Digital Projector

[Mike Farley]

An addendum to the previous post. The latest version of the ColorMunki software is 1.1.1, but applying the patch reverts it to 1.1.0 and it prompts a re-install. Nice one, X-Rite.

[Mike Farley]

Following my encounter the X-Rite bear trap, Microsoft and/or Lenovo decided to get in on the game as well. As part of the process to set up the projector, I added into DiCentra the sample competition supplied by the SLF which is set to display images at the federation's standard resolution of 1400 x 1050. When I ran the competition, DiCentra warned me that the screen resolution was set to 1536 x 984 and that some images would be cropped, which indeed they were. They were also cropped when displaying them in the Windows image viewer at full size, yet the Screen Resolution panel informed me that the laptop was set to its maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080.

After battling with this conundrum into the early hours, I slept on it. When I got up, I found a control in the Screen Resolution panel which says "Make text and other items larger or smaller". In Windows 8.1, there is a slider which was set at its midway point and when I moved to its lowest setting DiCentra ran OK. It would seem that the slider is just a crude control which scales everything, rather than a more elegant solution which adjusts the size of icons and text only. I am not sure whether the default setting was specified by Microsoft or the Lenovo, the laptop's manufacturer, but it was certainly confusing for a while. I would not be surprised if it was the cause of some machines being returned unnecessarily. All I can say is that I am glad I found it for myself, rather than having someone point it out at PC World.

Once I have got everything configured, I will be writing a document describing all the settings for future reference. This will cover both the laptop and projector, where I am only just starting to consider all the different options. There are many more hours of fun yet to be had, I am sure. And that's before even thinking about the implications of updating to Windows 10, which is some way down the line.

[GrahamL]

Hi Mike,

Sounds distinctly a not fun process, I guess having the same club projector as the creator of the DiCentra display-projection software we use should help in the longer-run.

Which reminds me: There was recent mention by Steve Wilbur of a training course he will be running on his latest version of Di Centra, version 4.6.106 in early December. I think the date was the 6th, a Saturday, if I've got the date right.

I guess it would be good for anyone who's involved, or wants to be involved, in taking part in this. How would we go about booking?

Cheers,

Graham

[Mike Farley]

Hi Graham

Yes, it has certainly a hair tearing* process until now, but hopefully I have resolved the main issues which have hindered me in getting the point where I can actually start configuring the projector. I have done an initial calibration and it is looking good so far, but I am equally certain that there are a number of tweaks yet to be done to improve matters further.

My list of actions already included getting in contact with Steve Wilbur again to get his views on which projector settings work best and I'll ask him about the course at the same time. I went on a training day he ran a few years ago and it was very informative.

* A bit of a problem when there is not much to spare.

[Mike Farley]

An addendum to the previous post. The latest version of the ColorMunki software is 1.1.1, but applying the patch reverts it to 1.1.0 and it prompts a re-install. Nice one, X-Rite.

Oh, one other thing. The patch is unsigned so I had to check that I had obtained it from a legitimate source before letting the update proceed. This should really, really not be as difficult as X-Rite makes it.

[Mike Farley]

Some good news. Once the issues with the ColorMunki software and default scaling were resolved, the calibration proved to be something of a doddle. The selection meeting to choose our print panels for this year's SLF inter-club competitions was held at the church yesterday evening and afterwards we took the opportunity to try out the projector. It was set to Reference mode, which gives the most natural reproduction of colours and the lamp set to Eco. That reduces brightness slightly, although not by as much as you might expect, and extends the life of the lamp. That is unlikely to be an issue as the old projector is still running with the original lamp and I would be surprised if we had used more than 10% of its predicted 3,000 hour capacity.

I had already done an initial calibration at home, albeit with more ambient light than I would have liked. in the room last night colours were accurate, but images were a bit too bright. Things improved once we turned the brightness down and we then reran the calibration. This had the effect of making the images too bright again, so we tweaked the brightness down a bit more. By the end of the evening everyone was happy with the result. The big test will come on 14 October when the new equipment has its official launch for the first DPI competiton. The old projector dates back to around 2007 and it is clear that the technology has improved in the intervening years, which I hope everyone will be able to observe.

A lot of effort has gone into this exercise. GrahamL undertook a lot of invaluable research and we also had input from a couple of members of other SLF clubs which have the same projector. A big thank you to everyone involved.

[davidb]

A lot of effort has gone into this exercise. GrahamL undertook a lot of invaluable research and we also had input from a couple of members of other SLF clubs which have the same projector. A big thank you to everyone involved.

I agree wholeheartedly that a big thank you is needed to everyone involved particularly you Mike for persisting in the face of extreme adversity. I look forward to seeing the results of your efforts on 14th October. Thanks again.

[Mike Farley]

Last night the club used the new digital projection equipment for the first time. I, for one, thought it was a definite improvement on the previous setup and the images were projected as well as anything I have seen elsewhere. In my opinion images were accurately reproduced and the club has obtained a good result from its investment.

One thing which concerned me was the appearance of distinct lines in a couple of images where tones were markedly different on either side. As the judge remarked, it was as if a clumsy selection had been used and adjustments had not been seamlessly blended. I have checked the images which were sent and they appear in the originals, so are not artefacts introduced by the projection equipment. That leaves the cause unexplained and I am investigating further.

If anyone has any comments about the new projector, do post them here for discussion. All views are welcome.

[davidb]

From comments by the judge last night it looks as if I might need to tone my images down a bit. They did look a bit bright. I'll check the next batch and see if they need tweaking.

[Mike Farley]

From comments by the judge last night it looks as if I might need to tone my images down a bit. They did look a bit bright. I'll check the next batch and see if they need tweaking.

I have had a quick look at your shots and would say that they generally seem to be half a stop or so over exposed. They would also benefit from having some local adjustments applied. Possibly you need to look at your monitor calibration as well.