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05-12-2003, 10:27 PM
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#181 of 967 
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Join Date: Mar 2001
Local Time: 05:57 PM
Local Date: 11-18-2008
Posts: 3,410
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"board"...
I knew I should have been more thorough what with #1 always ready to correct me with his red marker.  |
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05-12-2003, 10:31 PM
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#182 of 967
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Join Date: Oct 1998
Local Time: 05:57 PM
Local Date: 11-18-2008
Posts: 3,038
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Number Two, you are hereby forgiven by Number One. I wonder if anyone recognizes the movie our monikers are derived from.  |
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05-12-2003, 10:58 PM
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#183 of 967
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Join Date: Mar 2001
Local Time: 05:57 PM
Local Date: 11-18-2008
Posts: 3,410
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I can give them a few hints though:
We belong to an organization whose mission statement is "Private Enterprise for Private Profit".
We are located at No 136 Boulevard Hoaussman in Paris under the false organization called FIRCO which supposedly locates people who served in the French resistance during the War. We have also used the philanthropic organization called the "International Brotherhood for the Assistance of Stateless Persons" as a cover.
Our company logo is an octopus.
Our Founder and Supreme Commander's middle name is Stavro. After his demise, his daughter Nina took control of the company.
Some of our current and former members include: Emilio Largo, Rosa Klebb, Kronsteen, Colonel Jacques Boitier, and Helga Brandt.
#2 |
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05-13-2003, 08:15 AM
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#184 of 967
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Join Date: Oct 1998
Local Time: 05:57 PM
Local Date: 11-18-2008
Posts: 3,038
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Number Two, now they can figure us out. BTW, eliminate the Easter eggs and bunny ears from Number Four. Some day he will be embarrassed when his friends see these threads.
-Number One |
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05-15-2003, 03:43 AM
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#185 of 967
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Join Date: Mar 2001
Local Time: 05:57 PM
Local Date: 11-18-2008
Posts: 3,410
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I have a VERY interesting update regarding DPI's newly announced 3 chip HD2 DLP projector.
While early speculation had it being priced around $20,000 - it now appears that it may very well get priced at or below $10,000!
Here is a quote from a press release I got yesterday from DPI:
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In addition to the iVision HD, later this year, DPI will introduce the MERCURY HD, a high-performance, entry-level three-chip projection system featuring the same 1280x720 DLP technology employed in the iVision HD. The MERCURY HD will be positioned as DPI's flagship product for midrange home cinemas and is perfect for home theater enthusiasts who desire the visually powerful three-chip DLP experience at a great value. The MERCURY HD is suitable for screens up to 12' wide.
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Key-words here are "entry-level", "midrange home cinemas", and "great value". Considering the prices of today's midrange projectors, it is quite conceivable that this Mercury HD will be priced below $10,000!
Not only that, but they also expect to be using the latest generation HD2 chip which TI was able to remove the dimpling thus nearly doubling the possible contrast ratios from previous HD2 chips. This means instead of a 2300:1 contrast ratio, the Mercury HD may end up with a contrast ratio greater than 4000:1!
Who would have ever guessed a few years ago that someone might offer a 3-chip WXGA DLP projector with a contrast ratio greater than 3000:1 let alone sell it for around $10,000! And as further astonishment, it is coming from DPI, a company who's typical 3-chip projectors sold for six figures!
BTW: If any of you are planning on attending Infocomm at the end of this month, DPI has said that they will be demoing the iVision HD at the show. |
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05-15-2003, 09:17 AM
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#186 of 967
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Join Date: Oct 1998
Local Time: 05:57 PM
Local Date: 11-18-2008
Posts: 3,038
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Nils, we'll have a suite at INFOCOMM, not a booth and I may not attend. Silicon Optix was here this week |
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05-16-2003, 11:38 AM
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#187 of 967
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Local Time: 05:57 PM
Local Date: 11-18-2008
Posts: 1,044
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Does anyone reading this have a D-VHS vcr? HDNet is showing the Red Bull Austin FlugTag. A couple of my coworkers were in it and would like to get it recorded for posterity. If anyone can help please let me know. Thanks!
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05-16-2003, 12:35 PM
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#188 of 967
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Join Date: Mar 2001
Local Time: 05:57 PM
Local Date: 11-18-2008
Posts: 3,410
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I think Bill Urschel may still have his. Last I heard though he was pretty disappointed with it, so much so that he swore he would never buy another JVC product again.
I'll give him a call and see if he still has it and if he does, would he be wiling to record the program for you.
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05-16-2003, 01:24 PM
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#189 of 967
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Join Date: Mar 2001
Local Time: 05:57 PM
Local Date: 11-18-2008
Posts: 3,410
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The answer is no he doesn't have it. He mentioned that JVC just came out with a newer version, but it too seems to be getting plagued with problems and complaints.
You may have better success recording it onto a PC, or sending a request to Red Bull's marketing department for a copy of the show.
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05-16-2003, 06:15 PM
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#190 of 967
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Join Date: Mar 2001
Local Time: 05:57 PM
Local Date: 11-18-2008
Posts: 3,410
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Mike wrote:
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Oh btw.. anyone here run an HTPC? I am wanting to know more about it if someone knows alot about it. I am thinking about going HTPC to get rid of used space that an PC can take over and be alot less furniture.
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Hmmm... can we start taking bets on how many HTPC configurations Mike goes through over the next year?
Seriously though, Dr. J has first hand experience with configuring and using an HTPC. Your needs will be slightly different than Dr. J's as you have an FPD where as Dr. J has a CRT, but I think there are at least a couple other folks here who use HTPCs though for digital projectors? |
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05-17-2003, 03:35 PM
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#191 of 967
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Local Time: 05:57 PM
Local Date: 11-18-2008
Posts: 1,044
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Mike, I can help you out with an HTPC. What is your level of PC experience? Are you looking to covert an existing PC, build your own new HTPC, or purchase an HTPC already built for your system? Do you plan on using the HTPC for audio processing as well as video?
Here is the basic list of items you'll need:
1GHz or faster processor. Typically Intel processors work better than AMD because of the associated chipsets. However, I use a Duron proc with an SIS chipset and it works great. In general, avoid Via chipsets because they sometimes cause conflicts with HTPC specific items.
256MB Ram or more.
Radeon graphics card. Radeons are preferred over nVidia cards because they're more flexible in the resolutions that you can select for them. When using a FPD you want to set your HTPC's resolution and refresh rate the native resolution and refresh rate of the projector so that the projector's internal scaler is bypassed. This results in the sharpest possible picture.
Powerstrip. This is the application that will allow you to manipulate the refresh and resolutions of the Radeon outside of the standard Windows controls. May or may not be necessary for your projector depending on what the native res of your pj is.
DVD-ROM drive. There are various opinions about which is best, and since models change constantly it's hard to recommend a specific drive. A search on AVS is the best place to start. I use a LiteOn drive, and a lot of people also like the Pioneer and Toshiba drives. The LiteOn has an annoying cache function that after you unpause a movie it will play the next 5 seconds or so from the cache and then freeze the image while it finishes scanning the disk to find where it left off. Aside from that though it is rock solid.
Multi-channel sound card. If you plan to use the HTPC for audio decoding you'll need an MAudio Revolution or similar multi-channel sound card that has drivers specifically made for home theater. The sound card's driver is where all of the bass management functions reside and if you get the wrong card you'll lock yourself into a less than ideal set of limitations. I use an MAudio Delta 410, and it sounds very good. Not quite as good as a B&K or Theta pre/pro but definitely as good as most receivers on the market. I do wish that the card manufacturers would decouple the bass management from the driver and provide an API for third party programming, but that probably won't affect you.
If you still want to use your receiver instead of the PC to do the audio processing then all you need is any sound card that has a SPDIF digital-out jack. You run this into your receiver's coax digital-in and it will decode the bitstream just like it would from your DVD player. Note that some Soundblasters have trouble with this because they don't pass the bitstream in a standard manner.
DVD playback software. WinDVD, PowerDVD, TheaterTek, and Sonic Cineplayer are the most popular. If you're using the soundcard's analog outputs then you'll need either WinDVD or PowerDVD, as TheaterTek only does digital out to the receiver or pre/pro, and Cineplayer doesn't do DTS. However, TheaterTek and Cineplayer are said to have the best image quality, followed by WinDVD and then PowerDVD. I've found that I can make PowerDVD and WinDVD look almost the same just by changing the internal settings, but in general I prefer WinDVD.
If you want to use a remote control with your HTPC, Girder is the most popular application (and can add lots of automation to your HTPC in addition to remote control option) however WinDVD also supports a basic remote control. I prefer to use an RF mouse and keyboard so that I can control everything on the HTPC without having to do any additional programming in Girder.
Those are the basics. There is a LOT more that you can do with an HTPC if you're interested. HTPCs are odd beasts, half the time I want to get rid of mine, half the time I love it. I think in the end it is a great system for movies if you like to tinker, but for music I prefer separate components.
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