Next Austin HT Meet 3/22 at Sound Mind Audio!" (1 Viewer)

[Jonathan DA]

ALERT! ALERT! Danger Wil Robinson! Do I detect digital bias here (the three types being LCD, DLP, LCOS)? I can bring along a hard copy of a CRT projector guide as well, written by CRT expert Curt Palme.

 

[Nils Luehrmann]

Don't forget Sony's latest projection technology, SXRD (Silicon X-Crystal Reflective Display), which while it is close to LCoS, does have some significant differences. If Sony's SXRD can meet their current specs this may very well be the technology that finally leaves die-hard CRT lovers with a digital alternative:

$10,000 MSRP
Native 1080p HD resolution (1920x1080)
3000:1 Contrast Ratio (possibly even greater)
.35um Pixel Separation (about a 92% fill factor)
And of course all the wonderful advantages of Digital over CRT (size, weight, installation, calibration, multi-role (film, 4:3, data, gaming, etc), no risk of burn-in, zoom, brightness, etc.)

The only thing that has yet to be announced officially is the lamp.

Estimated roll out is January 2004, and I suspect Sony will likely unveil it at CES 2004. That is assuming that JVC doesn't find a way to prove Sony has infringed on their LCoS D-ILA patents.


At the very least this will likely motivate TI to release their 1920x1080 DLP chips sooner than they originally had planned.

"Technology War is at least one kind of war we can all agree on is a good thing!"

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

Dr. J, CRT's are, unlike audio tubes, destined for the landfill of life

Nils, Sony is now in the LCOS biz. There are still three types. I'm very glad that Sony is in, because JVC NEEDS competition, or, should I say, that us mfgrs and consumers need for JVC to have competition. There's another U.S. LCOS supplier that may have solved its manufacturing issues after all, so stay tuned.

 

[Jonathan DA]

They may be destined for the landfill of life, but so are LCD, DLP, and LCOS projectors. Eventually every technology gets surpassed by something better. However, that's where your error in reasoning lies--as of yet nothing better than CRT projection has come along in terms of image quality for the home user. Believe me, I would LOVE to get ride of the 175 lb cabinet hanging from my ceiling, but until I get decent black levels, no screendoor, no rainbows, and pixel resolution small enough that I can't see the jaggies at my viewing distance in a digital projector, I'm not giving up my CRT! There has been talk of SXRD in the CRT forums, and I'm cautiously optimistic that in a couple of years this may be what I'm looking for.

Interesting thing about comparing tubes to CRTs is that CRT pictures can be shown to be more accurate at image reproduction than digitals through empirical measurements, while tubes can be shown to be less accurate than solid state devices at audio reproduction through empirical measurements. Hmmmmm...

(P.S. for the easily offended, PSMoFo and I are just messin with each other. He knows I'm right )

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

Junior, that was rather harsh.

Let's not talk used PJ's. Let's talk new, where the vast majority of sales are. There is no way CRT's will last, given that the PQ of LCD, DLP and LCOS units is good enough for all but fanatics. The huge price delta will ensure the demise of CRT.

Since you love the ultimate accuracy of a CRT, as opposed to the hampered PQ of the other PJ's, why are you headed for audio tube land questing for ultimate sound quality?

(Okay, folks, stay tuned for Dr. J's predictable answer )

 

[Jonathan DA]

I'm not. I've stated repeatedly that digital audio mediums and solid state gear are more accurate than tubes and vinyl. The old stuff is just fun and "ear candy".

I'm bored, is anyone else bored?

Predictable response portion:
Until new CRT's disappear from the new and hobbyist (i.e. used) markets entirely they still still qualify as a "basic type". Even the popular media, e.g. Stereophile Guide Home Theater and Home Theater Magazine, still list CRTs as the king of front projection and have reviews of new CRT products from companies like Reference Imaging and Accurate Imaging Tech. There are thousands of CRT pjs still in use in both commercial and residential installations.

Yawn. Next!

 

[Scott Oliver]

We still on for lunch at Satay's at 1 pm?

 

[Jonathan DA]

This fanatic will be there. I've been looking forward to the food portion of the afternoon.

I talked to Hayenga on the cell today and he thinks he'll be in town after all and should be able to make it. So we'll have two different kinds of fanatics!

 

[Greg Risley]

I'll meet everybody at Sound Mind around 3. The sun has decided to shine and the golf business is picking up, so I can't abandon my duties till around 3.
Hey any of you wood workers interested in trading your skills for some golf equipment? Chat with me at the meet if you are.

See you guys there.
Greg

 

[Scott Oliver]

This is more than likely the final RSVP list:
Scott Oliver, Colin Dunn, Dave Elliot, Hank Frankenberg, Jonathan Atkins, Rich Avery, Jeff Blair, Greg Risley, Nils Luehrmann, Fredrick Falk, Doug Hanson, Dan Benkman, Stephen Marquez, Aaron Smith, Chuck Wood, Allen Zbranek, Scott Hinson, David Walker, Bryan Swain, Renee Zam, Eric Wy, Chris Kowalske, Keith Shaw, Mark Hayenga
Total = 24 out of 30 max.

For those that have not RSVP'ed, as you can see we still have space available, which will of course be filled on a first come first served basis.

See you all there, should be fun.

 

[Mark Hayenga]

Actually, I am going to have to be a bastard and back out. I told my senior design partner that we would work on our lab sometime this weekend and it looks like it has to be today :frowning: But don't worry. I'll still be working with speakers. Just DSP stuff with BruteFIR instead of tubes and vinyl

 

[Dave Elliott]

I hope to be able to make it. I'm having some work done on my car and it depends on whether we get finished in time to clean up and head over there at 3pm.

If so, I'll bring a few DVD-Audio's and good CD's.

-Dave

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

I'd like to say "THANKS" to Brian, the very nice and hospitable owner of Sound Mind Audio for hosting our *meet* on Saturday. It's nice to meet a shop owner who is knowledgable, personable, low key and *no* sales pressure. Yessir, few and far between they are.

It was a good time, with lots of comaraderie, laughs, some serious discussion and listening to turntables, tubes, vinyl, high-end amps (how about those Boulder mono blocks? ) and processores and SACD. Plenty of snacks and sodas - thanks Brian and all those who brought stuff, including Scott Oliver and his load of Boy Scout folding chairs.

Brian, thanks again and all the best to you in your new store location!

 

[Keith Shaw]

It was nice meeting everybody on Saturday. I meant to take some more pictures, but just ended grabbing a few shots of the equipment we were listening to on the way out.







Also, since I mentioned how horrid the traffic on I35 was around Ben White, I tried to take a picture of the northbound traffic on my way back down. Didn't come out exactly like I expected, but still an interesting picture.



Thanks for a good afternoon.