Talk to me about rainbows

[Ken Huber]

I recently purchased the Infocus X1. For $999, this projector has an incredible picture...but, unfortunately, the 'rainbow' effect drove me crazy. This projector (and many other DLPs) use a spinning color wheel rotating at 2x. The rainbow affect is apparent to some people. It is the appearance of a RGB color stripe, when you shift your eyes or blink (something I do alot during a movie). It happens mostly when there are patches of 'white' or bright patches in the picture.

Unfortunately, I'm not very good at ignoring the problem, so it preoccupies me during the movie. Its really a shame, because this projector puts out an awesome looking picture.

Did anyone else have this problem? What did you do about it? Has anyone sensitive to this, tried the projectors with a 4x wheel? If so, what was your experience on the 4x wheel projector?

Thanks.
Ken H.

[Steven Sigel]

My projector has a 3x wheel and I can see the rainbow on rare occasions -- usually it's fine...

Other people can't see it at all on my projector - so I think it depends on the way your brain is wired...

[Evan Chase]

I own an X-1 and there are 2 things you can do which will really eliminate 90% of rainbow effects:

Use a 62mm polarizing camera filter. This will reduce the light output somewhat, but actually smooths the image and takes the video noise out. I saw NO rainbows using this filter.

Make sure your projector has the most recent (version 3.8) operating software. My first X-1 had lots of rainbows until I sent it in for warranty service and they upgraded the operating software.

Performance from the X-1 varies with the quality of the DVD. The really fine quality DVDs from Universal Home Video and Disney look fantastic.

The X-1 is peaked for use with the S-video. When I use the computer input for progressive scan, the quality isn't anywhere near the S-video input. The Farouda Video Film system only works through the S-video.

Also--make sure your contrast is set under 10 and brightness under 60. This may also help. Make sure the setting is indicated for "film"

[Ken Horan]

I also own an InFocus X-1. I rarely notice the rainbow effect. It seems to be minimal on my machine. When I ran the new DVD release of 'Adventures of Robin Hood' for an audience of about 18 people, no one complained about 'rainbows' and I didn't really notice it with this DVD at all. So I would say that the X-1 has very minimal rainbow effect.

[Evan Chase]

On color movies, rainbows don't show up very well, if you are going to get them, you'll see them on B&W movies.

[Dave Harris]

My first projector, an InFocus 350 showed rainbows. The technology has improved. My current NEC LT-260 rarely shows a rainbow, but it does happen. I agree that some people see them more than others. During screenings no one has ever mentioned it, although as I said, once in a while I see one.

[Evan Chase]

Another thought--we are in the early stages of home theatre video projection technology---DLP is slightly better than LCD. LCD has no rainbow effect, but does have "screendoor" effect when watched at closer distances.

It all boils down to doing LOTS of homework and comparative web shopping. Read lots of reviews, take the extra effort to go to video dealers that sell projectors and compare their performance.

One thing I always notice--at dealers, they invariably have the projectors connected to HDTV satellite or a super clean dvd. On top of that, they usually use a $2000 screen.

I have gotten satisfactory results using a high thread-count king size white sheet stretched over a frame with speakers behind it--with same effect as a theatre. I'm sure I could get even better results with a real screen, but my setup still amazes me and my guests, so I can wait to upgrade.

[Michael Coffin]

A $2000 screen?!?!?! Holy cow!!

If you need a big screen, contact me - I'll sell you some great material and it won't cost more than the projector! :)

-Mike

[John Whittle]

Originally posted by Michael Coffin
A $2000 screen?!?!?! Holy cow!!

If you need a big screen, contact me - I'll sell you some great material and it won't cost more than the projector! :)

-Mike

Holy cow, what that? India beef?

It's easy to spend $2000 for a screen if you buy the high end Stewart Screen and get the four way electornic masking.

Interesting manufacuring technique that Stewart uses. The put the screen material on the ceiling and shoot the spray up. Overspray and dust fall to the floor and the material dries clean.

Neat trick and probably something you could do at home if you're into painting screen surfaces.

John

[Ken Huber]

Hey guys, thanks for the great responses and opinions.

I think I would have agreed with you a month ago, that DLP was slightly better than LCD, but after some experimentation, I decided to buy the Panasonic PT - L300U, an LCD projector, to replace the X1 (due to my problems with the rainbow).

I'm not convinced that DLP is better than LCD, or vise versa. I think you just have to make sure to get the right projector for your application (ie, if you want to watch movies, get a 'theater' recommended projector, not a 'business' projector).

We (my wife and I) instantly recognized that the color was much richer on the L300U. The X1 seemed washed out by comparison. Also, the Panasonic had much less 'screen door' than the X1. The X1 has almost no screen door, but the Panasonic had a slight edge over the X1. The pixels are easier to pick out in the movie credits on the X1, where they are nearly impossible to pick out on the L300U. I'm not sure why. All other things (brightness, contrast, etc) appear to be about the same, as far as I can tell.

If you have an X1, don't get me wrong, I loved that projector. I would have been very happy with the X1 if it weren't for my sensitivity to the rainbows. My wife never did see the rainbows. I had to show her that film someone took of their DLP TV that captured the rainbow effect, just to convince her that I wasn't insane.

But for those that are sensitive to the rainbow, and just can't get past it, I'd recommend switching to the Panasonic PT L300U. Its a pleasure to watch, just as the X1 is, but without the rainbows. I didn't regret it, and you probably wont either. There are probably a lot of other good alternatives out there too.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Evan Chase
[B]Another thought--we are in the early stages of home theatre video projection technology---DLP is slightly better than LCD. LCD has no rainbow effect, but does have "screendoor" effect when watched at closer distances.