Epson Home Cinema 6500 UB – CFI – Creative Frame Interpolation Final
May 11th, 2009 Art Feierman
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Greetings all,
OK, I’m a bit late on this one, but finally ready to put the CFI issue to rest.
For those new, I’ve written a number of blogs on creative frame interpolation, and some of the issues. Of the four projectors we’ve seen with CFI, Epson had some problems, which have been discussed. Epson has just released their new firmware, to deal with the issues. This blog looks at the performance of the new firmware in terms of creative frame interpolation, and also talks about the process of upgrading.
Below I’ll discuss the Epson Home Cinema 6500UB (click for review) and Pro Cinema 7500 UB’s 1.09 firmware, how to upgrade to it, and what you can expect.
There are too many modes (3: low, normal high), times too many types of source material (24fps, 24fps over 60, standard 720p and 1080i, standard DVD, standard TV etc.) to play with them all, but I believe I have most of the answers – or at least my opinions on what most people are asking.
First, How to upgrade your 6500 UB or 7500 UB: (Sorry international folks, I don’t have a handle on what Epson is doing in the UK or elsewhere with the TW5000 etc. If you know please post.)
I do know Epson is sending out firmware upgrades. They apparently, alternately offer to take back your projector and send out a replacement (not necessarily new, but none are that old).
To send it in, call Epson – your PrivateLine phone number is best. (It came with your projector on a credit card sized card). With their replacement program they pay all the freight.
If you want to tackle it yourself, ask for the firmware upgrade. I discuss that in more depth, below.
Creative Frame Interpolation v. 109
My take is that Epson concentrated on two things: Improving the performance of the Low setting, and changing the way their creative frame interpolation works with a 24fps source. (ie. most Blu-ray movies)
The CFI Low setting is what you are going to want to use for just about everything except gaming. Epson recommends Normal and Hi for video games, but that’s it.
Note, if you are one of those who really likes that “live digital video” “soap opera” “extreme depth” look on some content, then rest assured, it is still there in the High setting and to a lesser extent, Normal. -art
When watching 24fps, Epson’s Low setting now works well. Side by side it performs about the same as the Panasonic in Mode 1. Both projectors provide visibly smoother motion when the camera is panning. Artifacts (which all CFI seem to exhibit) are much less frequent and normally below our radar. I’ve watched a number of movies and like it. There is the slightest difference in the feel of the picture, compared to no CFI, but that has to be expected. If you liked the “live digital video” or “soap opera” look that the older firmware had, you can still have it in the Normal and High settings.
The major thing that Epson did, was switch their handling of 24fps to 96, instead of 120. They are now creating 3 frames instead of 4, between every two. That’s just fine. They also did that to Normal and High as well as Low.
24fps over 1080i 60 – HD movies coming over 1080i. This is still a problem. Epson strips back the 60 to 24fps (reversing the 3:2 pull-down), before doing the creative. Even the Low setting has a lot of artifacts and still is jerky. Forget it. If you want to watch movies over HDTV, you’ll want to turn CFI off. Epson continued to go from 24fps to 120.
Standard 1080i 60 – The Low setting is improved here as well. Less artifacts. This is the easiest mode – only creating one frame between each pair. Works very well.
Epson says it has done things in Normal and High modes that make them better in terms of artifacts, but fundamentally, they work as before.
I watched sports on HDTV – NBA playoffs, in both Low and Normal. I could spot a bit more artifacts in Normal, and preferred Low. I can see this as a personal choice, however. The difference between Low and Off is noticeable.
In summary, Epson, I believe, has made their CFI competitive with that of the few other projectors to offer it so far.
It still doesn’t cope well with 24fps movies over 1080i, but, then, for example, Panasonic doesn’t strip back to 24, so still has the 3:2 judder when they tackle that combination. (In that case, if you insist on using CFI, the Panasonic is the better of the two.
GETTING THE FIRMWARE UPGRADE:
Epson is sending out firmware 1.09. It consists of a pdf with pretty good (and pretty complete) instructions, those of you pretty comfortable with installing things should not have trouble. There are three others – zip files including an app that has to be renamed from .eee to .exe.
BTW, no Mac solution. That made my life more difficult, I’m a bit rusty with PC’s.
Cables are going to needed. You can download the firmware into the Epson by serial cable, or of your PC doesn’t have one, from USB. For the USB solution, that requires probably installing a USB-Serial driver on your PC. Epson provides links to two sites with usable drivers. Downloading was very straightforward. I only tried out the second site they listed.
SERIAL:
You will need to find a serial to serial cable (standard DB9 connectors), female on both ends, or if you can only find a male to female, then you’ll need a gender changer. My local Radio Shack had only the male to female ($19.99) and a gender changer ($9.99). You will also need a null modem adapter. That was $10.99. Conceivably you could find the right cable wired for null modem, but probably only at a place like Fry’s.
USB:
Ok, our two PCs don’t have serial ports, so I used a USB to Serial cable ($34.99 – at Radio Shack). Again, I needed the gender changer, and null modem adapter.
When it came to configuring the serial port, I got lost, or at least lazy. I called Epson. The support person walked me right through it, in a couple of minutes. He knew his stuff.
Oh, please note, upgrading the projector flushes out everything – all your settings, even lamp life, so write everything down.
Bottom line – it’s doable for those that get along fairly well with computers. At worst, get the cables you need, get ready, and let Epson walk you through it. That’s a good plan.
Finally! I’ll let you guys chat over your own findings, and share opinions. This is an area where subjective choice comes into play. I know that some find CFI to have a much larger impact on their viewing, than it does for me.
OK, that’s it.
Now I’ve got to start my Sony VW70 first look blog. -art
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May 11th, 2009 at 2:38 am
Thanks for the great blog on the CFI issue with the Epson. I do think things can now be laid to rest.
I had similar results with the low settings.
Sorry to see that you had to spend so much for your cables. Radio Shack seems to really overcharge for all of them. I got mine through Monoprice for about a tenth of the price that you paid. I would suggest that if you don’t have the cables you need order them in advance. Even with priority shipping the cost will be much much less.
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I agree, but I figure Radioshack is the “easy” place to find cables for those not as forward thinking as you. I have access to distributor pricing on cables, but didn’t want to wait, so I laid out the “big bucks”. I know from my distributor, I could get a regular serial cable for about $4 and the gender changer for about $2. For those that don’t care, though – Radioshack should have what you need for about $50 +/- depending on what combination you require. -art
May 11th, 2009 at 5:44 am
Great work!
I was one of the first to get this update and I have come to the same conclustions as you…
LOW on everything but videogames.
EXCEPT…
Planet Earth BD is really cool with FI on high or normal. Sin City and Speed Racer also look good.
Check them out
Cheers
May 11th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Thanks, just to double check.
when you said:
“I watched sports on HDTV – NBA playoffs, in both Low and Normal. I could spot a bit more artifacts in Normal, and preferred Low. I can see this as a personal choice, however. The difference between Low and Off is noticeable.”
do you mean that HDTV sports on Low is noticeably better or the artifacts are noticeably more.
Also – with HDTV sports and FI on low – does it have that WOW factor of REALLY being there? Or are the issues outweighing the benefits?
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Hi Jon,
OK, I meant to say (between Off and Low) that the CFI is noticeable, from a standpoint of smoothing out movement – especially panning across the court. You can also make it out slightly on some shooting, depending on the amount of motion (how close in the camera/zoom is to the action). Now, if you are talking about “wow” thinking that “live digital video” look, then you’ll find it very slight going from Off to Low, but significant going from Low to Normal or High. As I think I said, artifacts on Low are very minor. Greater on the the higher settings, but not as bad as when you use Normal or High with 24fps sources. -art
May 12th, 2009 at 12:39 am
OK, so where does that leave us with the AE3000 vs 6500UB battle? IIRC you tied them for best-in-class due to the mix of attributes, Art, so will Epson’s resolution of the worst of the CFI problems sway your opinion in their favour?
Cheers, Nick
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Hi Nick,
Well, for starters as noted in the reviews and comparison report, I think for most folks CFI is a minor feature. Certainly we’ve all gotten along fine until now without it. Even working, the Epson’s implementation, like the Panasonic’s still has room for improvement.
Personally I favored the Epson over the Panny, even with the CFI problems, but I understand why others might favor the PT-AE3000. Panasonic still has one really unique feature, that also has appeal, and that is it’s ability to work with Cinemascope screens, without buying an anamorphic lens. That alone will make it score higher for some folks. On the other hand, the Epson still wins the black level battle, which certainly makes it the favorite with others. I’m a black level kind of guy (and brightness), so the Epson is the one for me. And so on. Without getting into the side by side differences, both projectors produce a generally comparable image that will wow most folks, including most enthusiasts. My own take is that for everyone who just wants a great viewing experience, either will do great for the bucks.
We enthusiasts always want the best performance for the money, so we tend to split hairs. There are always trade-offs, but unless there’s something about one that won’t work for a buyer, we are dealing, overall, with more different, than better/worse. -art
May 13th, 2009 at 8:01 am
Art,
Thanks for all the 6500UB reviews and thoughts. Since I am also thinking of upgrading to a 6500UB, I would appreciate your thoughts (and those of others’)on the relative merits of it compared to my existing JVC G15-DILA which has served me well and continues to look pretty darn good with the one exception of its mediocre blacks. I have the option of replacing its lamp pretty soon or replacing the whole thing. I had it professionally calibrated before taking delivery of it 4 or 5 years ago. I use it in a hushbox, with a Stewart Greyhawk ultra-perf 86″ diagonal 16:9 screen in a room with whitish walls and ceiling (not a dedicated theater
), all of which I want to retain. Other than the light walls, the light control in the room is good, which is to say I only watch it generally after dark. The colorimetry to my eyes is excellent and is one of the prime reasons I bought it and I wouldn’t want to give that up, so I’m particularly wondering how the Epson compares in that department. I realize the JVC is an oldish projector at this point so you may not have any experience with it, but anything you can contribute will be much valued.
Thanks
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Greetings Tom,
I don’t think I’ve ever seen the G15, which makes it hard to conjecture. Obviously black level performance will increase nothing less than dramatically. As to color accuracy, Epson isn’t the best out there, but “works for me” considering its price. I like the Epson’s lumens, but if you really want some possible alternatives, I would say look to the Sony VPL-HW10, and the Panasonic PT-AE3000. Your screen is small enough that any of these projectors lacks brightness issues, though the Epson, has far more lumens in brightest mode than the other two (in case you want to watch a lot of sports in the daytime.
I made this point a year ago, in the previous, 2008 1080p Projector Comparison Report – while the Epson is not quite as natural as some others, it makes up for it with a very dynamic looking image – lots of wow factor. (part of the trade-off is a slight loss of dark shadow detail). I said then, as a JVC RS1 owner, if I had to give up my RS1 for something far less expensive, that I would pick the Epson. At the time I felt that Sony VW40, and a couple of others might have that slightly more natural feel, but that they resembled the JVC, but definitely not as good, whereas the Epson (also not as good), felt more like “different” than “inferior”. Of course this year, the Panasonic now has improved black level performance – still not up to the epson’s but in the same class of performance. The Sony HW10 also can’t match the black levels, but you liked the look and feel of your LCoS projector so likely you would like the Sony as well. It’s probably the closest in regard to a natural looking image, and the LCoS type feel to the image. -art
May 13th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Hi Art, thanks for the blog.
Just thought folks might like to know that I was able to do the firmware update with no problem using a MacBook Pro. I used VMWare Fusion running XP Pro but I’d imagine using BootCamp would work as well. I connected a USB to Serial adapter and a null modem cable as Epson instructs. Both the firmware update and FI update completed without any issues. FYI: I ordered my projector only last week and it shipped with the 1.07 version of the firmware.
May 27th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Hi Art -
Thanks for the comments on the Epson. I just bought a 7500UB and am going to update the firmware as you suggested. However, one question that I didn’t see answered, or I missed it is this: Should I use any CFI for standard (non blu-ray) DVD’s?
Thanks,
Kevin
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Greetings Kevin,
The choice is yours – if you like the results, go for it. Since standard DVD is not 24fps, the Epson (with CFI engaged) should take the 480/60 and add one creative frame between each pair of consecutive original frames. Most likely you will notice a slight improvement on some panning, as the most visible change. There should also be the slightest increase in “depth” – that “live digital video” look – but that should be very slight.
CFI does have trade-offs. Some like, some don’t. With the newer Epson firmware they seem to have overcome the original issues, except for one – that is 24fps original content, being broadcast at 1080/60. There the Epson still has some difficulty, as it strips the 60 fps back to 24, and then adds the creative frame interpolation. It still seems to have some visible issues in that situation. -a
May 27th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Hi Art -
Thanks for the reply. I will certainly try it out and see how it looks. However, I know the consensus for CFI here is “Low on everything except video games”, I just wanted to make sure that standard 480 DVD’s were included in that mix of “everything”.
thanks again,
Kevin
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Hi Kevin,
Yes, 480 DVDs wold fit into the type of content where the “low” CFI setting works best. -a
June 1st, 2009 at 7:50 am
Art, first thanks for the awesome job, I really enjoy your reviews and find them very helpful. I’ve read the numerous reviews you’ve done on the 6500/7500 and especially on the CFI issue. I had a question.
My understanding from your review is that 1.09 improved the CFI for most modes including original 1080p/24 material, but that it still suffers from problems with the 1080i/60. Is this true? And I also understood that Epson kept the 120hz for 1080i/60 instead of 96hz. If so, any idea as to how come they didn’t switch it over to 96hz as they did with other sources?
Any info would be appreciated.
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Greetings!
My take is that 1080i/60 is just fine (use low). The problem that still occurs is when you are watching a movie (done in 24fps) and transmitted as 1080i. The Epson strips back to 24fps, then uses the “old” setup, to take that to 120. I recommend turning CFI off if watching 24fps movies over HDTV at 1080i. -art
June 9th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Hello Art,
Excellent information. I have been going back and forth between the Panasonic and the Epson for a while but my theater will be done this month so I need to make a decision. I am a big gamer. This originally had me swaying towards the Panasonic but now I am unsure again. The projector will be used for 50% gaming, 30% HDTV, and 20% blu-ray. Any advice?
Best regards,
Rob
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Hi Rob,
Well, not being a gamer, it’s hard to call, but apparently gamers are very pleased with what Panasonic has done to focus on good gaming. They primarily put that effort into the PT-AX200U, but some of it carries into the PT-AE3000. As such, I think I would go with the Panny. -a
June 9th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Hi Art,
One other thing – Is there a way to tell if the new 6500 I purchase has the firmware update?
Thanks again,
Rob
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I assume you aren’t talking about when looking at the unit (Info will show the firmware version). I think you’ll have to check with Epson support. Give them a call. I had asked for serial numbers but didn’t receive anything yet. I’m almost certain that any 6500UB in the hands of Epson’s largest online dealers would have the new firmware, as they turn inventory fairly quickly. You can also ask the dealer! If they say yes, it has the 1.09 firmware, make them agree to take it back, paying all costs, no penalties if it arrives with older firmware. -art
June 10th, 2009 at 2:16 am
Hi Art, thx for al te comment and great review.
Still i have one question left. I live in europe and here whe use other numbers then 6500. in your review you talk about the 7500 being the europe’s TW5000.
But do you know the name of the 6500. Also the epson is here for about Panny is 2600€ and the TW5000 is 3400€ (witch is a diffirents of about 1000$) so i would like to buy the 6500. Can you help?
Regards
Merijn
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Greetings Merijn,
Ah, it’s hard over here, to keep track of what’s going on in the EU, relative to models, especially for Epson. I just don’t know if there is a 6500UB equivalent over there. You can always contact Epson. Over here, the main differnces between models are only three – back case instead of white (on the pro – the 7500), a third year warranty (instead of 2), and support for an anamorphic lens.
Good hunting! -art
June 14th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
I just found your site and really enjoy your insight into these units. I was “sold” on the Panny, but now am thinking of getting the Epson. I have a multi-use room, Family and Theater, with 2 big windows and 2 sets of french door. All will have blackout curtains for watching movies at night, but during the day if we want to watch a game on the screen, or the Oscars, it sounds like the Epson is the way to go. I am using a 100 inch Elite Screen, Home Series in White with a 1.1 gain.
Your Thoughts?
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Greetings Don,
The particularly bright image of the Epson in brightest modes is one of the key strengths of the Epson. With close to twice the brightness of the Panasonic (in its brightest mode), is exactly one of its advantages for folks in your situation. Both are excellent projectors and values. I do own the Epson Ensemble (but with the old 1080 UB, instead of the standard 1080), in my smaller theater, and it kicks butt for watching sports. For my superbowl party back in Feb. in my larger theater, I pulled down my JVC from the shelf and put up the 6500UB for the extra brightness (we had about 40 people over. The JVC would have struggled with the lighting I wanted for that party, but the Epson did just fine. And, my screen is 128 inches – (but a high contrast gray screen which helps with my side ambient light -art
Don Nelson
June 15th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Also, what about an anamorphic lens feature on the Panny versus the Epson. What does that really mean to me?
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Greetings Don,
It’s pretty straightforward. Most movies are 2.35:1, HDTV is 16:9 (1.78:1). Thus, the letterboxing at the top and bottom when watching those 2.35:1 Cinemascope movies. With the Panasonic you can buy a 2.35:1 aspect ratio screen, and watch those movies with no letterbox. With the memory save feature, it will zoom out to do 16:9 for your HDTV and regular 4:3 source material. The Panasonic’s solution isn’t as good as using anamorphic lens (the letterboxing is still there – above and below the screen, and you aren’t using every pixel (which you do with an anamorphic lens, so ultimate resolution is a bit lower (about 20%). By comparison, the Home Cinema Epson projectors don’t have this feature, nor do they support an anamorphic lens. (The Epson Pro Cinema series does support an anamorphic lens.)
If you don’t plan on a 2.35:1 screen, there really is no benefit to the “anamorphic lens emulation” of the Panasonic. At this point, only a few percent of all projector based home theaters are anamorphic, and most of those are very expensive. (And an anamorphic lens and motorized sled is typically $3000 to $5000 – an expensive accessory for $2500 dollar projectors. Ultimately, if you want to go 2.35:1, the Panny is the least expensive way to get there.
One last note, in order to have the Panny set up correctly with a 2.35:1 screen, and zooming out for 16:9 sources, you are giving up about half of the placement range of the projector. You won’t have a 2:1 ratio anymore, since the zoom has to do two different sized images from the same distance. -art
July 9th, 2009 at 6:06 am
Art:
I need to thank you for all your help on me landing the 6500UB. It is a brilliant projector and glad I fought for it! Thank you.
Couple things:
- the calibration settings you posted in the review… are those recommended? I am considering using them, although must admit, with minimal calibration from the installer, this thing sings!!! Detail is amazing. (I am looking to possibly get the blacks a touch more ‘inky’ and picture smidgen sharper – or maybe just buying glasses finally LOL!).
- regarding this Update, Epson would only ‘grant’ this to the actual projector owner, as my installer tried and failed to receive it so they could sort this out on their last visit. If this is true, its sounds like serial port route is the least hassle? I also understand all your current settings will be lost once updated, correct? I am trying to balance the justification of the update, as presently I just have the CFI turned off.
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Greetings Eric!
OK, first I presume your installer isn’t an Epson authorized dealer. I went the serial port route to upgrade the 6500UB. Had to make a run to radioshack for the null modem cable, but it works!
Next, write down all the settings that your installer put in – both from the main picture/image menu, and the advanced, including picture mode (Theater Black1, etc.) brightness contrast tint saturation color temp, gamma (2.3 or 2.4) and the individual two settings each for Red green and blue. If he went more in depth then there’s also the individual color settings (but it sounds like not).
Once you install the new firmware – yes all settings are lost. take the settings your installer put in, and put them back in, and save in one of the 10 user savable memories.
Next, now put in all the settings from our review, and save in a different user area. Try them both, and see which one you like better. We also have settings for LivingRoom (two versions I think – mine, and mikes), and one for Dynamic.
Color saturation I believe will be affected to some degree by screen type. I normally watch on a high contrast gray, and reduce the color saturation relative to watching on my other screen, a Carada Brilliant white (1.4 gain). Anyway, happiness with color saturation should fall somewhere between -3 and -9 (not a really drastic difference). I sometimes adjust from movie to movie… if I find one too saturated, or not enough.
As to CFI, ahh, you’ll get around to it sooner or later, so why not make it sooner, and be done with it?
OK, thanks for the feedback! Keep us posted! -art
July 17th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Hi Art, I finaly finished reading your blogs about this PJ, I have ordered a TW5000 wich is being delivered next week. I am totaly new to this but I’ve seen a TW5000 in demo and I was quiet stunned (some comedy basketball movie with eddy murphy) the colors looked bright, the images sharp, when the guy jumped to the camera it realy looked like he came closer.. what a depth! However in my case what will it be used for :
90% regular dvd’s
5% sports (soccer on hdtv)
5% BD (movies like 300, the matrix, those that i find wow and tend to look again once in a while
I gues (hope) I dont see much of the flaws you describe but I have some other questions than the ones i see around..
I can put the throw distance at 6.5m (21′ 4″) The screen size desired is 3×2.25m to be able to switch 4:3 (on the full screen) or 16:9 (same width but screen pulled down partitialy, frame painted black.) Will the normal dvd’s (480) still look good on such a big screen? (I seen the pixels generated by a cheap, way to close positioned PJ and thats not to watch.) Are there recommended screensizes related to the lines shown ie 480 vs 1080? Can this wow effect as i seen in the demo room be reached more or less with regular dvd’s? (forgot to ask what carrier the movie was on, BD i gues)
Regards,
me
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Greetings!
Well, that’s one large screen – roughly 10 feet wide so approaching 135 inch diagonal. I find the 6500UB, in “best” mode, struggles with my 128″ firehawk, and is best at a slightly smaller size (and then, there’s the fact that the lamp will dim over time. Still, you can get an excellent picture from the Epson in some of its intermediate picture modes.
As to clarity – well, the key thing is seating distance relative to image size. Even a conventional TV, say 32 inch diagonal, with a DVD looks razor sharp 15 feet away. My point being – seating distance is a key factor.
I sit 11.5 feet from my 128″. While there is no question as to the difference in sharpness/detail/etc., between standard DVD and Blu-ray, standard DVDs are definitely very watchable. Most likely when you viewed the low cost projector, it was only 720p, so, if LCD technology, the projector’s own pixels were rather noticeable. That won’t be the case with 1080p, where you have 2.25 pixels for every 1 pixel with 720p, and that means much smaller pixels. You’ll still spot them easily on things like white credits on a dark background, or on the various signage (for scores, player info) when watching your soccer.
Hope that helps! -art
July 29th, 2009 at 8:08 am
Hi,
I am planning to buy this projector, my family will love if it can be used for 80% hd gaming and 20% movies. My concern is lag while playing real time games (guitar hero or fps’s). Considering i am using HDMI cables, is this a perfect pick?
July 31st, 2009 at 9:30 am
Hi Art,
Apologies if this has already been answered, but I haven’t been able to find it.
I’m curious to know what the differences are between 4:4 pull-down and CFI Low (using firmware 1.09), primarily with 1080p/24 movies.
Which do you recommend?
Thank you
August 2nd, 2009 at 10:52 am
Greetings Sergio
4:4 is basic frame interpolation. It simply repeats each frame 4 times to take 24 up to 96 fps. CFI makes each of the added frames different by comparing the original frame 1 and 2, and making the newly created frames 1a, 1b, 1c, each slightly different, to smooth out the motion of fast moving objects. 4:4 doesn’t help in that regard. There is a second type of motion blur, which apparently affects some more than others, and relates to the workings of the eye. the 24 to 96 fps apparently helps with that separate motion blur, but does nothing for smoothing motion. -art
August 2nd, 2009 at 11:03 am
Greetings Joseph,
The Epson should be fine, but I’m not a game player – the assorted manufacturers have been paying more attention to game playing this past year or two. That said, Panasonic is the company that’s really focused on game players. It may well be that the PT-AE3000 is better suited, and both are roughly comparable projectors (they shared our Best in Class award for mid priced 1080p projectors. Best of luck! -a
August 14th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Hi Art, Just a quick question for sports watching which would you say is better the 6500ub or the ae3000? Does the extra brightness coupled with the firmware fix put the 6500ub over the ae3000? I would think so but haven’t been able to see either projector in action(I live in a smaller town).
Thanks Alex
August 15th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Greetings Alex,
Well I have personally favored the 6500UB all along, although I consider the two basically equal but different. Definitely I favor the Epson for sports, you will appreciate the extra lumens, etc.
As to living in a small town, don’t feel bad, even in cities its near impossible to get a demo of the under $3000 or even under $5000 projectors. The local home theater specialists rarely have anything inexpensive to show, because they get overwhelmed with “internet shoppers” who come in and look, and buy online… and such is life. -art
August 19th, 2009 at 9:35 am
I have the Epson 6500 and a Denon 4308. I have a very large number of 1080i HD movies stored on hard drives via Dish Network. I am still confused about the proper way to view these films. Does the Epson upconvert the 1080i movies to 1080p over HDMI, or HDMI signals left alone? I believe the Denon upconverts 1080i to 1080p over hdmi. The 1080i Dish movies are not 24fps, correct? So, as I understand it, using low FI would be the best way to view them? Should I engage the Denon’s Video Processing for 1080i HDMI viewing, or will the Epson actually do anything with these sources?
August 28th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Hi! The Epson will either take the 60fps 1080i, and convert to 1080p (3:2 pull-down), or strip it back to 24fps, and then take it to 120fps with the frame interpolation feature.
In the case of using CFI, this is the one area where Epson’s improved firmware for CFI doesn’t come into play. They left that setting alone. It still strips back to 24fps, then adds 4 new creative frames between each pair of original frames. (When working with 24fps from Blu-ray, the newer CFI firmware creates only 3 frames and takes it to 96fps. My best recommendation for viewing movies off of HDTV cable, is to turn CFI off. If from blu-ray, then either the low setting, or turn it off, whichever you prefer. -art