CIH Projector Setup w/ Anamorphic Lens

[chronic1]

Hello everyone,

First off.... If this belongs in a different section, I apologize & please have one of the admins move it.

I purchased a nice gaming display awhile back, and it turns out my gaming time is incredibly limited these days. In fact, it is practically non-existent. Until I get staffed on a project close to home ATL <--> MSP currently), I doubt this will change. I'm considering ditching the TV for a projector setup, and have been reading up on constant image height. 120" movies without letterboxing sounds great, and I suppose 96" television would be acceptable.

From what I gather, the setup includes a:

• 2.35 or 2.40 screen
• digital projector
• fixed anamorphic lens
• video scaler

Does this correctly describe how to operate a CIH system?

1.) The projector will natively project in 1.78 aspect ratio, and the fixed anamorphic lens will stretch the image horizontally to fill the wide screen.
2.) Adjust the projected image so 1.78 content is centered & fills the vertical portion of the screen.
3a.) When viewing 2.35 content, the video scaler will crop/stretch the image to fill the vertical requirements. This could be achieved using either a lumagen or an anamorphic feature on the projector.
3b.) When viewing 1.78 content, the same video scaler from 2a will squish the image to correct the horizontal stretch implemented by the anamorphic lens.
3c.) When viewing 1.33 content, the same video scaler from 2a will squish the image to correct the horizontal stretch implemented by the anamorphic lens.

Would a lumagen do a better job at the scaling work compared to a nice'ish projector like the VPL-HW55ES? Aside from the various vertical bars on the left & right side, would this type of setup be free from letterboxing on most (all) video content?

[Fudoh]

Right so far. You can use a Lumagen processor or a late model iScan VPxx (VP50 or VP50Pro). All Lumagen models have completely configurable support for anamorphic lenses. The VP50 and VP50Pro do as well. The Edge and Duo don't.

Depending on what you want to watch (BD, downloads, DVDs, TV, video games), a media player with full format options (e.g. a DUNE player) can replace the video processor as it can do the anamorphic stretch or squeeze on it's own.

The main advantage of a VP over the squeeze modes integrated in better projectors is the flexibility. On a VP you can set your projection AR (including the presense of a lense) in the output section and then just handle all the inputs as you like, including additional zooming (e.g. to elimate borders on 1.85:1 content), masking or other AR controls.

[chronic1]

Thanks Fudoh!

Between how much the screen, projector, and lens costs.... I don't mind spending a little extra for a lumagen if it will look better & be friendlier for the wife. I've heard of one limitation on the VPL-HW55ES's anamorphic capabilities; apparently the anamorphic mode doesn't work for 3D content. The lumagen's product literature seems to indicate it does work with 3D content.

I'll be watching a bit of everything. Media from the plex media server, hopefully a game every now & then [modern & legacy...have a mini for that scaling], and blurays. Considering the breadth of my sources, I doubt a software solution would be very convenient.

A couple of questions on the lumagen's scaling:

• Would adjusting for 1.85 input distort (vertical zoom) or crop (side snip) the image instead of removing the letterbox & scaling to fit?
• You think a dedicated piece of hardware like the lumagen would produce a better quality scale than a projector's onboard scaler?

[Fudoh]

Would adjusting for 1.85 input distort (vertical zoom) or crop (side snip) the image instead of removing the letterbox & scaling to fit?

no, on a VP like the Lumagen you're totally flexible. The image will be scaled. It will get a little higher and a little wider.

You think a dedicated piece of hardware like the lumagen would produce a better quality scale than a projector's onboard scaler?

depends on what you expect and what you consider a good picture.