WOO-HOO, upgrading my theatre

[draganm]

Well I finally took the first step to upgrading my Video Projector. Although my air-coupled Marquee 8500 CRT has served me perfectly for 3 years sometimes a deal you can't refuse comes along and you just have to jump. Funny thing is I never feel like upgrading when I'm actually watching movies, it's just the internet and it's addictive qualities that poison my wallet. :cry: So I just picked up a 9" machine, basically a chassis that I will be sticking new tubes into. When I'm done I will have this , but at a fraction of the cost

http://www.vdcdisplaysystems.com/marquee9500.html

oh and 1080P will be a walk in the park for this baby. ;x(

[aud19]

Very Nice :T

[George Bellefontaine]

9" will certainly do the job. Congrats. :T

[draganm]

thanks, i'm pretty excited about 1080P but not too excited about swapping out 185 pound machines on my ceiling 8O It's going to be a while though before I can re-tube it and hang it, each new Panasonic tube is $800. Thank God they last 10K hours.

[Chris D]

9" guns are always a treat.

[George Bellefontaine]

each new Panasonic tube is $800. Thank God they last 10K hours.

$800 a tube but in the long run you will have one hell of a PJ.

[JBJR]

Hey Drag,

Welcome to the 9500 club :T ! After the tubes you need to look into the Mike Parker mods for that bad boy. You won't be disappointed. They will take you to a whole nother level ;x( .

John

[draganm]

thanks John, but I already have them. Put a complete set of MP boards in my current Marquee 8500 about 2 years ago. Machine throws a fantastic pic, all my regular "movie friends" are puzzled as to why I'm upgrading. I just told them it's a Videophile thing.
MP actually just sent me a Version 2 VIM for Beta testing, and I will be hosting a local HT get-together within a week or 2. Hope to get a good turnout of people if I can get the word out, maybe even a few DLP guys who are curious as to why some of us "analog snobs" still bother with these big ole machines.
Unfortunately the 9500LC won't be ready in time for this, but in way it's better because the standard 8500AC is really a machine that any average guy can run without breaking the bank and risking a divorce. So I guess the theme will be "what you can do with a basic CRT set-up" and not "what is possible with a no hold barred budget". Should be fun and your welomed to stop bye if your in CO, I grill a mean burger.

[Dean McManis]

Congrats on the 9500! It's really a top-end projector, and you will likely get an outstanding picture once you swap out the tubes and get everything dialed in.

Enjoy!

[JonMarsh]

Congratulations, draganm! HOw long until you think you'll have it up and running? Dialing in can take a bit longer, of course, but that's half the fun!

Did you have your get together already, or? ThomasW is in Denver, and has an NEC XG setup I've helped him with- I bet he'd enjoy seeing your Marquee!

I usually get out there a few times a year (lived in Colorado 18 years), but work has been a monster and I'm lucky to get one weekend off a month lately.

~jon

[draganm]

thanks guys, I'm guessing 6 months to replace 3 tubes. $2700. fo 3 new tubes is a lot of money unless your wealthy (unfortunately I'm not). You guys are more than welcomed to stop by before or after, the MP modded 8500 throws a pretty impressive pic anyway at 960P. Here's a shot of the 9500LC, currently sitting in my shop. As you can see it's rather toasty at this point. OH, also weighs about 30 or 40 pounds more than my 8500, what fun :lol:

[JonMarsh]

Wow, as in grilled cheese... :B

[Dean McManis]

Burn, baby Burn! :E

Still, to me that is a picture of great opportunity, which you will get to realize once you've got the new tubes installed and setup.

It's like having an old Ferrari with a blown engine in your garage.
With some sweat and know-how, it will be awesome in time. :T

[draganm]

It's like having an old Ferrari with a blown engine in your garage. With some sweat and know-how, it will be awesome in time. :T

yeah that's exactly how I see it, well maybe more like a 1970 Hemi Cuda :B The best part is the HD10GT17 lenses, they focus over a very narrow range of 91" to 114" wide, which is narrow but lets them dial-in very tight in that range. I will need to build a new screen but that's been needing an upgrade for a long time.