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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Best way to Screen RED Feature

Hutson

Hutson

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Just taking some suggestions from those who have screened a feature shot in RED. Would love to screen in 2K, but open to all ideas. Screening in Los Angeles.

So far I have read about the AJA IO HD using a laptop and of course Blu-ray.
We are mixing in 5.1 as well....right now we are in ProRes HQ 2K final. Our other features were screened in HDCAM at Sony Studios, but probably looking at WGA theater for this one.

Looking at sometime in June.

Thanks guys
 
I would say Blu-Ray player hooked up to a Sony 4K projector. You can rent the projector for a few hundy and set it up at a theater.
 
Red Feature Screenings

Red Feature Screenings

Unfortunately, there is no way to hook up a Mac to an SXRD in 4K mode. The Sony does accept 2K signals and scales them up to the 4 chips via SDI or DVI, but there is no 4K interfacing with Apple machines.
PlasterCITY has an SONY SXRD and a Christie CP2000, but we can only use the SXRD with DCP encoded 4K media. All test screenings are done on the CP2000, which has better color reproduction and deeper blacks than the SXRD anyway.

Huston-
If you are screening in a large venue, ProRes is a much better way to screen the image than a BluRay. BluRay is only 1080p, 8bit and 40mb/s. ProRes is 2K, 10bit and 225mb/s. Plus, ProRes enables you the ability to literally "plug-and-play" your files for screenings.

If you are interested, there are number of theaters in town that take ProRes files and can screen them in 2K theaters. Ping me and I can give you more information if you are interested.
best,
michael
 
Thanks Michael, I have been wondering about that. I may have to hire you guys to help me out with a few things in the future. btw- my friend Oscar is working down there with you 8)
 
Michel,
Have you had a chance to compare some RED footage projected on a 4KDCP at the SXRD and the same footage on a 2k CP2000???
 
Renato-
We've done a lot of testing between both projectors and there are a lot of stories to tell. Both projectors have their own pros and cons, but the truth is most people don't truly understand how advanced 4K really is. 4K really is still a new technology and most people haven't really seen true 4K projected before in a properly calibrated viewing environment.
When things are setup correctly, the SXRD produces an amazingly sharp picture - but its effective resolution is only really perceptible in two scenarios:
The main way to see and enjoy real 4K is on a screen that is larger than (approximately) 60 feet across. On average sized screens (40-50ft) the difference between 2K and 4K is nearly imperceptible. You need a very large canvas for the pixels to spread out in a 2K projection before it becomes noticeable. Ian Vertovec (one of my best friends and also a colorist at PlasterCITY) saw a DCP of Wolverine at the Mann Chinese Theater last weekend. That screen is enormous and even to a trained eye the 2K (CP2000) projection produced "more than enough" resolution.

The other way in which you can really see 4K is when you are sitting close. Optimal viewing for a screen is to sit about 1 and 1/2 times away from the screen height. If you are sitting closer than that, the pixels and (or perfs or film grain) becomes much more pronounced and is visible the closer you sit. But with 4K, you can sit very close to the screen and not see the pixles - it's really amazing.

But overall, if you wanted my opinion, color reproduction and contrast range always outperform resolution. Though we have the capability to view in 4K on the SXRD, we find that the Christie CP2000 produces an overall better picture in 2K, even when downsampled.
michael
 
Thanks Michael,
I've seem 4K in a big screen (scenes from Baraka, CGs and some other shots) and it was truly amazing. What I would love to see is a side by side comparison to see the potential of truly 4K projection from regular 4K RED footage. I've the impression that even the colors would look better then the 2K downsampled, not just the luminance. This is all new territory and there is lot to explore...
Renato
 
Michael_PlasterCITY said:
Unfortunately, there is no way to hook up a Mac to an SXRD in 4K mode. The Sony does accept 2K signals and scales them up to the 4 chips via SDI or DVI, but there is no 4K interfacing with Apple machines.
PlasterCITY has an SONY SXRD and a Christie CP2000, but we can only use the SXRD with DCP encoded 4K media. All test screenings are done on the CP2000, which has better color reproduction and deeper blacks than the SXRD anyway.

Huston-
If you are screening in a large venue, ProRes is a much better way to screen the image than a BluRay. BluRay is only 1080p, 8bit and 40mb/s. ProRes is 2K, 10bit and 225mb/s. Plus, ProRes enables you the ability to literally "plug-and-play" your files for screenings.

If you are interested, there are number of theaters in town that take ProRes files and can screen them in 2K theaters. Ping me and I can give you more information if you are interested.
best,
michael
Click to expand...

Michael,

How do you achieve projection with a ProRes file? Does the CP2000 have some type of internal drive? Or do you hook it up to a Mac?

Thanks
 
Michael_PlasterCITY said:
But overall, if you wanted my opinion, color reproduction and contrast range always outperform resolution. Though we have the capability to view in 4K on the SXRD, we find that the Christie CP2000 produces an overall better picture in 2K, even when downsampled.
Click to expand...

Your opinion is widely shared.
 
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