Anyone experience digital projection out of focus? (1 Viewer)

[rob kilbride]

Watched Star Wars last night and beginning with the trailers the picture was obviously soft. End credits were obviously blurry. Staff said it looked perfect. That's the watch movies on you iphone generation for you. Manager today said it focuses automatically and cannot be adjusted. Perhaps the eye with which it reads focus is dirty? Any thoughts?

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

The digital cinema projectors I used (Barco, Christie) had a manual focus adjustment via their control boxes. You load a test chart into the server then adjust focus, zoom, etc.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I've seen digital projection out of focus, as well as film projection out of focus, it happens.


Some theaters do it intentionally to soften the digital look of the projector - for some projectors and screen combinations, you can see the pixel grid if you sit too close, and sometimes theaters will throw the projector slightly out of focus to hide this. I'm not in favor of that practice.

 

[Charles Smith]

I experienced a slightly out-of-focus image in the first theater (of the two I visited) showing My Fair Lady in 4K.


It nicely complemented the mono soundtrack.

 

[TravisR]

Manager today said it focuses automatically and cannot be adjusted.

Never say never but I don't believe that. I think they're just scared to do anything to it because they have no idea how to do anything with it.

 

[rob kilbride]

I'm with you on that one Travis. I saw three different Disney related films where the framing was obviously wrong, to me, someone who is more than a casual fan of movies. It took till the 3rd time for someone to take me seriously. I was able to prove it because the words on the bottom of the screen were actually cut off. That manager told me it was on the wrong setting, flat vs scope. Plus latest Hunger Games had very low dialog volume and it had nothing to do with how the movie was made because the volume was low in the Regal spot between the trailers and film. I'm gonna drive a little bit farther to another Regal which seems to be better, but even that one had the only audio dropout I've ever seen in a digitally projected movie theater, at the beginning of the short film before the good Dinosaur. Almost like the system was momentarily short on memory or something.

 

[rob kilbride]

I'm with you Travis. I had another problem occur 3 times a few years back. Finally someone undestood and fixed the problem. There was obvious cropping on top and bottom of the screen, and I proved it by showing that text was cut off on the bottom of the screen. I wish I had gotten his name, as he's the only manager I have encountered who had a clue. Well I called to complain, and as it turns out, the store manager is the same arrogant person who told me nothing was wrong. She also told me that the problem I had those years ago cannot happen digitally, as apertures are obsolete. I'm sure someone here could explain exactly what happened with the flat/scope setting so I can present it to a manager at another Regal theater. I would really appreciate it.

 

[rob kilbride]

Oops, thought I had lost first post so I typed another one!

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

The older of the two mall multiplexes in my area had this problem for a while, after they switched from 2k projectors to 4k projectors. The last few times I've been there, though, the problem has been resolved.

 

[Wayne_j]

I have definitely experienced this before. Even in supposedly the best screen in the complex. I think they intentionally soften it to hide the pixel grid on the gigantic screen.

 

[TonyD]

I've complained to the manager at the Disney Springs Orlando AMC about the Imax a couple times.


I see horizontal lines become blurry.

Example the Mask on Kylo Ren, the lines going accross the helmet become a blur during movement and this is nothing

new on this screen.

I've seen stair steping and combing on this screen.
They will have Hateful 8 in 70 this weekend so I don't expect to see any of that.

I've come to the thought that it's not worth it anymore to pay the extra for this Imax screen that is also supposed to be Dolby Atmos and I've been told at the theater it is but they never play the DA preview clip before the movie.

 

[Mark Booth]

The Regal theater closest to my home, which I went to VERY regularly for 10 years, started having lots of projection and audio problems about 2 years ago. I walked out of 6 or 7 different movies in 1 year due to poor presentation. Complaints to the manager fell on deaf ears as he explained they aren't allowed to touch the equipment. So, each of those times I just took my refund (for my popcorn and soda too) and left. Finally, about a year ago, I'd have enough. There was a constant buzzing sound from the audio system throughout the trailers and Regal rollercoaster intro. I again spoke with the manager and again heard that there was nothing they could do about it until a technician arrived. He explained they have a SINGLE technician for the entire district and it could be anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days before the technician arrived.


That's when I finally decided to stop going to that theater. It's been a year and I've discovered that other chains care more about a good presentation than the idiots at Regal.


Mark

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I've complained to the manager at the Disney Springs Orlando AMC about the Imax a couple times.

I see horizontal lines become blurry.
Example the Mask on Kylo Ren, the lines going accross the helmet become a blur during movement and this is nothing
new on this screen.

I've seen stair steping and combing on this screen.
They will have Hateful 8 in 70 this weekend so I don't expect to see any of that.

I've come to the thought that it's not worth it anymore to pay the extra for this Imax screen that is also supposed to be Dolby Atmos and I've been told at the theater it is but they never play the DA preview clip before the movie.

Tony - there are no IMAX theaters that routinely show films in Dolby Atmos. They're competing technologies from rival companies. The only exception to this is the Chinese Theater in Los Angeles - they are an IMAX theater, but when they host movie premieres, sometimes they use an Atmos system just for those events. If the theater told you they show IMAX movies in Atmos, they are in error.

If you're having issues with the projection quality of your IMAX theater, I would strongly recommend reaching out directly to the IMAX Chief Quality Officer - the email address is listed at the end of each film and they encourage people to write. It's [email protected]. Every time I've written I've gotten a prompt and helpful response. They've given me free passes when something was wrong, and they've investigated and resolved technical issues (for example, a rattling speaker) after I brought it to their attention. My experience with IMAX is that they want to do right by their customers and will do whatever it takes to fix a mistake.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Frequently my local theater plays 1.85:1 DP stuff in 2.40 for some reason. Its kinda annoying actually.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Frequently my local theater plays 1.85:1 DP stuff in 2.40 for some reason. Its kinda annoying actually.

What do they say when you complain?

 

[Lord Dalek]

What do they say when you complain?

This implies I do complain. Half the time even I'm not sure what the right ratio is.

 

[Wayne_j]

I was once at a scope screening of the Godfather. They finally fixed it in the Italy part because all the subtitles were cropped off.

 

[TonyD]

Tony - there are no IMAX theaters that routinely show films in Dolby Atmos. They're competing technologies from rival companies. The only exception to this is the Chinese Theater in Los Angeles - they are an IMAX theater, but when they host movie premieres, sometimes they use an Atmos system just for those events. If the theater told you they show IMAX movies in Atmos, they are in error.

Josh I don't think that's true at least at the Disney Springs AMC Imax screen.
It's listed as Atmos right on the Dolby Atmos web site.


Only 2 screens are listed for Atmos in Central Fl the other is near Tampa

 

[pigrew]

I've also experienced similar issues (with digital projections). I just got back from a showing at the AMC River East in Chicago where the focus was a little soft. It was a 3D movie, and I felt like something wasn't quite right once I put on the 3D glasses. Perhaps my eyes were trying to focus based on depth, and my eyes kept failing?

It was also a cylindrical screen, which was a little weird [the top and bottom of the projection were curved], but I would guess that the curvature would make it easier to focus (all points are equidistant from the projector?).

Anyway, the manager on duty said that they only have a projectionist periodically, and nobody on site could do anything.

My impression is that the theaters have decided that with digital projectors, they don't need any projectionists on staff, so the image quality suffers. But, few people even notice, so they let the issues be.

At least this was a better answer than the AMC Southpoint Cinema (Durham, NC) where there were color convergence issues during a 3D HFR viewing of the Lord of the Rings where the staff said that everything was automatically adjusted, and thus nothing could be wrong.