Barco Thor 4K 6P Residential Laser Projector the best in the World?

[dirk goetze]

Nice Audio Upgrade Wolfgang !

I would be curios about your messurements and final impressions for the V6 fabric.

Still no new release date for the UHD of 2001, meanwhile they show a NEW 70mm print in Cannes under the host of C.Nolan
https://deadline.com/2018/03/christopher-nolan-cannes-stanley-kubrick-space-odyssey-2001-1202354670/

here is another link to 2001
http://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Cinerama-70mm-2001-preservation-Is-it-possible/id/15358/page/14

[w.mayer]

Nice Audio Upgrade Wolfgang !

I would be curios about your messurements and final impressions for the V6 fabric.

Still no new release date for the UHD of 2001, meanwhile they show a NEW 70mm print in Cannes under the host of C.Nolan
https://deadline.com/2018/03/christopher-nolan-cannes-stanley-kubrick-space-odyssey-2001-1202354670/

here is another link to 2001
http://originaltrilogy.com/topic/Cinerama-70mm-2001-preservation-Is-it-possible/id/15358/page/14
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Sad one part of the digital amplifier not arrive today so I have to wait till next week.

Yes I am also like to know after this long time how this V6 screen will perform compare to the existing Harkness Matt Preview at this big size.

Sad that 2001 on UHD gets delayed.
But this can be a good sign as when I read that Nolan work on it may this is a indication that the quality will be very nice.
What is strange that no final date was told when the plan to release it!

[w.mayer]

I play today with Apple TV and Netflix and did some screenshots from the Barco Thor compare to the Sony VW760 see pictures down.
One overview and 2 details.
One from the far right up corner with the round test picture and one near the center with some 1:1 pixel lines.
Test picture was in 3840x2160.
If you are interested to see it good you MUST use 1:1 pixel when you display it otherwise you get big scaling artefacts and it is Nonsens to rate it.
I will see how this pictures will look after posting.
Can be that the pictures was not reflection the trues as it may scale it ... lets see.

[w.mayer]

Pictures looks good when you download it and put it in a folder and display it 1:1 pixel.

[MrPixels]

The high frequency is better on the Barco Thor, looks very clean.

[w.mayer]

Yes the Barco Thor going down to full 4K 1:1 pixel without any visible degradation and no lost in MTF at all.

But Sony will comes soon with a new design of there 3 chip LCOS Pr. at least for home cinema that will have a additional LCD Chip after the 4K LCOS Chips to improve cr.
I think they can do for sure over 100.000:1 cr. native possible 150.000:1.
On the negative side this will cost about 20% lumen and color can be a problem as well but it will be a big step
and cr. should be not anymore a problem.
In worst case the 100.000:1 nativ can be improved by factor 2 with soft laser diming.
I think this will end the cr. discussion as with this most rooms and screens are the limit and not Pr. anymore!

[lygren]

Yes the Barco Thor going down to full 4K 1:1 pixel without any visible degradation and no lost in MTF at all.

But Sony will comes soon with a new design of there 3 chip LCOS Pr. at least for home cinema that will have a additional LCD Chip after the 4K LCOS Chips to improve cr.
I think they can do for sure over 100.000:1 cr. native possible 150.000:1.
On the negative side this will cost about 20% lumen and color can be a problem as well but it will be a big step
and cr. should be not anymore a problem.
In worst case the 100.000:1 nativ can be improved by factor 2 with soft laser diming.
I think this will end the cr. discussion as with this most rooms and screens are the limit and not Pr. anymore!
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Interesting! Any official info regarding this new contrast chip, w.mayer? I mean, I´d really hoped one of the big ones would come up with their own "Dolby Vision" contrast chip version as that (...and more light output in general of course...) might be just what projection needs now to finally have its renaissance... I know, image reproduction is more than on/off alone, and adding an additional chip might have other side effects too, like "streaking", general blooming, loss in colour volume etc etc, but the general concept of adding a "per pixel" iris seems very intriguing!

Looking forward to your feedback on the V6 by the way! I just replaced my V5 back at my private home cinema (11ft width, using a variety of projectors, but nothing very fancy, currently a JVC RS440) with one of the V6´s (I know, I should have done that a loooong time ago, but off-time is just not on my side these days...), and although I do see the V6 at work every day it´s different getting it setup privately where I have an even more firm reference. Nice boost in overall sharpness on the V6, more "solid" appearance and just as acoustically transparent as the V5. I honestly just like the overall performance, it´s such a calm, film friendly and overall "non-annoying" fabric... Sure, I have some ideas for the V7, but don´t expect it to arrive any time soon as improving on the V6 has proven really tough! Also, after having seen the V6 alongside the Sony VW5000 at this years ISE I am also quite confident the Thor would look stunning on this fabric - well at least hopefully so - I guess there are few people more competent to judge this than your very self w. mayer!

[MrPixels]

Not to spoil the excitement for a potential new contrast "King of the Hill", Mayer can be a good prankster on April fools day
Any improvement, in contrast, is always welcomed but I am curious if this is an April fools joke? 

[w.mayer]

I can not tell more than you need to wait a bit.
My guess is that we will hear till end of next month more details.

[donaldk]

Otherwise it is back to Zeiss, that has been selling a flat surface Velvet for some time, for second stage light modulation.

There definitely is a color difference in the two preview images, Barco shows more red, not only in the red ring but all over the image. Almost looks like a slight red push to me, but I don't know how dark the grey/blue in the testcard is supposed to look, whether the Sony is under saturated or the Barco has too much red?

[lygren]

Not to spoil the excitement for a potential new contrast "King of the Hill", Mayer can be a good prankster on April fools day
Any improvement, in contrast, is always welcomed but I am curious if this is an April fools joke? 
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Haha, I should have known... Well, it´s a good one either way I guess!!

[w.mayer]

Donald I have some time ago describe in details why it looks so red looks like you not read it.

The Barco was 99.99% perfect in color and beats color wise anything else I have seen in my live by far.
So here again.
The problem was the Chip from the Camera in my case the Canon 5DSR 50 MP full format.
This camera are not design to work good with a true pure  """tight bandwidth’s Laser""" the Barco 6P have!
Shooting pictures from the Sony with Laser Phosphor is complete different story as Laser bandwidths are much wider!

Again Barco show perfect color better than anything else I seen in my live and still so far I know the only Projector in the World that can do 100% of the Rec. 2020 color specification feed with a UHD Disc.

But  I only like to show how the Barco Thor can do fine details and how other Projectors perform and share this with the public.

[donaldk]

Sorry I had not seen/read that explanation, good to know, thank you for explaining (again). I knew there had to be an explanation.

The fine detail difference was obvious, so no need to ask/comment about it. Does the VW 5000 perform better than the VW760, regarding fine detail/high frequency information, given the better lens, but lower bit depth image processing?

[w.mayer]

Not 100% sure but think the 5000 will show the same.
It was in the electronic or the way LCOS do a picture I think.

LCOS have their advantage and disadvantage DLP as well.

As 1. April is now over at least here in Germany yes Alan it was a Joke but may we will see this kind of
improvement in Projectors in reality in the next 1 or 2 years from now.
But I do not see any Projectors are dead as some predict.
The LED Walls are fare to expensive and have their disadvantage as well beside the high costs.
But from all what I know the price from the walls need to come down by factor 10 and I not see any further technology improvement that will do that in the next few years.
But even if LED Walls can compete with 4K Pr. in price even if they can do the gabs and the panel near invisible I do not see any way to make refection’s invisible.
May some can live with it some for sure not.

[w.mayer]

We saw yesterday after many years I own the 3D BD but never watch it "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

This 3D BD was based on the heavy discussed  first 3D Movie that was record in HFR at 48P and in true 3D at 4K.
I have some clips from this movie in HFR 2K 3D DCI at my server so I can see how it looks compare to 24P the 3D BD contains.

Yesterday a big nice shock as we all say "my goodness such a good picture quality" it almost looks like a
4K UHD Disc in 3D!

Now we hope that the 2 other Hobbit movies in 3D looks similar good.
The 3 LOTR movies are so far I know are not record or covertet into 3D so lets see as this movies are a lot older how they will perform in 2D.

It was a huge surprise to see a 3D BD that looks so good.
I think it is a top 3D Reference Disc for Demo in the best way 3D and one of the very rare one that had this quality.
Most will have seen this movies already but if you not like me get this disc as it was one of the best 3D BDs are ever made.

If all 3D movies on 3D BDs had such a perfect quality I can assure you I will not buy any 4K UHD HDR Disc anymore!

Looks like Oppo stop there UHD Player production:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarcher/2018/04/02/oppo-shock-popular-av-brand-announces-that-its-time-to-say-goodbye/#bb00de3acc2e