Sorry, correction: Offset R is 0

Thanks and best regards,
Lorne

Please find my settings below. The brightness was @ -12 and the contrast was @ 14 with the Super White set to OFF. Please also note these setting are for the HDMI Expanded range. One example where you can see how the colors are very true is the Jokers jacket in The Dark Knight which becomes a real purple as opposed to a blueish purple in the default settings. The natural Red, Green and Blue colors were established and carefully maintained and skin tones are true to life. Let me know how you find them.

Thanks and regards,
Lorne

Epson Calibration Settings

HDMI Home Theatre – Super White

Image Color Mode Theatre Black 1
Brightness 0
Contrast 12
Color Saturation 0
Tint 0
Sharpness Standard
Abs Color Temp 6500
Skin Tone 6
Advanced
Brightness Control High
Auto Iris High Speed

Advanced
Gamma 2.2
Contrast Enhancement 1

RGB
Offset R -14
Offset G 10
Offset B 12
Gain R -10
Gain G 0
Gain B 1

RGBCMY Hue Saturation Brightness
R -4 16 7
G 0 0 0
B 12 16 25
C 0 0 0
M 0 0 0
Y -7 -27 -20

Signal
Aspect Normal
Frame Interpolation OFF

Signal –Advanced
Noise Reduction OFF
Super White ON
Output Scaling Auto
HDMI video range Expanded
4×4 pull-down ON

The Super-white setting, if I recall, does have an extended color gamut. However, I really haven’t worked with it. Please do post your settings in this comment and Mike and I will have a look. I’ve still got a 6500UB sitting here, which I need to return soon, but, I’ll check that out and report. Thanks! -art

First time comment. I often read your reviews to make my purchase decisions. Thanks. I originally had a Panny 2000, now I have the Epson 6500. When it comes to calibrations, I do my own settings. I used to mix and create colors in the fashion business so I have a good eye for it. This is not about colors but I wanted to tell you that I believe I found a new setting that seems to increase the contrast of the Epson 6500 by a significant visual margin. It’s really quite amazing. Please excuse me if you already addressed this issue, but I have never seen it written anywhere. It requires the use of the Super White setting. I never wanted to use that setting because it seemed to make the picture darker, but what I discovered is that if you bring the brightness level back up to match equal brightness of when the Super White setting was off, what happens is the white levels becomes whiter and the black levels return to the same levels un-effected. The contrast levels should also be reduced by 2 to complete the task. I confirmed my setting for accuracy with the THX contrast and brightness tests. The result is quite astonishing with brilliant whites while holding the black levels. Please let me know your thoughts on this and if you would like, I will submit to you what I believe are the picture perfect color and contrast calibrations.

Regards,
Lorne

I hope things work out for your expanded screen review plans. I think a lot of people would be interested in reading you reviews. It is certainly intriguing to me as a solution for extending bulb life while maintaining proper lumens for someone who needs less than a 30deg view angle.

You’re right, the High Power is definitely a curious screen. From what I’m reading, screen hot spots or rolls off in the corners, are pretty much non-existent…whether this is due to the microbead technology, something else, or maybe it isn’t as good as non-professional reviews are saying, that would be interesting to know from a professional review.

Thanks for your reply. Looking forward to your next review.

Darryl

I understand that the High Power is atypical, and reflects light best, back at the source, instead of on angle. That said, I don’t think that has much bearing on whether a screen hot spots, or rolls off in the corners. Da-lite itself rates it a 30 degree half viewing angle. A number of their screens are as high as 60 degrees, and many are around 45 degrees.

Here’s what they say:

High Power

A technological breakthrough, providing the reflectivity and optical characteristics of a traditional glass beaded surface with the ability to clean the surface when necessary. Its smooth textured surface provides the highest gain of all front projection screen surfaces with no resolution loss. The moderate viewing angle and its ability to reflect light back along the projection axis make this surface the best choice for situations where there is a moderate amount of ambient light and the projector is placed on a table-top or in the same horizontal viewing plane as the audience. Flame retardant and mildew resistant. Viewing Angle: 30° Gain: 2.8

As to reviewing them, therein lies the rub. As I mention we really aren’t set up to fully and properly review screens. We do not have a process to measure such issues as viewing angle, color accuracy, gain, etc., that would be tight enough for comparative reviewing. As a result, my attempts at screen reviews has been more of sampling one of each type, (including factoring in prices). Allow me to explain.

If you look at all our reviews (of which are no more than 10 I think, without looking), you’ll find variety. There’s the Firehawk G3, which while an HC gray surface is somewhat unique. There’s also an Elite HC gray, with a very light gray surface. There’s an acoustic, a motorized matte white, and a fixed wall Carada BW – a white with a 1.4 gain, etc.

At this point, we don’t have the time or setup to review screens so people can compare 4 different brand’s HC gray fixed wall screens, and determine the one with best performance, and most suitable for a user, as we try to do with projectors. It’s more of this screen type is best for meeting these requirements, then with specific aspects of the screen I’m working with. That’s one reason why there are so many Elite screens reviewed, relative to other brands. They happen to be relatively local, and they are always asking me to do reviews, and when I say yes, they send people down, assemble and install the screen and then will remove it and put things back the way they were, when I’m done.

In a perfect world I’d like to review about a screen every month or so. I’d look for someone else with more screen knowledge than I have, to do the reviews. That way, over a two year period I could review 3-4 each of Stewart and Da-lite, and 1-3 from Vutec, Draper, Screen Innovations, Carada Grandview and others. That would be a pretty helpful review library.

I’d really like to accomplish that, and hope to get it started within the next year. Certainly the High Power is a curious screen and well liked by many (based on my forum visits). Who knows, we might get to it sooner.

BTW I’m pretty adverse to corner rolloff. Even with my head only about 18 inches off of the centerline from my screen, I have no trouble seeing rolloff in the corners with my Firehawk. It’s acceptable, but I’d still prefer less. The Firehawk otherwise, though is an excellent choice for my tastes, and particularly my room situation.

From what I’ve read, the Da-lite High Power doesn’t have ‘any’ corner roll-off because it is a retro-reflective screen (micro beads), as opposed to the more common angular-reflective screens; thus is completely uniform throughout the entire screen.

I am more concerned with is how that particular screen fairs with color/greyscale/etc.

What I would love to see is if you could do a review on the Da-lite High Power Screen. See if it retains full screen resolution, color, greyscale, etc..? Any possibility of a screen review…there’s been a lot of chatter in forums about this particular screen!

rgds
Darryl

Well, I’m not much of a fan of high-power (high gain) screens. Especially when combined with a very short distance mounting. the closer the projector to a given sized screen, the more roll-off in the corners, etc. (It’s why, for example, for a 100″ diagonal screen, that Stewart makes two versions of their Firehawk – yes I realize I’m now talking HC gray, not Hi-power. One version has slightly higher gain than the other (by 0.1 gain). The standard G3 would be recommended if the projector was 15 feet or more back from that 100″ screen, and their Firehawk SST, for less than 15 feet.

The point – you can muster up a lot more lumens that way, but I expect your corners will be fairly dark. (and why eco mode – you don’t get a lamp life increase, and you need every lumen – unless your plan is to kick the lamp to high as the projector dims.

Bottom line: I think it’s a stretch, but if everything else supports it (nice black walls, etc.), and the corner roll-off isn’t too bad, you will have the lumens you need. Afterall, a gain screen of 134″ needs about 80% more lumens than a 100″ if the same gain. With a 1.8 gain, you would technically have a brighter image on a 134″, than you would get with a 100″ diagonal screen with a gain of 1.1.

Here is an idea I have been playing around with in my head, but would like to have an expert opinion on. It pertains to what you said above “…Epson is going to come up a little short on lumens. It might do the job when you first get it, but the lumens will drop off…over time as the lamp ages.”
(Note – I am looking at a 134″ diagonal screen – 16:9 aspect)

To get that “bright punchy” capability from the Epson & maintain the life of the bulb, without losing much in terms of color balance, gray scales, etc., could the following work?

…Take the Epson 8500, set it to THX, put it in ‘econo’ mode, maximize the brightness by placing it as close to the 134″ screen as it will allow, and use a Da-Lite High Power screen, while positioning your seating so that you get close to a 1.8-2.0 average gain (assumes I am using a couch no more than 7feet wide so not to get too far outside the best viewing angle)…?

Would that particular screen and that particular configuration above, hinder sharpness or color balance/grey scale…? Or would it allow me to get more ‘bright punchy’ life out of my bulb, without much cost to picture quality…?

rgds
Darryl