clear of that brand as a stockist. I don't think they're a normal stockist either, but rather stock they sourced elsewhere and is why their stock is sold 'as is with no returns'.

The "cut throat" price is actually representative of the street price in the US, only fools pay RRP as its easy to import direct from the US.

The BD has 3 gain types .8, 1.4 and 2.4 - the DNP only has a gain of .8 so not much choice there imo.

The DNP is also available in 2.3, which is the normal model sold so there is a choice. And with the sparkle and colour issues the BD has the DNP is the only choice for me.

The RRP quoted prices are typical of such a screen here in Australia (the DNP has similar rrp pricing btw!). They may be cheaper in the USA, like projectors, that's a given. But stating their prices are way off the mark when comparing them to a box mover who has slashed their pricing is not an accurate representation of the products value, just opinion.

The RRP in Oz is a bad joke and totally unrepresentative of real worth. You can fly to the US have a weeks holiday and fly back with a BD or DNP screen for less than the local RRP, its just crazy and does not help the screen manufactures as it severely inhibits sales and the huge margin goes into the distributors and retailers pockets.

To be viable you have to be able to sell for the US street price plus fright and GST or close, if you cant do that most people will just go around you and import direct. I know people in the high end HIFi trade and they come up against this problem all the time, most people are just not prepared to be ripped off thousands of dollars by local suppliers so its compete or die.

Its now easy to purchase from any US on line or street front store using an Australian credit card. The days of Oz distributors and retailers being able to extort ridiculous mark ups are quickly drawing to a close.

Edited by Owen
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The "cut throat" price is actually representative of the street price in the US, only fools pay RRP as its easy to import direct from the US.

The DNP is also available in 2.3, which is the normal model sold so there is a choice. And with the sparkle and colour issues the BD has the DNP is the only choice for me.

The RRP in Oz is a bad joke and totally unrepresentative of real worth. You can fly to the US have a weeks holiday and fly back with a BD or DNP screen for less than the local RRP, its just crazy and does not help the screen manufactures as it severely inhibits sales and the huge margin goes into the distributors and retailers pockets.

To be viable you have to be able to sell for the US street price plus fright and GST or close, if you cant do that most people will just go around you and import direct. I know people in the high end HIFi trade and they come up against this problem all the time, most people are just not prepared to be ripped off thousands of dollars by local suppliers so its compete or die.

Its now easy to purchase from any US on line or street front store using an Australian credit card. The days of Oz distributors and retailers being able to extort ridiculous mark ups are quickly drawing to a close.

I agree, we do get ripped off. You should have a look at the more premium car prices in the USA vs Oz, you'd be gobsmacked by how much more we pay.

Trust me it's not the retailers making the markup here, it's the distribution, that's where the money is. The markup on projectors etc is shrinking with each new model that comes out, the distribution price never goes down though.

At the end of the day, this is Australia, this is what we pay, this is how the RRP is set out for such items. We can compare everything back the USA, all it does is make people mad..

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The price of luxury cars is a sore point with me, the car I own sold for $90,000 less in the US then in Oz. Most of that is due to the luxury car tax of 50% on top of GST but Oz distributors like a hefty margin as well, especially some brands.

We cant grey import cars so we have little choice but to pay up, but thats not the case with other consumer products. Oz distributors will see their business evaporate in the new internet shopping world.

I for one wont hesitate in purchasing direct if the local price is excessive.

There is another light rejection screen to consider from Draper Europe. The React II material is much like the BD and DNP in performance and has a gain of 1.1. A 104" 16:9 electric tab tensioned screen sells for $2.4k AU or probably less in the UK, even with freight thats cheap. There are larger and scope models available for not much more and fixed screens are much cheaper which makes the silly local prices of the BD and DNP screens un viable.

Edited by Owen
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TANGENT WARNING!!!!

The price of luxury cars is a sore point with me, the car I own sold for $90,000 less in the US then in Oz. Most of that is due to the luxury car tax of 50% on top of GST but Oz distributors like a hefty margin as well, especially some brands.

LCT is 33% of the value in excess of the threshold excluding GST. GST is then applied to the car value + LCT. An effective rate of 50% on top of GST is basically impossible as the LCT has a mathematical limit of around 30%. For example, a car costing $10,000,000 has an LCT amount of a bit less than $3M.

Of course, there's a 5% import duty applied before any of the above is calculated, but that still leaves a lot of markup for the importer, a lot more in fact than any of the applicable taxes.

Thank you for your attention.

/Tangent.

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From the ATO web site. "LCT is a tax of 33% imposed on the GST-inclusive value of luxury cars over the relevant LCT threshold"

So for every $1000 a car actually costs over the luxury car tax threshold of about $59k we have 10% GST for $1100, then 33% LCT on that for $1463, and than 5% stamp duty on the lot for a grand total of $1536. That's a total tax rate of 53% not including 5% import duty unless I have misunderstood something. We dont just pay this tax on the true import cost of the vehicle but on the inflated margins charged by the importer and retailers as well, little wonder we end up paying double or more what US consumers pay.

As far as I know we can spend multi millions on a luxury yacht or private jet and only be subject to 10% GST. Me thinks this is a ridiculous anomaly in the tax system, why should cars be so heavily taxed when the toys of the ultra wealthy are not?

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I did point out that the LCT component only applies above the LCT threshold of $59k, thats why most "luxury" car manufacturers try to have a base model at or around that price point, as soon as you go over the price sky rockets due to taxes. $59k doesn't buy a "luxury" car worthy of the name and why cars are treated differently to other expensive toys like boats and aircraft is a mystery.

Stamp duty is a state government rort, its was supposed to be phased out when the the GST system was introduced but the states reneged on the deal and successive federal governments and the media have never forced them to live up to their commitments. In the case of cars stamp duty is a tax on a tax on a tax, utterly ridiculous.

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  • 1 month later...

SIM2 + XEIT + CINESLIDE DEMO

Australian Hi-Fi & Audio Show, Sydney 2012 .

Having just finished a stint on the Audio Active stand at the Australian Hi-Fi and Audio Show (held at the Sheraton On The Park hotel in Sydney), demonstrating my CM-5E lens with the featured Sim2 Lumis, (the first time an Isco has not been used for this purpose, I believe), Audio Active is the new Sim2 distributor for Australia.

Let me offer a couple of thoughts on the projector and its attachments themselves.

Brightness

You don't need any more. This Lumis is a light cannon. When you're setting up and aligning an anamorphic lens, be careful not to look to directly back down the barrel of the optics. You'll be seeing spots for the next half an hour.

Presentation

It looks like a Ferrari, and at circa $60k is priced like one. But like a Ferrari, this projector delivers great, indeed the best performance I have ever witnessed in its chosen field.

Bells & Whistles

For such a costly projector, the Sim2 Lumis does not have some of the bells and whistles that much cheaper projectors almost routinely include nowadays. Surprisingly there is no motorized offset capability, for example. This is due to the complexity of the optics required to squeeze such a brilliant image-producing projection machine into the surprisingly small and light Lumis package. Unless the projector was to get much larger, this feature needed to be left out to make room. There IS a bewildering array of options as far as digital processing is concerned. This projector is designed to be set up professionally and everything's there for the serious 6500k devotee (plus a few things you've never thought of). Even when calibrated, this image was BRIGHT.

Image quality

Absolutely superb. The throw ratio was 2.23 onto a 150", 2.35:1 aspect ratio screen. At this Throw Ratio anamorphic grid distortion and pincushion on the flat screen were practically nil, It was a truly cinematic presentation, with the rich blacks and detailed highlights that Sim2 units provide as standard. Make that better than cinematic. You don't get this quality for $20 admission at the local complex.

This is how projectors SHOULD be demo'd at shows: huge big screens, plus ample seating for interested parties and lots of room to move around in, not the pet carrier sized "theaters" enclosed by black curtains that we are so used to having to put up with. Many were seated only three metres from the screen, and were clearly "immersing" themselves into the various movies shown. I am pleased to say the XEIT CM-5E did not let the Sim2 side down, requiring no adjustments at all to the Sim2's color output, preserving its sharpness and clarity exactly.

Sound

With a 10,000 watt sound system - $35k Paradigm Home Theatre surround sound speakers and a rack full of audio and video processing equipment (Anthem M1 power plants, Primare Blu-Ray player) - "submersion" may have been a better word than "immersion". You could have heard the sound in an Auckland swimming pool, on a good day, I reckon. Perfect. And LOUD.

Mounting

We used a custom mounting plate for the Lumis and a CineSlide motorized sled. This was a Sim2 product designed specifically for use with an Isco-III with the Lumis, but as the CM-5E is CineSlide compatible,and roughtly the same dimensions as the Isco, there were no problems with the fit. Having the sled there was good for demonstrating how an image is built up from letterbox to full 'scope and back again. Some of the punters I spoke to were puzzled at just what was involved in the process. It was easy to show them by using the CineSlide to just render the image back and forth from 'scope to 16:9.

Overall

This is where anamorphic really comes into its own. There is no substitute for it, only excuses for not having it. 'Scope cinema as it was meant to be seen. Tiny, tight pixels, using all the DLP panel, a bright sharp image with great depth, and a sound system that made you feel you were in movie heaven. Which, of course, you were.

Sorry Owen and you other anamorphic doubters, but this was an inspiring set-up.

Sell the kids.

Edited by Alcheringa
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Test Patterns

Just a note re. Test patterns while I'm posting....

I've decided to offer FREE OF CHARGE emailed test patterns that I use for calibrating projectors and anamorphic lenses. The patterns projectors provide for focusing are awful, nearly useless. These patterns have been designed by myself to show the true state of focus of any system. They are 1080 x 1920, lossless JPG format.

The test patterns are as follows:

1. 30 pixel grid plus single pixel checkerboard test pattern

This consists of 30 pixel grid squares with single pixels checkerboarded throughout (i.e. Nyquist frequency), The test pattern comes in green channel only and white. Each pattern has vertical and horizontal center marks along the edges, as well as a cross in the exact center of the screen.

2. Single Pixel "Wickerwork" pattern (Green channel only)

This is a variation on the single pixel theme, except that the pixels are in a squared format, rather than checkerboarded. When you look at pixel tiling the effect is of "wickerwork", hence the name.

3. Single Pixel "Black Dots" (Green channel only)

The inverse of pattern "2" above. Very useful for overall focus inspection.

4. All purpose Anamorphic Test Pattern (Full color and gray scale)

Contains a grid, single pixel pitched dots, checkerboard pattern, random colors as well as a model's face for skin tones, plus greys and alignment marks. Circles in this pattern are "egg-shaped" - 3 wide by 4 deep - and should anamorphose out to "circular" circles.

5. Aspect ratio test pattern

Shows all aspect ratios to the nearest pixel, from 4:3 to 2.76:1. Useful for setting up zoom extents on a screen.

6. ANSI Test Pattern - 16 checkerboarded rectangles

Note: you need proper gear for this, to measure contrast.

Anyone wanting to obtain these should send me a PM. You must have a way of displaying JPG files. Many players, plus Play Stations have this capability straight off a memory stick.

Don't forget: FREE OF CHARGE.

Edited by Alcheringa
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TANGENT WARNING!!!!

LCT is 33% of the value in excess of the threshold excluding GST. GST is then applied to the car value + LCT. An effective rate of 50% on top of GST is basically impossible as the LCT has a mathematical limit of around 30%. For example, a car costing $10,000,000 has an LCT amount of a bit less than $3M.

Of course, there's a 5% import duty applied before any of the above is calculated, but that still leaves a lot of markup for the importer, a lot more in fact than any of the applicable taxes.

Thank you for your attention.

/Tangent.

I know for a fact the Rolls Royce phantom is $1mill here. You can drive out of a dealership in the states for $320k. Explain that!

Have to agree with Owen on the car tax point!

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An inspiring review of the setup Alcheringa! I wish I had the opportunity to see (And hear) it for myself.

"'Scope cinema as it was meant to be seen. Tiny, tight pixels, using all the DLP panel, a bright sharp image with great depth, and a sound system that made you feel you were in movie heaven. Which, of course, you were"

Indeed

Blade

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Sorry Owen and you other anamorphic doubters, but this was an inspiring set-up.

I'm not a doubter mate, I just didn't and still dont see any advantage in an "A" lens for my use. If I did I would be sure to purchase one of your fine lenses.

The biggest problem I have with digital projectors is their poor native contrast ratio, the Sim2 being a DLP has similar CR to a good LCD flat panel TV. I find that level of performance totally unacceptable and always will.

The top end JVC has the best native CR in the digital projector world by a factor of about 10 over the nearest competitor and I still consider that a long way from good enough. The high lumens, which is the main attribute of the Sim2, is of no use to me.

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Anyone wanting test patterns, please be aware of the following.

>>>>> THEY ARE NOW AVAILABLE ONLY FROM MY WEB SITE <<<<<

I was having too much trouble with the size of the email attachments being rejected either by my ISP or the recipient's.

Go to http://xeitoptics.com/test-patterns/

They're all there. Take your pick.

Thanks,

Alcheringa.

Edited by Alcheringa
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